Do you need an iPad Pro with a 13 Inch display, or do you simply want one?
CHF 954.– for a Tablet, and for the large one at that. The first thought is usually the same: Nobody needs that much screen space; it’s just showing off. We promised to be honest, so let’s start there. For many people, that thought is correct. For some, it isn’t. And there’s a third group that people rarely talk about openly in buying guides. One thing at a time.
What 13 Inch specifically changes
The display has a resolution of 2752 × 2064 pixels at 264 ppi. In practical terms, this means an A4 page appears almost at its original size. Two windows side by side are two usable windows. Anyone who works extensively with documents notices the difference immediately.
Technically, the panel is a tandem OLED that reaches 1000 nits across the entire display and up to 1600 nits at peak brightness with HDR content. It also features ProMotion with up to 120 Hz. And although the device is the larger of the two Pro models, at 5.1 mm it is the thinner one. Around 580 grams for 13 Inch is very light.
As for processing power: The device contains the M4, the same chip Apple also uses in other products in its lineup. That is more than enough for a Tablet, and that is precisely the point. It means there is plenty of headroom. Apple Intelligence requires at least an M1. This device is not just barely above the threshold, but well beyond it.
The point at which it replaces a laptop
For a long time, this was a marketing promise that lagged behind reality. Since iPadOS 26 in September 2025, it has largely become true. The update brought a real windowing system, a macOS-style menu bar, a usable Files app and solid support for external displays. Windows can be moved freely, resized and positioned against the edges of the screen. On 11 Inch, it feels cramped. On 13 Inch, it makes sense.
This is exactly where the Accessories become part of the equation. With a keyboard case, you get a trackpad, windows and a menu bar—in other words, a workstation. With the Apple Pencil Pro, you get a notebook that recognises handwriting. Together, the two genuinely meet the needs of two devices in many situations. For a student who has been carrying a laptop and Tablet, this can mean one device instead of two. Take notes in lectures with the Pencil, keep the script open beside them, and attach the keyboard for writing papers.
One detail that matters more in everyday use than it sounds: On the M4 model, the front camera is positioned on the long side. In keyboard mode, you look straight ahead during a video call instead of appearing off to the side of the frame. Previous models were the other way around, and anyone who spends every day on calls for work notices the difference immediately.
Anyone who needs specific Windows software, a statistics package, CAD or a full development environment needs a laptop.
What the extra space really pays off for
Drawing and illustrating is the most obvious case. The Apple Pencil Pro recognises pressure and tilt, and 13 Inch is the difference between a notepad and a drawing board. Photo and video editing on the go is the second case; with Thunderbolt on the port, fast external SSDs can be connected directly.
The third case is underestimated: reading. Specialist literature, standards, construction plans, sheet music—everything designed for A4 or larger only works on an 11-Inch device with constant zooming and panning.
Where it remains showing off
If the device is mainly used for streaming shows, displaying recipes and scrolling through the web, any iPad can do that. You certainly notice the screen size and OLED when watching a film, but the M4's processing power remains completely unused. Anyone who never attaches a keyboard and never picks up a Pencil is buying roughly half the device without using it.
Then there is the handling: 13 Inch used one-handed on the sofa or in bed is unwieldy, and the device will not fit in a small bag. There is also a configuration limitation that comes with the product range: The 256 GB version has 8 GB of RAM and a nine-core processor. 16 GB is only available from 1 TB upwards. That is more than sufficient for notes, documents, drawing and standard video editing. Anyone planning huge projects with many tracks should know this before ordering, and 4K footage fills 256 GB faster than you might think.
And what if you simply want it?
Now for the part that purchasing copy likes to leave out. “I want it” is a valid reason. When it comes to a bicycle, a watch or a sofa, nobody asks whether every feature will be used to one hundred percent. With technology, suddenly the burden of proof applies—and that is made up.
There is also a practical point: A device that brings you joy gets used. A narrowly justified purchase that slows you down every other step ends up in a drawer. And refurbished is exactly where this reason becomes affordable. The gap between “sensible” and “the good one” is significantly smaller with a tested Refurbished device than on the new-device shelf.
What does not work, however, is buying the device and then looking for reasons why you supposedly needed it. If you have to construct a justification, you probably do not need it. Then buy it because you want it, or leave it. Both are perfectly sound decisions; the combination of guilt and excuses is not.
The offer in September
In September, the iPad Pro 13 Inch (M4) with 256 GB in Space Black is available for CHF 954.– instead of CHF 1'060.–. That is a 10 percent discount, valid until 30 September. The discount applies to all conditions, so you can decide for yourself how many signs of use you are willing to accept.
This price is possible for a simple reason: Apple replaced the M4 model with its successor in October 2025. What you get here was the top model in the range until recently. Revendo is an Apple Authorised Service Provider. Every device comes with a one-year warranty, extendable to three years, plus a 14-day right of return and Stores throughout Switzerland where you can hold the device in your hands beforehand.
Pro or showing off? It is showing off when the device remains closed on the table. It is Pro the moment you open it and start working with it. And in between lies a completely legitimate option: You simply wanted it.