I had no issue holding and reading from the 13” 2018 pro which was far heavier.
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I read on mine and was worried it would be too much, but it doesn’t bother me. In fact I value the extra screen space. But I also still read a lot of paper books, I don’t know if that means I’m reasonably tolerant of holding heavy things while I read.
I pretty much only use my iPad in portrait now (for recreational use, work is different). In fact I’m typing this with my device in portrait, as usual! I personally just find it really lends itself to that in a way I didn’t find with previous smaller models, which I usually used in landscape. Because of this, I bought this case off Amazon, which hands down is the best iPad case I’ve ever had and I honestly don’t know why Apple isn’t selling them: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CDPRNZ92
I wanted a case that had a detachable front cover. This was actually the only option when I looked, so I didn’t have any choice, but it is amazing. You can remove the device from the cover at any time (it’s magnetic) without having to remove the “hard casing”, which means you can switch between using the stand options, and lighter reading and your device is still protected. The stand lets you have multiple different angles, AND you can put the device in the stand in portrait mode rather than being forced into landscape like many covers require. Incredible!
All of that AND it has two pencil holders - a ridged one on the side for charging and secure pencil holding, and an elasticated pocket on the outside cover for more secure travelling.
Honestly I cannot oversell this case, it shows a lack of imagination from Apple that they didn’t invent it first.
(I am not being paid to write this post. I really do just think this case is life-changing 
)
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I took a bit of a gamble when I ordered the Nanotexture display. It really works to cut reflections in bright light. In addition to situations where there’s a bright light behind me, bouncing directly off the display, it also cuts reflections when I’ve a bright light in front or to the side, illuminating my face so brightly it would reflect off the display. As I write this I’m sitting on a patio at the Grand Canyon Lodge in bright sunlight and the iPad is very usable.
The screen does look slightly hazy in bright light, but this haze only seems to appear when you’d otherwise be getting reflections off the display. In darker environments the Nanotexture doesn’t seem to have any visible effect.
The Nanotexture doesn’t seem to have any tactile roughness. If anything it feels slightly slicker under my finger than my old iPad (kind of like the back of an iPhone 6). The display may have a bit more drag when using the pencil, but the effect is very slight.
Beyond the display, the other big external feature of the 13” iPad Pro is its thinness. However, when I pick it up the lighter weight is much more noticeable than the thinner cross section.
I actually find the decrease in thickness more noticeable when it’s folded in the Magic Keyboard. In addition to being thinner the new Magic Keyboard is also about 3/16 inch bit less deep, front to back. The hinge mechanism has an oval cross section rather than being cylindrical. 3/16” may not seem like much but the 2018 iPad Pro was a tight fit in my Waterfield Sutter Tech Sling and this is enough to make a difference.
The haptic trackpad with the glass surface is a nice upgrade from the old Magic Keyboard. I haven’t gotten a ton of use out of the function row so far, but having screen brightness controls close at hand is nice.
I’ve not really done anything that pushes the M4, but it definitely feels snappier than my 2018. I’ve definitely noticed fewer webpage reloads as I switch between tabs with the 16gb than my old 4gb 2018 iPad Pro.
Once nice little touch: my Space Black one came with a black braided USB-C charge cable.
Overall, I’m very happy with my new iPad Pro. Hopefully it will give good service for another 5 years, like the last one.
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I’m happy to hear this, as I too ordered the nano-texture option and have not yet taken delivery of the iPad Pro. This was one thing I wasn’t sure about, so glad to learn you think it’s working well.
Now, finding a good case for it will be next challenge. Hoping for a new offering from Decoded, as my old case from them held up perfectly for six years under heavy use. My experiences with the Apple Smart Folio product is horrible - starts falling apart after 7-8 months…
I believe I’m going to purchase the new iPad Pro M4 in the next week or so. I use my iPad for ~60-70% of my work.
Those of you who have one, any additional thoughts? I’m also interested in any more thoughts from those with the nano-texture. Most of my work on the iPad is in my office or home study. I deal with some screen glare in my office but seldom in my home. On weekends, I do a lot of writing while on the patio but because I’m under an umbrella, I don’t have much of a problem with glare. Are there downsides to using the iPad with nano-texture?
Any other thoughts based on your use of the new iPad Pro M4?
I’m sure this is a typo because 
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Man, I must’ve been in a hurry. 
That should say for 60 to 70% of my work.
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There’s a good comparison of standard glass vs nano texture glass here. The contrast and colours inevitably suffer somewhat with nano glass.
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I traded in my 12.9 M1 for an 11 M4. It’s very thin and light, but sturdy. It somehow feels sturdier than my M1 was. Overall I’m pleased and it reduces the weight in my bag significantly. The new Apple Pencil is nice and I like the haptic feedback. I also upgraded because I knew eventually I wanted a cellular model, and this was a good time to pull the trigger.
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Congrats on your new device. I currently have an M1 12.9 pro and I really don’t like it because it’s just too heavy and awkward to hold in my hands for any period of time.
Can you elaborate more about holding it in your hand’s and using the pencil? Is it really that noticeable?
I have the nano-texture 13" iPad Pro and I really like it even though I’m rarely in a location with high glare. It’s the only reason I bought the 1TB iPad. Otherwise, the 256 GB would have been more than enough for me.
After visiting the Apple Store I decided the nano-textured display was not worth the price for my needs. I certainly don’t need 1TB of storage. Spending a little less makes it easier to upgrade a little more frequently. 
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I think you made a wise choice. It would have been much cheaper to add a non-glare screen protector, which is what I’ve used for all my previous iPads. Moshi iVisor is excellent if you’re ever in need of glare reduction although they don’t yet have screen protectors for the new iPads.
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I’ll check this out, thanks!
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I use the Moshi Visor and it has the added benefit of eliminating almost all fingerprints. I appreciate that it helps with glare but for me it’s the elimination of fingerprints that matters most. Instead of cleaning the screen once a day I just give it a light wipe once a week and even that’s not really necessary.
I assume this means it is removable and can be applied multiple times?
Use over and over. Simply rinse with water to remove dirt, grease, and debris. Our proprietary adhesive will continue to stick to the screen over and over without leaving residue.
I never tried to remove mine, I don’t even remember it having an adhesive but it’s been 3 years since I put it on. But it was easy, no issues with bubbles or anything like that.
For anyone who’s a Pencil user, I’d also recommend AstroPad’s Rock Paper Pencil. Similar idea: a screen protector that you can put on and take off as many times as you’d like (although I’ve put it one once and never removed it). It also comes with a new tip for the Apple Pencil (actually, two of them), and the feel of the metal tip on the screen protector is the closest I’ve felt to writing on a notepad. At $39.99, it’s a bit steep, but I’ve found it to be a worthwhile purchase.
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That’s another thing I like about the Moshi iVisor. It’s very easy to remove and re-apply. It’s definitely worth the price (around $30, usually).
That looks great, Carl! I wish I had known about it before I upgraded to nano-texture.
And, by the way, the nano-texture shows fingerprints way more than the Moshi iVisor ever did.