Scott Stein/CNET That new Liquid Retina XDR display is awesome (but only on the 12-inch model) Watching movies in the dark is pretty fantastic with the Liquid Retina XDR's mini LED display. The concept of lidar doesn't change here, but the horsepower to use it for AR has increased. But the depth range for the rear lidar sensor is still the same: about 5 meters. Augmented reality is one of Apple's big focuses for the future, and this iPad Pro with its M1 chip is now the most powerful AR/scanning device in Apple's arsenal. Processing really large models with a million polygons still took about a minute or so, but the iPad Pro didn't seem to heat up or sweat the extra work as much as the 2020 model did last year.

I ran some 3D scanning apps on the iPad Pro, using the iPad Pro's lidar and cameras to create a 3D model of my porch or backyard playground and drop them back in with AR.

On a Mac, I can open tons of tabs on Safari and easily see how the M1 lets it run without even a whisper (or the Mac heating up). But it's hard to tell how deep that power runs. Leaping between apps seems to take no time at all, and apps hold their position without losing their memory. Using it, navigation and app launches feel lightning-quick.

Fresco ipad pro