Can the M4 iPad Pro Edit 4K Video? Final Cut Pro Export Test vs an M3 Max MacBook Pro

This is the English edition of a review from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I review gadgets from my home studio in Japan, so product links go to Amazon Japan.

Quick take

I put the M4 iPad Pro 13-inch against my M3 Max MacBook Pro 14-inch in Final Cut Pro. Editing four stacked 4K clips was smooth on both. Exporting a 9:59 4K video took a little over 3 minutes on the MacBook Pro and about 5 minutes on the iPad Pro. The Mac is clearly faster, but the iPad is more than capable for simple 4K editing.

M4 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro running Final Cut Pro — Left: M4 iPad Pro 13-inch. Right: the MacBook Pro screen mirrored to an 11-inch iPad

What I tested

M4 iPad Pro 13-inch with Final Cut Pro for iPad
M3 Max MacBook Pro 14-inch with Final Cut Pro (mirrored to an iPad for filming)
The same 4K footage on both, four clips stacked on the timeline, then a simultaneous export of a 9:59 4K timeline

Results

	M4 iPad Pro 13"	M3 Max MacBook Pro 14"
Four stacked 4K clips	Smooth	Smooth
Export of a 9:59 4K video	About 5 min	A little over 3 min

What I found

Editing feels the same. Scrubbing and previewing with three or four 4K layers caused no stutter on either machine.
Export is where the Mac pulls ahead. Both started at 6–7% together, then the MacBook Pro finished well ahead. Still, 10 minutes of 4K in 5 minutes on a tablet is impressive.
A note on fairness. Partway through I noticed the MacBook Pro project was set below Full HD. I switched it to 4K and it stayed just as smooth.
The iPad’s strength is the all-in-one flow. Shoot, edit, export to the camera roll and watch, all on one device.

Final Cut Pro export running on iPad Pro and MacBook Pro — Starting both exports at the same time

Who it’s for

Good fit if you already own an iPad Pro and want to edit family videos or simple 4K projects now and then.
Not my pick for a dedicated editing machine. There is only one USB-C port for importing, you cannot add internal storage later, and with a keyboard case it weighs about as much as a MacBook. For heavy editing I would point people to a MacBook Air or another laptop.

Watch the review

[M4 iPad Pro] 動画編集の性能はどのくらい？？M3 Max MacBook Proと書き出し速度対決！

The video is in Japanese. The side-by-side export starts at around 4:20, and the progress bars tell the story without the narration.

Limitations

One project, one set of export settings, and I did not test heavy effects. This video is from 2024; when I checked while writing this, Amazon Japan listed the newer M5 iPad Pro rather than new M4 stock.