Apple’s M5 iPad Pro is expected to launch this fall, and the rumors and leaks are rolling in. Cupertino’s top-of-the-line tablet is expected to bring some serious upgrades to its newest model, and we’ve got the lowdown on all of them right here.
The kinds of upgrades we’re expecting are not those you’d see immediately, as the rumor mill is pointing to a near-identical design alongside that gorgeously bright and vivid tandem OLED display. Instead, these are upgrades that you should feel with dramatic spec bumps coming to the internals.
From an upgraded chipset and more RAM as standard to a beefed-up camera system, here’s everything you need to know about the next iPad Pro.
M5 iPad Pro: Cheat Sheet
- A recent FCC leak appears to reference multiple iPad Pro models, indicating we'll see the release of the M5 iPad Pro soon.
- The M5 iPad Pro has seemingly been unveiled in a full unboxing video, showing its design and M5 benchmarks.
- The M5 iPad Pro is expected to launch in October. This is further backed up by the M5 chip reportedly entering mass production in February and display production starting in June.
- It is rumored to pack 16GB of RAM alongside the new M5 chip — possibly built on a new, smaller 2-nanometer process for more transistors, more performance and more power efficiency.
- Alongside this, Apple is looking set to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 support — supporting over 5x faster download/upload speeds.
- While the design doesn’t look set to change, rumors point to a new dual front-facing camera system with one on the landscape side and one on the portrait edge.
Should you wait?
This is the big question I wanted to answer from the get-go. And the answer is “it depends.” Yes, I know that sounds like a cop out, but let me explain — there are two schools of thought here.
- On one side, there are those who chase the latest and greatest. The M5 iPad Pro is predicted to launch this fall (October), meaning its release may be imminent. If you’re one of these people, then I suggest you wait.
- Based on previous releases (and the unboxing video leak from YouTuber Wylascom), you can expect a roughly 15-20% performance increase. Pair that with the fact you can get $100 off the scarily fast M4 iPad Pro, and this could be a good chance to save yourself some cash if you don’t mind compromising that power boost.
Now that Apple's "Awe Dropping" event is done, bringing us the latest iPhone 17, iPhone Air, AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch 11 and more, we're now setting up for a possible fall Apple event. While it has yet to be confirmed, many signs are pointing towards Apple making big announcements for its upcoming iPad Pro with M5.
This includes an FCC filing that references multiple iPad Pro models, hinting at an M5 upgrade coming very soon. That, and we've apparently already got a first look at the M5 iPad Pro in an unboxing video. If anything, this means another Apple event should be coming, or at least press announcements of the latest models.
In any case, whether it's worth waiting for this new iPad Pro model or saving on the M4 iPad Pro instead is up to you.
What’s new?
Like I said, the M5 iPad Pro isn't necessarily going to be about upgrades you visibly see, but you should 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 now 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. This means we can expect to see the usual 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage models.
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.
Now, it could very well be built on a similar 3-nanometer process as the M4 and M3 before it. But back in January 2024, it was reported that Apple was “widely believed” to be the first client to take advantage of TSMC’s new 2-nanometer process for building chips.
This essentially means that the transistors on the chip will be smaller, so the company can pack more of them onto the same size chunk of silicon — leading to better performance and improved efficiency. 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, but this could be boosted drastically by the next-generation nodes.
More RAM and Wi-Fi 7
Two other key features are rumored to be paired with this new chipset to really make this feel an all-around turboboost.
First, there's 16GB RAM as standard. Currently, the M4 iPad Pro starts at 8GB, and just like we’ve seen with the MacBooks, rumors point to this base number doubling to 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.
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. It just makes sense, especially with the whole iPhone 16 lineup getting the upgrade.
Dual cameras
Now let’s turn to the cameras. Currently, we just can’t seem to make our minds up about where the front-facing snapper should be.
If it’s on the landscape edge, that’s great with a keyboard cover or a stand, but not ideal when holding the tablet in portrait. Meanwhile, pop it on the other edge, and that’s great for FaceTimes with the iPad in hand, but is a nightmare to frame yourself in landscape mode.
Rumors are pointing to Apple giving you the best of both worlds — two 12MP front-facing cameras with one on the landscape and one on the portrait sides. Mix in some typical “it just works” Apple-ness that may use the accelerometer to intelligently switch cameras, and you’ll never have this framing problem again.
Meanwhile, around back, we’re not expecting any changes to the rear camera, so expect a 12MP shooter with LiDAR and that True Tone flash.
What’s staying the same with M5 iPad Pro?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. And beyond the rear camera, one thing seems to be inevitable based on the rumor mill.
Same design and display
Just because these two facets are probably staying the same doesn’t mean it's a bad thing.
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.
Outlook
Apple has been cooking for this one, and the M5 iPad Pro is looking destined 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. So all eyes are on Apple's next-gen tablet coming, and hopefully soon.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
