I'm the guy who bought an Apple device right before a new one came out. I don't regret it one bit

I took advantage of a deal on the M4 iPad Pro just days before the M5 arrived. Here's why I'm keeping it.

- BY FILIPE ESPOSITO

While the rest of the world was waiting for the M5 iPad Pro (fave.co/4kQRgIT) earlier this month, I decided to buy an M4 iPad Pro (fave.co/4dGakGZ), just days before Apple dropped its big M5 announcement, in fact. Yes, I knew the M5 iPad Pro was imminent. But the deal I got on the previous generation model was compelling enough that I didn't hesitate.

When the M5 model arrived, I was still within my return window. However, after digging into what's new on the new iPad Pro, I've concluded that going for the M5 isn't the no-brainer it appears to be. In fact, I'm here to argue that buying the M4 version now could be the smarter move if you want to save some money. And if you already have an M4 iPad Pro, you shouldn't worry about buying a new one.

For context, I replaced an M2 iPad Pro (fave.co/4reW9A6) with 128GB of storage, which was more than enough for what I do with my iPad (usually watching videos, browsing the web, and writing articles). I wasn't exactly considering an upgrade, but I couldn't pass up a good opportunity to upgrade.

I found a good deal on the entry-level M4 iPad Pro with 256GB of storage, so I sold my old iPad and bought the M4 for a small difference in price. I could have waited a couple more weeks to buy the new M5 iPad Pro, but would that have made a huge difference? Not really—and here's why.

SAME DESIGN, SAME DISPLAY, SAME IPAD EXPERIENCE

In terms of design, if you compare both models side by side, you'll have a hard time finding any differences. Except for the fact that the M5 version no longer has “iPad Pro” written on the back, the M5 iPad Pro has kept the same ultra-thin design introduced with last year’s M4 model.

Both versions have exactly the same dimensions, weight, and thickness. But those aren't the only things they have in common.