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Apple's latest iPad Pro M5, announced on 15 October 2025 and on sale from 22 October, is a powerful refinement of the iPad Pro line. Drawing on Apple's official specs and hands-on reviews, this guide covers everything the new model brings – from the fast new M5 chip and Apple's C1X modem and N1 wireless chip to the tandem-OLED display, dual front cameras, faster storage, and the game-changing features of iPadOS 26. Read on to see what the eighth-generation iPad Pro means for everyday users, and how it builds on last year's major redesign.
How Powerful Is the iPad Pro M5 Chip?
The headline upgrade in the 2025 iPad Pro is Apple's M5 chip. It has up to a 10-core CPU (four performance and six efficiency cores) and a next-generation 10-core GPU with a Neural Accelerator in every core, plus a third-generation ray-tracing engine and a faster 16-core Neural Engine. Apple says that translates into up to 3.5x faster AI performance than the M4 iPad Pro (and up to 5.6x faster than the M1), up to 1.5x faster ray-traced 3D rendering, and around 30% more memory bandwidth (over 150GB/s). In everyday use that means snappier multitasking, faster on-device AI, and smooth performance in demanding creative apps.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had reported the refreshed iPad Pro would be among the first devices to ship with the M5 chip, and that proved correct – the M5 iPad Pro launched alongside Apple's other first M5 products in October 2025. The new iPad Pro also debuts two more Apple-designed chips: the N1 wireless chip, which brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread (and more reliable AirDrop and Personal Hotspot), and – on cellular models – the C1X modem, which Apple says delivers up to 50% faster cellular data than the M4 iPad Pro while using up to 30% less energy. Storage is faster too, and the 256GB and 512GB models now start with 12GB of unified memory (50% more than before).
OLED Display and Design Refinements
Apple gave the iPad Pro a major display and design overhaul in 2024, and the M5 model carries it forward. That redesign introduced tandem-OLED screens (replacing the earlier mini-LED “Liquid Retina XDR” panel) and a much thinner, lighter chassis. The M5 iPad Pro keeps the same sleek build and two screen sizes – 11-inch and 13-inch – each with a slim-bezel tandem-OLED display, now offered in silver and space black.
The OLED “Ultra Retina XDR” display delivers stunning visuals. Thanks to tandem-OLED technology, it reaches 1000 nits full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content and 1600 nits peak brightness for HDR, with vibrant colour and precise contrast. It retains ProMotion's 120Hz adaptive refresh (10Hz–120Hz) for ultra-smooth scrolling, and Apple still offers an optional nano-texture glass coating on higher-capacity models to cut glare – ideal for professionals working in bright environments. The M5 model can now also drive an external display at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync.
The design stays remarkably thin. The iPad Pro keeps its aluminium build (in silver and space black) and one of the thinnest profiles of any Apple device – the 11-inch model is just 5.3mm thin, and the 13-inch is even thinner at 5.1mm. There is no radical redesign this generation; instead, Apple focused on the internals – new silicon, faster memory and storage, and the added dual front cameras – while keeping the premium look and feel introduced in 2024.
MagSafe and Charging: Where It Landed
For years there were rumours that the iPad Pro might gain MagSafe or wireless charging. Back in 2021, reports emerged that Apple was testing a glass-backed iPad Pro to enable MagSafe wireless charging, similar to iPhone, potentially even supporting reverse charging. Those early rumours suggested a MagSafe coil system, but the 2022 and 2024 models launched without wireless charging or glass backs.
The iPad Pro M5 did not add MagSafe or wireless charging either. Apple kept the durable metal back and USB-C (Thunderbolt / USB 4) wired charging as the primary method. So if you were holding out for magnetic or inductive charging on iPad Pro, it is still not here in this generation – the trade-off being a sturdier build and the high-speed data and display output that USB-C / Thunderbolt provides.
What did improve is charging speed. The iPad Pro M5 supports fast charge – up to a 50% charge in around 30 minutes – with a high-wattage USB-C adapter such as Apple's new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter (60W Max). It also works with the Smart Connector for compatible accessories. Charging a large iPad battery still takes time overall, but the fast-charge support makes quick top-ups genuinely useful. And if you ever face charging-port issues or battery wear down the line, a professional battery or port repair can keep your iPad running like new.
Camera Enhancements: Dual Front Cameras and Pro Imaging
One of the most useful upgrades is the camera system. The iPad Pro M5 adds two front-facing cameras – a 12MP wide camera and a 12MP landscape ultra-wide – so you stay perfectly framed with Center Stage whether you hold the iPad in portrait or landscape. As Bloomberg's Mark Gurman noted, having both a portrait and a landscape front camera means you “won't have to worry about the device's orientation” on video calls. It is a genuinely practical improvement over the single front camera on the M4 iPad Pro, which sat on the landscape edge and wasn't ideal when holding the iPad vertically.
On the rear, the iPad Pro M5 retains a single 12MP wide camera plus a LiDAR scanner and True Tone flash – the same setup the 2024 iPad Pro simplified to (dropping the older ultra-wide lens). It still captures sharp photos and 4K video (including ProRes recording), with LiDAR handling depth for AR apps. Apple didn't chase a higher-megapixel rear sensor this generation, focusing instead on the front-camera experience and the iPad's core productivity strengths.
The M5's improved image signal processor and iPadOS 26 also help image processing feel faster, with gains in low-light handling. The standout remains the dual front cameras, which make the iPad Pro one of the best tablets for video conferencing and content creation on the go. Combined with Center Stage keeping you in frame, the M5 iPad Pro is great for video calls, document scanning and LiDAR-powered AR – without worrying about how you're holding the device.
How Is the iPad Pro M5 Battery Life and Efficiency?
Battery life on iPad Pro remains strong. Apple doesn't publish milliamp-hour figures, but the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pros carry roughly ~8,300 mAh and ~10,300 mAh batteries respectively – rated for around 10 hours of web or video. The M5's efficiency (a new-generation architecture doing more work per watt) helps maintain that all-day endurance despite the extra performance, so you get the speed gains without giving up longevity.
On charging, the big change is fast charge support: with a high-wattage USB-C adapter such as Apple's 40W Dynamic Power Adapter (60W Max), the iPad Pro M5 can reach about 50% in around 30 minutes. Standby endurance is excellent, so you can leave it in a bag for days and still have charge. Over the years, if you notice the battery holding less charge, a professional battery replacement – for example at Esmond Service Centre – can give your device a new lease of life, which matters given how long iPads stay usable.
iPadOS 26: Software Improvements and New Features
The iPad Pro M5 ships with iPadOS 26, and the software is as big a story as the hardware. (Apple renamed its OS versions by year, so this is iPadOS 26 rather than iPadOS 19.) It brings a new design and a host of pro-focused features that make the iPad Pro more capable for everyday users and professionals alike, led by Apple's translucent new “Liquid Glass” design language.
The biggest change is a far more Mac-like multitasking experience. iPadOS 26 introduces a powerful new windowing system and a menu bar you reach with a swipe down from the top (or by moving the cursor up), so working on an iPad Pro can feel much closer to a laptop. The Files app is supercharged with an updated List view, folder customisation and folders in the Dock, and a new Preview app arrives for viewing and marking up PDFs with Apple Pencil. Together these blur the line between tablet and computer for serious productivity.
iPadOS 26 also leans heavily into Apple Intelligence, Apple's on-device AI. Highlights include Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages, Image Playground and Genmoji for generating images and custom emoji, intelligent actions in Shortcuts, and smarter Reminders that auto-categorise tasks. Creative pros also gain Background Tasks, more control over audio input, and local high-quality capture – all running comfortably on the M5's faster Neural Engine.
Most of these software features aren't exclusive to the M5 iPad Pro – Apple supports recent iPads too, so an older iPad will still get much of iPadOS 26. But the M5 chip makes the most demanding features (heavy multitasking and on-device AI) run buttery-smooth. Together, the M5 iPad Pro and iPadOS 26 deliver a genuinely desktop-class experience in a tablet, from creative work to everyday browsing.
Release Timing and Final Thoughts
Apple announced the iPad Pro M5 on 15 October 2025, with pre-orders the same day and units in stores from Wednesday, 22 October 2025 in silver and space black. That fits Apple's historical iPad Pro cadence (previous models launched in October 2018, October 2022 and May 2024), landing the M5 refresh in the second half of 2025 – good news if you were holding out for the latest iPad Pro.
On pricing (U.S.), the 11-inch iPad Pro M5 starts at $999 (Wi-Fi) or $1,199 (Wi-Fi + Cellular), and the 13-inch starts at $1,299 (Wi-Fi) or $1,499 (Wi-Fi + Cellular), across 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB. That holds the line with the M4 generation (which had already moved the base storage to 256GB). It keeps the iPad Pro firmly in premium territory – but it's an investment that lasts, with iPads known for 5+ years of software updates.
Bottom line: the iPad Pro M5 is an evolutionary upgrade that polishes an already excellent device. You get a faster, AI-focused M5 chip, the new C1X and N1 chips, a superb tandem-OLED display, orientation-friendly dual front cameras, and the game-changing iPadOS 26 – together making the iPad Pro even more capable for work and play. It isn't a radical redesign year, but the practical gains – faster everything, better video calls and a more desktop-like experience – are exactly what everyday users notice. To keep yours in top shape, remember that if you ever crack a screen or need a battery serviced, professional support like your local iPad repair specialists can help keep your device as reliable as day one. With the iPad Pro M5, Apple continues its stride toward making the iPad a true laptop alternative – and it's one of the most powerful and user-friendly tablets on the market.
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