History repeats itself, in a way. In the summer of 2024, Apple ushered the M4 chip era with the iPad Pro line-up refresh. This year, Apple Silicon’s next chapter, called M5, is also being introduced to the computing world by the latest editions of the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro. Alongside comes the 14-inch MacBook Pro as well, to complete the M5 chip portfolio across the portable product lines and use cases.
“Powered by the next generation of Apple silicon, the new iPad Pro delivers our most advanced and versatile iPad experience yet. 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,” says John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering.
Also Read |Apple iPad Pro (2024) defines vision of a powerful computer, without being one
In the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro, the M5 chip is claimed to be up to 1.5x faster than the M4 for 3D rendering, and up to 6.7x faster than the M1 or M2 chips. Generationally, video transcode performance using Final Cut Pro for iPad is also 1.2x than the iPad Pro line this succeeds, with the difference wider for older generation iPad Pro running M1 or M2 silicon. Apple says AI image generation is two times faster than an iPad Pro with M4, while AI video upscaling is 2.3x faster too.
Apart from the silicon improvements, Apple has also unlocked faster memory bandwidth, which is now 150GB/s (or gigabytes per second) of unified memory bandwidth, a 30 percent increase compared to the previous generation. The new iPad Pro also gets faster storage, and the two of the entry spec configurations with 256GB and 512GB storage, now also get 12GB memory.
The cellular models of iPad Pro also get Apple’s cellular modem C1X, which the company claims has significant performance and power frugality advantages compared with competition from other companies. The C1X, which also finds a home in the iPhone Air released last month at the iPhone keynote, succeeds the C1 modem seen first on the iPhone 16e earlier this year. This marked a successful progression of Apple’s efforts to develop a cellular modem in-house, to keep better control over the hardware components in their product lines.
Also Read |Tech Tonic | Let’s talk about the undisputed Apple iPad and your workflow
Alongside is also the N1, Apple’s in-house designed wireless networking chip (this unlocks Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread), and compared to earlier, the AirDrop transfers as well as performance on 5Ghz Wi-Fi bands, is improved. In India, the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro with M5 will offer the choice of silver and space black finishes, with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage configurations. The former will be priced ₹89,900 onwards, while the larger variant will cost ₹1,09,900 onwards.
Last year’s iPad Pro refresh has brought significant design changes as well as an OLED screen upgrade, with parity maintained in the latest generation. However, the big step forward on that front is the iPad Pro with M5’s ability to connect to an external display with up to 120Hz refresh rate as well as Adaptive Sync to reduce latency on an external display. The iPad Pro with M5 also gets faster charging support, with Apple detailing a case where 50 percent charge can be completed in around 30 minutes, when using a higher capacity USB-C power adapter. An option would be Apple’s 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max speeds, that’s priced at ₹3,900 in India.