The iPad Pro Keeps Its Edge with Apple’s Powerful New M5 Chip
Toggle Dark Mode
Today marks the day that Apple unveils its next-generation M5 chip, and this time, it’s doing so with a twist: introducing it simultaneously across three major product lines.
While Apple’s M-series silicon has traditionally debuted on the Mac, the company changed that game last year when it brought the M4 chip to the iPad Pro several months before its new MacBook Pro lineup. Now, it’s realigning the iPad Pro and MacBook, introducing new M5-powered versions of both today, while tossing in an extra curveball by also adding an upgraded Vision Pro to the mix.
When Apple debuted the M1 chip in 2020, the consensus among analysts was that this represented a new generation of chips exclusively for the Mac, signaling a departure from the Intel era. However, a year later, Apple surprised everyone by extending the chip to the iPad family, beginning with the iPad Pro and later embracing even the iPad Air.
Now, it’s releasing the M5 chip in a trifecta of products, and while the M5 MacBook Pro is still considered the true workhorse for Apple silicon, the company clearly wants to ensure the iPad Pro keeps pace as it continues its efforts to turn it into a viable laptop replacement.
The M5 iPad Pro
Sadly, like the M5 MacBook Pro, Apple’s latest iPad Pro doesn’t offer meaningful design changes. As seen earlier this month in a pair of unboxing videos of what appeared to be leaked units, the “iPad Pro” inscription has been removed from the back, but the flagship tablet bears a striking resemblance to its predecessor in every other way — including its incredible thinness.
All the real changes are on the inside, and unlike Apple’s new MacBook, there’s a bit more to be found here than just one new chip.
The M5 may be the star of the show, but Apple is also taking the opportunity to bring more in-house silicon to the family. All new M5 iPad Pro models get the Apple-designed N1 wireless chip that was unveiled during last month’s iPhone event, while the cellular models also get the new C1X modem chip.
In practical terms, this means the M5 iPad Pro is now the first to support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and even Thread. Those are courtesy of the N1, which also promises better performance and reliability for 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks and features such as Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.
Meanwhile, Apple’s C1X modem chip offers up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance while consuming 30 percent less power, compared to the Qualcomm chips that Apple used in the previous model.
Those improvements are, of course, joined by Apple’s new M5 chip, which packs in a significant boost in graphics performance thanks to the new Neural Accelerators built into each GPU — the same improvement Apple brought to last month’s iPhone A18 chips. It also gains an increased memory bandwidth of 153 GB/s, up from 120 GB/s in the M4 iPad Pro.
Powered by the next generation of Apple silicon, the new iPad Pro delivers our most advanced and versatile iPad experience yet. iPad Pro with M5 unlocks endless possibilities for creativity and productivity — with a huge leap in AI performance and a big boost in graphics, superfast wireless connectivity, and game-changing iPadOS 26 features, it pushes the boundaries of what iPad can do yet again.
John Ternus, Apple’s senior VP of Hardware Engineering
Perhaps more significantly, the two lowest-capacity M5 iPad Pro models also now pack in 12 GB of memory, a bump from the 8 GB of the previous generation, although the 1 TB and 2 TB models still feature the same 16 GB of RAM. Apple doesn’t list any battery life improvements, which is interesting considering the more power-efficient C1X chip, but this year’s iPad Pro does have one power-related trick up its sleeve: faster charging. When paired with a 60W power adapter, it can now be recharged from 0 to 50 percent in just 30 minutes.
The Rumor That Didn’t Pan Out
Sadly, there was one rumor that missed the mark. In July, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was working on a version with two front cameras, with the second one being added to support video calls and selfies in portrait orientation — a compromise for those who weren’t fans of Apple’s decision to switch the M4 iPad Pro camera to the long edge for use in a more traditional laptop-style setup.
When two Russian YouTubers unboxed what they claimed were leaked models of the new M5 iPad Pro, there was no mention made of this second camera. However, Gurman doubled down on his earlier report, saying that he was certain that M5 iPad Pro models with a second lens existed within Apple, conceding that while Apple has a history of pulling features at the eleventh hour, “this would be a strange, last-minute cut.”
Assuming Gurman’s sources were accurate, it is rather odd that Apple would pull the second camera so late in the game. Perhaps we’ll see some clues when iFixit eventually tears down the new model, like we did 16 years ago with the third-generation iPod touch.
Price and Availability
The new M5 iPad Pro starts at the same $999 price as last year’s model, which gets you the 11-inch Wi-Fi version with 256 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. The 13-inch model sells for an additional $300, starting at $1,299. Wi-Fi + Cellular models cost $200 more in each size and storage configuration. All models are available in space black and silver finishes.
Preorders open today in the U.S. and more than 30 other regions. In-store availability begins next Wednesday, October 22.
