Pros & Cons
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- Lightning-fast performance
- A graphics powerhouse
- Excellent screen
- Quick 5G and Wi-Fi speeds
- Capable cameras
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- Battery life could be longer
- No IP rating
- Little is new
Apple iPad Pro (M5) Specs
| Battery Life | 8 hours, 11 minutes |
| CPU | Apple M5 |
| Dimensions | 11.09 by 8.48 by 0.20 inches |
| Operating System | iPadOS 26 |
| Screen Resolution | 2,752 by 2,064 pixels |
| Screen Size | 13 |
| Storage Capacity | 256 |
| Weight | 1.28 |
Apple's 2025 iPad Pro (starting at $999 for the 11-inch version) is the latest iteration of the company's top-tier tablet. And it's worth the high price, thanks to its fantastic display, high-quality M5 chip, thin-and-light build, and iPadOS 26, giving the Pro near-laptop-level multitasking potential. Apple recycles much of the design and core features of its M4-powered 2024 iPad Pro for this model, with the new M5 processor and a new set of radios serving as the primary upgrades. Although these spec bumps do improve performance noticeably, the overall experience of using the Pro remains essentially unchanged. If you need all the horsepower and AI performance you can get, the iPad Pro is your best bet and our Editors' Choice among iPads for creative professionals.
Design: Still Polished, If Stagnant
Apple hides all the changes built into this year's iPad Pro between the glass and aluminum. Outwardly, the tablet is indistinguishable from its predecessor, which means the M5 iPad has everything we like and dislike about the M4 iPad.
The iPad's design is fully mature at this point. Apple truly can't make it much thinner or lighter, nor can it improve upon the simple yet sleek aesthetic in any meaningful way without overhauling the form factor itself. The M5 iPad Pro consists of a massive piece of glass tucked into an aluminum chassis with a smooth rear panel and flat side edges. It comes in two colors: Silver or Space Gray. Once again, I will lament that Apple doesn't sell a true black iPad. Apple sent me the 11-inch model in Silver for testing.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPad Pro comes in two sizes. The 11-inch model measures 9.83 by 6.99 by 0.21 inches (HWD) and weighs 0.98 pounds, and the 13-inch model measures 11.09 by 8.48 by 0.20 inches and weighs 1.28 pounds. These measurements and weights are identical to the M4 iPad Pro, and very close to Apple's midrange iPad Air (starting at $599), which comes in at 9.74 by 7.02 by 0.24 inches and 1.01 pounds for the 11-inch model, and 11.04 by 8.46 by 0.24 inches and 1.36 pounds for the 13-inch model. (Yes, the Pro is lighter than the Air.)
Just for the sake of comparison, the $349 base model iPad measures 9.79 by 7.07 by 0.28 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.05 pounds. It's driven by a much less powerful A16 chip, so it's geared toward casual users and isn't in direct competition with the Air or Pro.
If you're considering Samsung's flagship Galaxy Tab S Android tablets instead, the $799.99 Tab S11 measures 9.99 by 6.51 by 0.22 inches and weighs 1.03 pounds, and the $1,199.99 Tab S11 Ultra measures 12.85 by 8.21 by 0.20 inches and weighs 1.53 pounds.
When you hold the tablet in a landscape orientation, the user-facing camera is practically invisible in the bezel between the screen and frame, centered near the top edge. The two volume keys are on the top edge near the left corner, and the power button is on the left side near the top corner. The USB-C port is on the right edge. The iPad has four speakers, two on the left and two on the right. Three pogo pins, which Apple calls the Smart Connector, are visible on the rear panel, as is the camera module, which is pushed into the far corner. These design elements are unchanged, which is fine, because everything works well. The other benefit of the carried-over design is that your existing accessories, such as the Magic Keyboard or Folio Case, will fit the new iPad without issue.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Speaking of cases, the iPad Pro is not as durable as its Samsung competitors. The Tab S11 and S11 Ultra meet the IP68 rating for dust and water protection. You'll want to invest in a watertight case if you're going to use the iPad near the pool or other body of water.
Display: A Terrific Screen for Work and Play
The iPad Pro uses the same Ultra Retina XDR tandem OLED screen as the outgoing Pro. As noted, it is available in 11 inches or 13 inches. Both sizes share an anti-reflective coating that cuts down on glare, a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, P3 wide color, and Apple's True Tone white balance feature. They also have an adaptive refresh rate that ranges from 10Hz to 120Hz, which Apple calls ProMotion, and generate 1,000 nits (SDR) and 1,600 nits (HDR peak) of brightness. The 11-inch model has a resolution of 2,420 by 1,668 pixels, and the 13-inch model has a resolution of 2,732 by 2,048 pixels, both of which make for a pixel density of 264 pixels per inch. You can spend an extra $100 on nanotexture glass (as long as you also buy the 1TB or 2TB model), which further reduces glare.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPad Air also comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. Both models use an LED LCD, run at a static 60Hz, and top out at 500 nits (11-inch) and 600 nits (13-inch) of brightness.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S11 and S11 Ultra have Samsung's Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,600 nits of brightness. The 11-inch model has a resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels, while the S11 Ultra has a massive 14.6-inch display with 2,960 by 1,848 pixels.
The iPad Pro has one of Apple's best displays. It is fantastically bright and sharp, generates deep contrast, and is simply a joy to behold. It's a significant step above the iPad Air's LCD and competes well with the Tab S11.
Performance: The Tablet to Beat
Apple's M5 chip is the 2025 iPad Pro's biggest upgrade over its M4-based predecessor. This new Apple silicon is based on the company's third-generation 3nm technology. The M5 comes in two base configurations. Both models have a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and a 16-core NPU (Neural Engine). One M5 variant has a nine-core CPU, and the other has a 10-core CPU.
Several things are worth pointing out here. The GPU's Neural Accelerators help turbo-charge graphics tasks and processes. This is where I saw the biggest gains in the chip's performance year over year. Further, the new chip supports a memory bandwidth of up to 153Gbps, where the M4 supported a memory bandwidth of up to 120Gbps. The iPad Pro ships with faster RAM and faster storage, which Apple says boosts read/write speeds by a factor of two.
There are a huge number of iPad Pro versions to pick from. Importantly, the 256GB and 512GB models come with 12GB of RAM, while the 1TB and 2TB models come with 16GB of RAM. The old M4 models started with 8GB of RAM. The 11-inch M5 iPad Pro costs $999 (256GB), $1,199 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB), and $1,999 (2TB), while the 13-inch model costs $1,299 (256GB), $1,499 (512GB), $1,899 (1TB), and $2,299 (2TB). If you want 5G, add $200. If you want the nanotexture glass, add another $100 to the 1TB and 2TB models. You can top out at $2,599, which is more than many versions of the MacBook Pro cost.
I received the 11-inch model with a nine-core CPU, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and 5G, but no nanotexture glass (for a total price of $1,399).
Starting with some benchmarks, the M5 iPad Pro does show improvement over the M4 model. At a glance, our results reveal that CPU speeds are faster but not stunningly so, while the GPU and graphics make a huge leap.
(Credit: 3DMark/AnTuTu/PCMag)Starting with Geekbench 6, the M5 model scored 4,141 on the single-core test and 15,490 on the multi-core test, while the M4 model scored 3,679 and 14,647, respectively. The M3-based iPad Air scored 3,001 and 10,839. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11, which uses a MediaTek 9400+ processor, scored 2,773 and 9,091 on the same test.
Moving on to GFXBench, the M5 iPad ran the Aztec Ruins (High Tier) test with a total of 5,939 frames at 92.4 frames per second (fps). That compares favorably with the M4's 3,858 frames at 60fps, the M3 Air's 3,768 frames at 58.6fps, and the Tab S11 Ultra's 81fps.
I also run 3DMark's WildLife Extreme test on Apple devices. In this benchmark, the M5 iPad scored 10,929 at 65.4fps—higher than 99% of devices tested on 3DMark. The M4 iPad reached 8,597 total frames at 51.5fps, and the M3 Air hit 6,535 frames at 39.1fps.
Last, I checked AnTuTu. The M5 hit 3,416,162, the highest score I've ever seen, while the M4 iPad hit 2,746,950, and the M3 Air scored 2,110,706.
As you can see, the M5 iPad Pro demonstrates a considerable jump in graphics performance across these tests. It posts significantly higher scores than competing iPads and Android tablets. What does this mean in the real world? The tablet is simply the quickest and most powerful you can buy right now. I ran a number of challenging apps, including GarageBand and Lightroom, where I edited a huge album with 1,500 photos. Apple's AI-based Playground app runs far faster than it does on anything but the iPhone Pro Max 17, which has the company's A19 Pro chip. Even editing your pictures in Apple Photos, particularly AI-dependent tasks like removing background objects, is fluid and smooth.
Battery Life: Small Gains
Apple doesn't say how big the iPad Pro's battery is, but we can guess. Based on the sizes of the M4 iPad's batteries, the 11-inch iPad Pro likely has a battery around 8,000mAh, while the 13-inch model potentially has a battery that's close to 10,500mAh. It comes with Apple's 20W charger and a USB-C cable.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Apple says you'll get 10 hours of battery life if you browse or watch video via Wi-Fi and 9 hours if you use 5G instead. To test batteries, we crank the screen brightness all the way up and stream Full HD video over Wi-Fi until the device runs out of juice. In this test, the M5 iPad Pro ran for 8 hours and 11 minutes, a modest improvement over the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro's 7 hours and 43 minutes.
In real-world usage, which involved a mix of browsing the web, streaming video, doomscrolling social media, and using creative apps like GarageBand, it easily reached the 10-hour mark. The battery does run out quicker when using a 5G connection.
The 13-inch iPad Air ran for 7 hours and 31 minutes, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 lasted 9 hours and 25 minutes, and the S11 Ultra lasted 11 hours and 10 minutes in the same test.
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One thing I like about the M5 iPad is that it charges faster. Apple says the iPad Pro can gain a 50% charge in 35 minutes if you use a USB-C charger that supports 60W or higher. I tested it with Apple's new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter, which can max out at 60W, and the iPad hit 50% in 35 minutes. That's incredibly helpful if you need to charge in a hurry. A full recharge required 1 hour and 19 minutes.
Connectivity: New Radios Galore
In addition to the M5 chip, the iPad Pro gains a whole new set of radios for connecting to not only the internet but also the devices around you.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Notably, the M5 iPad is the first tablet to adopt Apple's C1X cellular modem. The only other Apple device with the C1X is the iPhone Air. The C1X connects to sub-6GHz and C-band 5G, but not the faster mmWave service provided by some US carriers. Apple says the C1X, which is an updated version of the iPhone 16e's C1 modem, works hand in hand with the M5 processor and can deliver much faster speeds over C-band.
I tested the C1X extensively against the 2024 M4 iPad Pro, the 2022 M2 iPad Pro (which has mmWave), and the iPhone Air—all on Verizon's network at various locations across New Jersey.
The M5's fastest speed on Verizon's 5G Ultra-Wideband network (C-band) was 815Mbps, while its fastest upload was 36.6Mbps. This is one of the quickest C-band upload speeds I've seen in years of testing. The slow upload speed is because the network where I tested is non-standalone (NSA), rather than standalone (SA), which means it is relying on LTE 4G for uploads.
In comparison, the M4 iPad hit max speeds of 763Mbps down and 32.6Mbps up, the M2 iPad Pro hit maximums of 433Mbps down and 31.4Mbps up, and the iPhone Air reached top speeds of 542Mbps down and 19.9Mbps up.
The new iPad, like the old one, relies on eSIM and doesn't support physical SIM cards. Apple has eased the process of transferring eSIMs from one Apple device to another Apple device, so setup isn't as much of an issue.
Aside from cellular connectivity, the iPad Pro advances from Wi-Fi 6E to Wi-Fi 7, and from Bluetooth 5.3 to Bluetooth 6.0, thanks to Apple's N1 radio. The N1 combines Bluetooth, Thread, and Wi-Fi into a single chip and takes advantage of the M5 processor to do things quickly and efficiently.
I tested the M5's Wi-Fi against the same set of devices as above. I have a Wi-Fi 6 router with Verizon's 1Gbps Fios internet service at my home. The iPad's fastest Wi-Fi download speed was 731Mbps, while its fastest upload was 182Mbps. Meanwhile, the M4 iPad (Wi-Fi 6E) topped 537Mbps down and 136Mbps up, the M2 iPad Pro (Wi-Fi 6) reached 594Mbps down and 119Mbps up, and the iPhone Air (Wi-Fi 7) managed 791Mbps down and 297Mbps up.
The Bluetooth radio worked well and easily connected to headphones and speakers.
The USB-C port is particularly powerful. It supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 with wired data transfer speeds to the iPad Pro at up to 40Gbps. If you want to use an external display, it handles 6K screens at 60Hz and 4K screens at 120Hz with Adaptive Sync for low latency, the latter of which is new to this year's iPad.
Audio: Excellent Speakers, Clear Mics
The iPad Pro has some of the best audio you'll find on a tablet. The four speakers, located on the two short edges, dynamically rotate the sound so that the bottom pair lean toward bass frequencies and the top pair lean toward high frequencies. Apple doesn't claim to produce any form of Dolby audio, but the speakers are ideal for listening to music, watching videos, or taking Zoom calls. At their maximum, they reached an impressive 89.9dB when measured with a decibel meter. That's more than enough volume for your office, living room, or bedroom.
Moreover, the iPad Pro includes four microphones that can capture stereo audio no matter how you hold or orient the tablet. The mics support audio zoom, too, which means they can localize audio capture when you pinch in when recording video. In other words, the audio zooms with the camera and can cut back on the noise from sources outside the frame.
Cameras: You Won't Find a Better Tablet Camera
The iPad's camera hardware and features appear to be entirely carried over from the M4 version. While some minor internal camera components may be different, Apple lists the exact same camera specs for the M5 and M4 tablets on its website.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPad Pro has one 12MP camera with an aperture of f/1.8, up to 5x digital zoom, an Adaptive True Tone flash, and a LiDAR sensor, all tucked into the module on the back. At a high level, it provides many of the shooting modes and tools that iPhones do. That means Portrait mode, square photos, and panoramas, as well as tools like Live Photos, control over the flash, and the timer. I would have loved to see the iPad adopt Apple's 48MP Fusion camera, which appears across the iPhone 17 line, but I guess that's an upgrade for another year. (Not that any tablet really needs a camera that powerful.)
The main camera takes outstanding photos. The pictures I snapped are better than what some phones are capable of. If it weren't a tablet, I'd almost recommend carrying it for everyday photography. Look at the color in the second shot below:
The user-facing camera is in the bezel above the screen and (thankfully) centered for video chats. It takes 12MP photos and has an aperture of f/2.0. You can pinch to zoom out up to 2x, though this introduces distortion. This camera serves as your Face ID tool for unlocking the iPad. Face ID works in a blink and is highly reliable and secure.
In photo mode, the Center Stage camera also supports most shooting tools, the most important of which is Portrait mode. It's a superb camera when it has plenty of light. As with most cameras, your shots become a bit grainy in low light.
Rear video capture handles resolutions up to 4K at 24, 25, 30, or 60fps. You can shoot in extended dynamic range at 30fps, ProRes at 4K30 (internal storage) or 4K60 (external storage). The iPad also has slow-motion and time-lapse. Meanwhile, front video capture only goes to 1080p at 25, 30, or 60fps. It has the same feature list and adds cinematic video stabilization.
No other tablet shoots video this good. It's actually silly that a device that's awkward to hold in public captures such pristine, high-quality video in such a wide array of resolutions, rates, and formats. If, for some reason, you need a tablet to shoot top-notch video for your YouTube channel, Instagram, or TikTok account, this is the one to buy.
Software: Nearly a Laptop Replacement
The iPad M5 ships with iPadOS 26. In addition to the Liquid Glass design, iPadOS 26 packs new multi-window tools that let you open and run multiple apps on the screen at a time. You can move the windows around, resize them, and put them next to one another for easy multitasking. This alone is a welcome upgrade, but iPadOS 26 contains much more.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)For example, the Files app includes a new list view and customizable folders. Further, you can nest folders in the toolbar for quick access. The new Menu Bar introduces macOS-like commands at the top of the screen with a quick tap, and background tasks let you run complicated processes like batch-editing photos in the background while you do other things. You also gain access to Live Translation with the AirPods Pro 3, more Genmoji, more powerful Shortcuts that use Apple Intelligence, more styles in Image Playground thanks to ChatGPT, and an AutoMix feature in Apple Music that transitions from one song to the next, sort of like a DJ would.
Three new apps land on the iPad: Journal, Preview, and Phone. The Journal app includes support for the Apple Pencil for note-taking, Preview is Apple's new mobile tool for viewing and editing PDFs, and the Phone app brings all the iPhone's calling features to the iPad.
Accessories: The Same as Ever
When I say that the iPad's accessories haven't changed, you should register that as a good thing. The M5 iPad is compatible with the same Apple Pencils, Magic Keyboard, and other first- and third-party accessories as the previous generation iPad. Primarily, that means you don't have to reinvest in new gear if you already have the Pencil, Keyboard, or both.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The Pro is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil (USB-C). If you're big on taking notes, the iPad and Pencil are a pair made in tech heaven. You can take notes in the Notes and Mail apps, as well as write in text fields in most apps.