The M5 iPad Pro has finally arrived: Apple has announced the updated iPad Pro with M5, offering improved performance, more RAM, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and more.
Apple has finally announced its M5 iPad Pro, bringing serious upgrades to performance, storage speeds, RAM, connectivity and more. And yes, it's already looking to take over as one of the best iPads and best tablets.
But there's more under the hood that should impress. From an upgraded chipset and more RAM as standard, here’s everything you need to know about the next iPad Pro.
M5 iPad Pro: Specs
| Header Cell - Column 0 | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Pro (M4) |
|---|---|---|
Price | from $999 | from $1,299 |
Display | 11-inch Tandem OLED (2420 x 1668 pixels) / 13-inch Tandem OLED (2752 x 2064 pixels) | 11-inch Tandem OLED (2420 x 1668 pixels) / 13-inch Tandem OLED (2752 x 2064 pixels) |
Colors | Silver, Space Black | Silver, Space Black |
Chip | M5 (9-10 CPU cores, 10 GPU cores) | M4 (9-10 CPU cores, 10 GPU cores) |
RAM | From 12GB | From 8GB |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Cameras | 12MP front landscape, 12MP rear | 12MP front landscape, 12MP rear |
Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, 5G | Wi-Fi 6E, 5G |
Size | 9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inches (11-inch) / 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.2 inches (13-inch) | 9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inches (11-inch) / 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.2 inches (13-inch) |
Weight | 0.98 pounds (11-inch) / 1.28 pounds (13-inch) | 0.98 pounds (11-inch) / 1.28 pounds (13-inch) |
M5 iPad Pro: Price and release date
The M5 iPad Pro is available to pre-order right now on Apple's website and will officially launch on October 22. Fortunately, it comes at exactly the same starting price as the previous iPad Pro M4.
The M5 iPad Pro will be available from $999 for the 11-inch tablet and $1,299 for the 13-inch model, all boasting the power of M5. It comes in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage capacities, along with standard and nano-texture displays and Wi-Fi and Cellular models options available.
Without extras like the Apple Pencil and Apple Magic Keyboard, prices go as high as $2,599 for the 13-inch Cellular model with 2TB storage and nano-texture glass. Of course, if you're just looking for M5 power, then the base $999 11-inch model will be for you.
This also means the last-gen M4 iPad Pro models should be seeing discounts soon, so if you're after Apple's Pro tablet without the latest M5 performance, it's a good idea to keep an eye out for price cuts on the previous tablets.
What’s new?
Like I said, the M5 iPad Pro isn't necessarily about upgrades you visibly see, but you will get a major performance boost.
M5 chip
The big new thing coming to the iPad Pro is in the name — the M5 chip. We've previously seen supposed benchmarks on the M5 chip, thanks to YouTuber Wylascom's unboxing video (as you'll find below).
According to the unit shown, it comes with 256GB for storage and features 12GB of RAM, an upgrade over the 8GB in the M4 version.
As for the M5 chip's speeds, Wylacom shows tests for the M5-equipped tablet on Geekbench. As per the tests, the M5 delivered 4,133 single-core and 15,437 multi-core scores, along with a 74,568 Metal score (which measures GPU performance).
Compared to our tests of the M4 iPad Pro, which scored 3,692 and 14,512, respectively, we're seeing around a 10-15% performance boost. However, it's the Metal score that really impresses, with Wylacom seeing a 35% uplift compared to the M4's GPU (55,702 Metal score).
This indicates the M5 chip will not only offer speedier performance, but also be more gamer-focused, too.
As Apple announced, we can also expect the latest iPad Pro offering up to 1.5x faster 3D rendering with ray tracing than the previous-generation iPad Pro, and up to 6.7x faster rendering performance than iPad Pro with M1. We'll also see 1.2x faster video transcoding performance on the M4 iPad Pro, 2.3x faster AI video upscaling performance and 1.5x faster 3D rendering with ray tracing
Here's a look at the main upgrades to expect:
- Improved performance: you should really feel faster single- and multi-core speeds, alongside a beefier GPU with higher ray tracing capabilities.
- Better battery life: spreading across more transistors usually equates to more efficient task completion, which means improved stamina.
- Faster AI: Apple’s Neural Engine is already one of the best in the business for local AI work, and this time its 3.5x faster compared to M4.
More RAM and Wi-Fi 7
Two other key features are now confirmed to be getting an upgrade, paired with this new chipset to really make this feel an all-around turboboost.
First, there's 12GB RAM as standard. Currently, the M4 iPad Pro starts at 8GB, and just like we’ve seen with the MacBooks, this increase in RAM will support the multitasking demands of iPadOS 26 and Apple Intelligence.
The second major upgrade is Wi-Fi 7. With today’s tablet supporting Wi-Fi 6E, you can theoretically get 9 gigabits per second (Gbps) speeds. Moving to Wi-Fi 7 will give you a maximum of 46 Gbps, along with compatibility with the new 6 GHz band you’re seeing in a lot of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers being sold today. What's more, it comes with a C1X and N1 chips for faster cellular support.
That means significantly faster download speeds on a clearer bandwidth that’s not being choked up by the many other devices you’ve got running on the same 5 GHz band. Now it's on par with the current iPhone 17 lineup.
What’s staying the same with M5 iPad Pro?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Beyond the internals, the iPad Pro with M5 looks identical to the M4 model. But that's not such a bad thing, considering its slim, portable design and stunning OLED display. And yes, it comes in the usual Silver and Space Black color options.
Same design and display
The uber slim 5.3mm-thin design and utilitarian aesthetic make this a real stunner in the hand, making you seriously think “how did they pack so much power in here!?”
And as for that Tandem OLED display, it’s truly a mesmerizing experience. Labeled Ultra Retina XDR, Apple essentially stacks two OLED panels on top of each other to not just get the color and contrast ratio benefits of this tech, but also drastically boost the brightness.
In the M4 iPad Pro, you can get a peak brightness of 1,000 nits for SDR content, and top it out at a whopping 1,600 nits for HDR. That is completely worry-free use outdoors, and it's paired with a nano-texture glass for a glare-free experience. Expect the same with the M5 iPad Pro.
Outlook
Apple has been cooking for this one, and the M5 iPad Pro is already looking to be a significant upgrade — not just in the product itself, but as another step forward into a new generation of chipsets for the Cupertino crew.
The M5 iPad Pro is bringing the hype levels up, and it could be another move forward that will continue to put Apple ahead of not just its tablet competition but in front of laptops, too. Stay tuned for our full review once we get our hands on Apple's latest Pro tablet!
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