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Should you upgrade to the 2022 iPad Pro, supercharged by the Apple M2? 

A. Yes if you have an iPad older than the first M1 2021 model

TL:DR: If you have the original home button equipped iPad Pro from 2015 (12.9 inch) or 2016 (9.7 inch), or the home button equipped iPad Pro from 2017 then now is the time to upgrade. The 2018 and 2020 no button iPad Pro's are a harder call to make as they have USB-C and improved looks and performance but I would still say it is time to upgrade as they have good resale value and will miss out on iOS features such as Stage Manager that need Apples M1 or M2 chipset power. The 2021 iPad Pro based on the Apple M1 chip is probably not worth upgrading to the 2022 model. The 2024 iPad Pro is the current model but you can find it new with a small discount at Amazon or used with a massive discount if you try hard!

Do you need the supercharged performance?

The 2022 iPad Pro was announced on October 18, 2022. It is available in Space Grey and Silver and looks very similar to the previous years model which was the first to feature Apple's M1 chip. But the 2022 iPad Pro is supercharged by the M2 chip and features a next-level Apple Pencil hover experience and super fast wireless connectivity, along with what Apple call the world’s most advanced mobile display, along with pro cameras, Face ID, Thunderbolt, and a four-speaker audio system. Macrumors said you should buy it now, partly because it is a short time since it was updated in what tracks as a 12-18 month update cycle.

The M2 chip, Apple say, is up to 15 percent faster than M1 and delivers delivering up to 35 percent faster graphics performance. It is up to 40% more powerful than the M1 when handling machine learning tasks and it has 50% more unified memory bandwidth than M1. All of this should translate into smooth performance in iOS 16 and in games and other intensive workloads.

Do you need the rest of the improvements over the M1 based iPad Pro?

I'd say probably not. This is a minor list of updates, supercharged performance aside.

• M2 chip with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU 
• USB-C connector with support for Thunderbolt / USB 4 
• 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with 'Center Stage'
• Apple Pencil hover experience detects up to 12 mm above the display, allowing users to see a preview of their mark before they make it.
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Wi-Fi + Cellular models support 5G 
• iOS 16 features like Stage Manager, a more consistent desktop app experience
• Reference mode (12.9 inch iPad Pro only)

Do you need the improvements over an earlier iPad Pro?

I'd say probably. There's a reason you opted for a Pro in the first place. Time to upgrade.

• The 2022 iPad Pro only works with Apple Pencil II.
• Previous models used Apples Apple A12Z Bionic processor. Some are still available as refurbished 'as new' from Apple.
• Earlier models Wi-Fi + Cellular standards support varies.
• First and second generation iPad Pro's required the original Apple Pencil so you may need to buy a new pencil.
• First and second generation iPad Pros have lightning connectors so you may need new accessories.
• All iPad Pro models should be capable of running iOS 16 but the first models based on the Apple A9X chip are considered to be vintage now and well worth replacing.

References

See also:

• Apple introduces next-generation iPad Pro, supercharged by the M2 chip (Apple Newsroom)
• iPad Pro roundup (Macrumors - US pricing)
• iPad Pro Tech Specs (Apple UK)