iPad Pro M5: Apple’s most powerful tablet yet, built for the AI era

The new iPad Pro is here in two sizes — 11-inch and 13-inch — and it’s not about M4 versus M5. It’s about whether the jump in the upgrade from the machine you are using would make a difference in your workflow. The new M5-powered machine looks promising in graphics and AI capabilities, besides battery life efficiency.

If you are using the M2 iPad Pro, or for that matter M1, it’s time to consider an upgrade. Of course, for many, those machines still work just as well as they did on Day 1. These machines are very powerful. But if you are looking to take advantage of AI models that run on-device, it’s time for the M5.


iPadOS 26 has brought about a drastic change in how iPads are used. Multi-tasking windows give a Mac-like feel. Combine this with the power that the iPad Pro can now channel, thanks to the M5 chip.
The iPad still has a fantastic, vivid display, but it’s all about the chip.

There is also not much change in design because the company has focused more on making the device snappy to fit all kinds of workflows. Now, it feels incredibly zippy. Further, having Face ID ensures easy login rather than depending on the keyboard.


If you put an iPad Pro with M5 right next to an iPad Pro with M4, it would be almost impossible to tell the difference. They have the same incredible Tandem OLED display, both work with the same Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, both have Thunderbolt and USB 4, and they both run all the same apps. But don’t judge the new iPad Pro by just its name.
There are three new chips in the M5 iPad Pro — C1X for cellular connectivity, and the N1 for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread. The third being, of course, the new M5 Apple chip.

Changes at the blink of an eye

All of this makes a substantial difference. Try using the machine for on-device AI models for transcriptions, image generation, video workflows, and Apple Intelligence and shortcuts to feel the machine’s power.

The M5 chip has some tricks up its sleeve when it comes to AI workflows.
The new M5 chip has a 10-core GPU with a neural accelerator in each core. It results in a substantial boost in GPU performance for AI workloads.

M5 delivers AI performance that’s up to 3.5x faster compared to M4, and up to 5.6x faster than iPad Pro with M1. The faster 16-core Neural Engine delivers the most energy-efficient performance for on-device AI, perfect for apps that use the Foundation Models framework and for Apple Intelligence features like creating in Image Playground. And there is a 9-core CPU with three performance cores and six efficiency cores. Besides this, you get hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine, 153GB/s memory bandwidth, and 12GB RAM.

Try running on-device AI models

The days of testing iPads with simple video editing software, Slack, and running multiple browser tabs are gone. Bring on those on-device AI models.
To get a feel of the power, try apps like Transcriptionist. Even if it’s a 20-minute file, the transcription happens at the blink of an eye with a high level of accuracy.

You can download different “AI Brains” to get more out of each model. It works like a breeze on the M5 iPad Pro. It took a 30-minute MP3 file and, in a few minutes offered the results using the largest “brain”. The GPU is used for the major part of the transcription. Usually, I rely on the iMac or MacBook Pro to get something like this done, but after seeing the new iPad Pro in action, the workflow needs an update.


Or take the case of SketchUp, which brings 3D models to life. Be it changing image texture or gloss, or editing opacity in a complicated 3D model, everything happens like abracadabra.
Take the case of the Image Playground app. Add a face, a scene, or change the feel from illustration to sketch, there will be no requirement to wait.


Needless to say, exporting videos from Final Cut or working on a complicated GarageBand project too doesn’t take time. Modifying a scene in a long 4K video using Final Cut happens in the “jiffiest of jiffies”.

In horsepower, the M5 beats not just the M4 but almost every other chip out there on tablets.
Apple has also added the C1X for cellular connection and the N1 for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Threads. Everything’s a little smoother and faster.

Network performance is definitely better, and if you are using a cellular model, connectivity is stronger than ever before.
I tried using the machine in several locations — from Calcutta to Delhi to Seoul. Be it data upload or download, it’s faster and there is more consistency.

Some folks would like to buy the Nano-texture glass option. To get that, you have to choose either 1TB or 2TB variants of the new iPad Pro. We are using the standard glass variant for the review but given past experience, it’s a sensible option for creators who consider the iPad Pro a lifeline.

It definitely reduces glare. If you work outside a lot, or you’re in coffee shops all the time, and glare is an issue, obviously, the Nano-texture display is going to be way better at that. Diffusing the light, you won’t have to adjust your iPad screen angle as much, but there is a trade-off.


If your priority is actually watching movies and TV shows or just the highest quality display, which iPad Pro has, you lose some contrast with the Nano-texture over the glossy display.
If you get a Nano-texture iPad Pro, you will get a polishing cloth in the box. By the way, buying the 1TB or 2TB version also unlocks one extra CPU core.

Multiple windows

A few words on the display. The M5 iPad Pro is also powerful enough to drive a 6K display at 60Hz or up to 4K at 120Hz.

Coming from an 11-inch iPad to a 13-inch model makes a difference, especially when you consider iPadOS 26, because windowing is useful.
I am using more and more windows on the 13-inch model, even getting into Stage Manager. It makes the iPad Pro more of a “computer” device with lots of windows.


Like before, you can take advantage of the Magic Keyboard, but since I have been travelling for work and it involves a laptop, the keyboard has been dumped temporarily. Yet, it’s magical to work on the iPad Pro.

Who should upgrade?

Anyone going from the M1 to the M5, the first and most obvious change is how slender the machine is, besides being lighter. It does matter because this is not thinness for thinness’ sake. Most iPad users like to put the Apple Pencil to good use while holding the device. The thinner it gets, the more portable it becomes.


Another upgrade this M1-to-M5 crowd will feel is in the Apple Pencil department. You will be able to access the Apple Pencil Pro, which is the best stylus money can buy.


What about moving from M4 to M5? There is faster 3D rendering and much faster AI performance, besides a substantial improvement in memory bandwidth. Then there is faster charging, allowing 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes. I am not even getting into the C1X and N1 chips. If any of that matters to you, like if you need additional memory bandwidth, the upgrade will help.

Make the call

The M4 was really fast for what it allowed you to do on an iPad Pro. Apple tends to look at its chip jumps over many years compared to rivals who are offering incremental updates. Once you buy an iPad Pro, it will be your friend for years.


What about problems? The problem doesn’t lie with the hardware but with where AI is going and where your work fits in that spectrum. If you don’t believe in AI, then what do you get out of a more powerful chip? On the flip side, an upgraded chip may make you look at new tricks in movie or music production.


Be it music production or video editing, if that makes you money, then the upgrade will be on your mind. What it manages to do with AI models is unbelievable. Apple wants to continue to be a toolmaker, coming up with gadgets that people will use to create content, which perhaps takes the help of AI or is simply old-fashioned. For content creators, the iPad Pro with M5 is a good investment. It’s truly built for the AI era.