The New iPad Pro With M5 Is An Even More Powerful Multitasker

Oct 15, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A tablet with an attached keyboard displays multiple overlapping app windows, showing weather maps, a 3D chart, video editing software, and images, highlighting multitasking capabilities on its screen.

Alongside the new M5 chip, Apple unveiled a powerful new M5-powered iPad Pro. The next-generation iPad Pro sports the same design as last year’s redesigned iPad Pro.

Last year, when Apple unveiled the iPad Pro in May, it used the powerful new tablet to debut the M4 chip. For M5, the iPad Pro arrives in lock-step with a new MacBook Pro and upgraded Apple Vision Pro headset, each also powered by the latest M5 chip.

Unsurprisingly, given that the new iPad Pro gets the M5 chip, Apple describes it as its most advanced iPad ever, touting its improved performance, especially when it comes to handling AI workloads. The tablet also includes a next-generation GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core.

Close-up view of two tablet devices in gray and black colors, showing their rear cameras and side buttons, against a black background.

“M5 delivers a big boost in performance for iPad Pro users, whether they’re working on cutting-edge projects or tapping into AI for productivity,” Apple says. The M5-powered iPad Pro promises up to 3.5 times the AI performance of the iPad Pro with M4 and up to 5.6 times faster than the iPad Pro with M1.

The upgraded iPad Pro also features N1, Apple’s new wireless networking chip, which has Wi-Fi 7 support. The C1X modem in cellular models of iPad Pro promises 50 percent faster cellular data performance than its predecessor as well.

A man wearing a trench coat sits in the back seat of a car, looking intently at an iPad he is holding with both hands. Sunlight streams through the window, highlighting his focused expression.

“Powered by the next generation of Apple silicon, the new iPad Pro delivers our most advanced and versatile iPad experience yet,” says John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “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.”

For creators on the go, M5 promises nice performance bumps compared to last year’s iPad Pro. Final Cut Pro is 1.2 times faster than on iPad Pro with M4 and a whopping six times faster than iPad Pro with M1. AI video upscaling in DaVinci Resolve is up to 3.7 times faster compared to M1 and 2.3 times faster than M4.

A laptop displays a digital image of bright red cherries in a shiny glass dish, with a deep red background and rippling reflections beneath the dish. The screen features various editing tool icons.

M5 also includes improved memory speed — 153 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth. This leads to improved multitasking performance, which is a significant focus of the new iPadOS 26 operating system that launched last month. The new iPad Pro also offers two times faster storage read and write speeds, and the 256GB and 512GB models now start with 12GB of unified memory, up from 8GB.

From a design perspective, the iPad Pro with M5 is familiar. It comes in 11-inch and 13-inch models that are 5.3mm and 5.1mm thick, respectively. Each tablet comes equipped with Apple’s Ultra Retina XDR display, which Apple calls “the world’s most advanced display.” The tandem OLED technology supports ProMotion, TrueTone, and 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content. When viewing HDR content, peak brightness tops out at 1,600 nits. Like before, those working in color-managed workflows can opt for the optional nano-texture display glass option for reduced glare.

A desktop monitor displays multiple app windows, including 3D modeling software, messaging, folders, and a web browser. An iPad with a “Rover 2 Mars” graphic is connected via cable, extending the workspace.

With the move to M5, the new iPad Pro also works better with external displays. The tablet can drive external displays at up to 120Hz and features new Adaptive Sync support, which provides the lowest possible latency when using external displays.

Pricing and Availability

iPad Pro with M5 is available to preorder starting today and will ship on October 22. The 11-inch iPad Pro with Wi-Fi starts at $999, while the 13-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,299. Cellular capabilities add $200 to the price for each. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro with M5 come in silver and space black finishes and are available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations.

It is worth noting that the 1TB and 2TB versions have a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, while either the 256GB or 512GB models have a 9-core CPU. Users must also opt for the 1TB or 2TB iPad Pro if they want the nano-texture display upgrade.

For those curious, the top-end iPad Pro with M5, which includes a 13-inch nano-texture display, Wi-Fi + Cellular, and 2TB of storage, is $2,399 without any accessories.

 Image credits: Apple