iPad Pro M5 Brings Massive AI Performance Boost, Faster Charging
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Story by Jean Leon • 2h
Apple has launched its latest iPad Pro, powered by the new M5 chip, delivering a significant internal overhaul to its flagship tablet. This is the same SoC as the also announced today 14-inch MacBook Pro refresh. Available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, the slate maintains its super-thin design. The focus is squarely on raw performance, advanced connectivity, and—most importantly—accelerated on-device artificial intelligence.
Apple’s new iPad Pro M5 launches as an AI powerhouse
The M5 chip is the centerpiece of the upgrade. It features a new architecture designed to handle intensive AI and graphical tasks with ease, incorporating a faster CPU and a new GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core. Apple states this results in an AI performance boost of up to 3.5 times faster than the previous M4 iPad Pro. Compared to the M1 model, it brings a massive 5.6 times improvement. This power directly benefits creative professionals who use apps for tasks like AI video upscaling in DaVinci Resolve or image generation. This is important considering Apple’s mainly on-device approach to AI.
Supporting the M5 is a suite of custom chips. The new N1 wireless chip brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity to the iPad Pro. For cellular models, the new C1X modem promises up to 50% faster cellular data performance with greater efficiency. This is a welcome improvement for users who work extensively on the go.
Internal improvements
Beyond the headline chips, the new iPad Pro features key internal upgrades that enhance the overall user experience. The tablet now features over 150GB/s of unified memory bandwidth. This represents nearly a 30% increase over the previous generation to improve multitasking and processing of large AI models. Storage is also upgraded, offering up to 2x faster read and write speeds. Even the entry-level 256GB and 512GB models now start with 12GB of RAM, up from previous generations.
For a major quality-of-life improvement, the new models finally support fast charging. The system allows users to charge the battery up to 50% in about 30 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher. The tablet retains the stunning Ultra Retina XDR display, which offers high brightness and precise contrast. For those working in demanding creative fields or tricky lighting conditions, Apple offers an optional nano-texture display glass to significantly reduce glare. Furthermore, the iPad Pro can now drive external displays at up to 120Hz and supports Adaptive Sync. This drastically reduces latency for external displays—a major benefit for both creative work and gaming.
The new hardware capabilities of the M5 iPad Pro are complemented by the features of iPadOS 26. The list includes an all-new windowing system designed to make complex multitasking easier.
Price and availabilityThe new iPad Pro is available in silver and space black finishes. The 11-inch model starts at $999, and the 13-inch model starts at $1,299. Pre-orders are open now, with the tablets scheduled to begin shipping and appearing in stores on Wednesday, October 22. |
