Apple just announced a new model of its best and highest-end tablet, the iPad Pro. The new device comes with a couple of internal upgrades over the M4-powered model, most notably a brand-new chip, the M5. Apple says the chip brings “up to 3.5x the AI performance” of last year’s Pro, whatever that means, along with big improvements in various video tasks.
Apple seems to be positioning the device as an upgrade for people who bought M1-powered Pros or older models, rather than anything M4 owners should be jealous of. But the new device actually has a bunch of internal upgrades beyond just the new processor. The Pro now also comes with Apple’s new C1X cellular modem (if you get the cellular version), and the N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread. (Thread!) Apple increased read and write speeds to memory, too, and the Pro even supports fast charging of up to 50 percent in about 30 minutes.
The 11-inch model starts at $999, and the 13-inch Pro at $1,299. They come in two colors, black and silver. Both are available for pre-order now, and will be shipping and in stores on October 22.
The last time Apple upgraded the iPad Pro was in May of 2024, and that device was a huge change from what had come before. That Pro came with a new, thinner design, an OLED screen upgrade, new accessories, and a much-improved camera setup. It was also the first device to run the M4 processor; Apple is apparently making a habit out of debuting new chips and new tablets together. The M4 Pro has been the best tablet on the market ever since. It’s a seriously expensive device — you can spend $2,000 on the thing without trying very hard — but it’s a fabulous one.
Adding even more power to the iPad Pro makes sense, as Apple continues to turn the device into something a lot more like a laptop. With iPadOS 26, you can now do almost free-form multitasking on the iPad, and paired with the (also very good) Magic Keyboard accessory it can do a lot of MacBook things. We’ve said for years that the iPad’s bleeding-edge hardware has been held back by its hand-holding software, but the platform seems to be opening up more and more. And as Apple’s foundation models and other AI features start to make their way around the platform, you might actually be able to push the M5 to its limits.
