Apple has guaranteed that the iPad Pro 2021 will ship to users in late May, but the timing is vague and frustrating. Fortunately, thanks to users who got their hands on the iPad Pro a step early, we can learn more about the device.

Reddit user u/PeterDragon50 posted a photo of a freshly unboxed iPad Pro 2021 on the r/ipad subreddit, and to the delight of his fellow Redditers (and us), he turned the celebratory post into a mini-Q&A thread, with a video of the iPad Pro 2021 in action, also posted a hands-on video of the tablet in action.

PeterDragon50 showed off the iPad Pro's Mini-LED display in a 4K video sample, demonstrating the various wallpapers available and how it works with the previous generation Magic Keyboard. Apple recommends the latest Magic Keyboard for the new iPad Pro, but the older model still works with the latest iPad, although it is not a perfect fit.

PeterDragon50 stated that the display "looks like OLED, color calibrated by Apple, and looks great." He adds that the screen is "comparable to OLED, but certainly brighter with hdr content." He later described the black bars around 16:9 aspect ratio content as "very black, impossibly black," another advantage of the new screen technology.

You may be wondering how the iPad Pro's battery will handle this improved display; PeterDragon 50 says that using the browser, benchmarking apps, YouTube, and Plex, "I used up 34% in about 3.5 hours. Since these are power-hungry activities, there doesn't seem to be any concern that the new iPad will suddenly die when you need it most.

We also got a taste of the tablet's M1-powered performance with the Antutu and Geekbench benchmark apps. These are in line with other results rumored to be with the latest iPad, showing about a 50% improvement over the A12Z Bionic chipset that will be used in the 2020 iPad Pro.

Another major change to the iPad Pro is the introduction of Center Stage. This uses an ultra-wide-angle front-facing camera to track the user during video recording and calls, ensuring that the user remains the center of attention; PeterDragon50, when asked about this system in the comments of the original post, stated that it "works as advertised" and "kinda cool and very smooth."

But for all the new features, the lucky Redditor says it's not an automatic upgrade for those with a recent iPad Pro." I would only recommend upgrading if you really want the hdr experience," he told users with the 2018 model. He concluded, "I would at least wait and see what WWDC brings."

Speaking of which, WWDC 2021 will take place from June 7 to June 11. It is primarily an event to discuss the latest versions of Apple's software, such as macOS 12 and iOS 15, but sometimes there will be product announcements as well. This could include a new iPad, but most likely an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro, a new 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the AirPods 3 we've been hearing so much about lately will be announced.