iPad Pro (M5)

Tandem OLED is what you pay for

Apple calls the Ultra Retina XDR screen the “world’s most advanced display.” It’s a tandem OLED that holds 1,000 nits across the whole screen for SDR and HDR, peaks at 1,600 nits on HDR content and dims to 1 nit, with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. ProMotion moves the refresh rate anywhere from 10Hz to 120Hz to suit what’s on screen.

Both sizes have 264 pixels per inch: 2420 × 1668 on the 11-inch and 2752 × 2064 on the 13-inch. The glass is fully laminated, with an antireflective coating, P3 wide color and True Tone. On a 1TB or 2TB model you can order nano-texture glass, the matte option, which comes with a polishing cloth.

What changed from iPad Pro (M4)

On the outside, nothing. The 11-inch is still 5.3 mm thin and the 13-inch 5.1 mm, in silver or space black, and the screen keeps the same brightness ratings. The changes are inside:

• More memory on the cheaper models. The 256GB and 512GB versions now get 12GB. Apple also cites faster storage and about 150GB/s of memory bandwidth, roughly 30% more than the previous generation.
• New radios. Apple’s N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread to every model, and cellular models get Apple’s C1X modem, which Apple says moves data up to 50% faster than the old one.
• A fast-charge rating. Up to 50% in about 30 minutes with a 60W adapter.

Apple claims up to 3.5× the AI performance of M4, and 5.6× against M1. M5 is new silicon, so an M4 Pro can’t get any of this in an update. iPad Pro (M4) vs iPad Pro (M5) goes through the upgrade in detail.

Chip, memory and storage

The storage you choose decides which M5 you get:

Storage	CPU	GPU	Memory
256GB or 512GB	9-core (3 super, 6 efficiency)	10-core	12GB
1TB or 2TB	10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency)	10-core	16GB

Both versions have a 16-core Neural Engine, Neural Accelerators, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 153GB/s of memory bandwidth and a media engine that handles ProRes and AV1. There’s no microSD slot, so buy the storage you’ll need from the start.

Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard

iPad Pro (M5) works with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), and both support hover. Neither is in the box; the Pencil attaches to the iPad’s magnetic connector.

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro costs $299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 13-inch, in black or white. It has a function row, an aluminum palm rest and what Apple calls a floating design, and it connects through the Smart Connector. Apple also sells a Smart Folio if you only want a cover.

Thunderbolt, Wi-Fi 7 and 5G

The USB-C port is Thunderbolt and USB 4, at up to 40Gb/s, four times the 10Gb/s of USB 3. It charges the iPad, carries DisplayPort and drives one external display at up to 6K and 60Hz, or 5K and 120Hz.

Wi-Fi 7 works where it’s available. Wi-Fi + Cellular models add 5G with 4x4 MIMO, Gigabit LTE and GPS, and they take an eSIM only. Wi-Fi models find their location with Wi-Fi, iBeacon and a digital compass.

Battery and charging

Battery	iPad Pro (M5)
Capacity	31.29Wh (11-inch); 38.99Wh (13-inch)
Web or video on Wi-Fi	Up to 10 hours
Web on cellular	Up to 9 hours
In the box	20W USB-C adapter and 1m cable
Fast charge	Up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 60W-class adapter, sold separately

The 13-inch has the bigger battery, but Apple rates both sizes the same. Its tests used preproduction units at 50% brightness.

Cameras, speakers and Face ID

The 12MP front camera sits on the landscape edge, where it faces you when the iPad is on a keyboard, and it handles Face ID and Center Stage. On the back are a 12MP wide camera at f/1.8, a LiDAR Scanner and an Adaptive True Tone flash. Video goes up to 4K at 60 fps, and ProRes up to 4K30, or 1080p30 on the 256GB model. Four speakers and four studio-quality microphones cover calls and recording.

iPadOS and Apple Intelligence

It launched with iPadOS 26, which brought new windowing, folders in Files and the Dock, and Background Tasks. Apple lists the current release at apple.com/ipados. Apple Intelligence is built in, including Live Translation, but what you get depends on your language and region.

Pro, Air or mini?

Spec	iPad Pro (M5)	iPad Air (M3)	iPad mini (A17 Pro)
Screen	Tandem OLED, 10–120Hz, 1,000 nits (1,600 HDR peak)	IPS, 500 nits (11-inch) or 600 nits (13-inch)	8.3-inch IPS, 326 ppi, 500 nits
Chip and memory	M5, 12GB or 16GB	M3, 8GB	A17 Pro, memory not published
Speakers	Four	Landscape stereo	Landscape stereo
USB-C	Thunderbolt / USB 4, 40Gb/s	USB 3, 10Gb/s	USB 3, 10Gb/s
External display	6K at 60Hz or 5K at 120Hz	6K at 60Hz	4K at 60Hz
US Wi-Fi start	$999 or $1,299	$599 or $799	$499

All three work with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), so drawing alone isn’t a reason to pay for the Pro. The OLED screen, ProMotion, Thunderbolt, the four speakers and Face ID are. If you’d rather have an IP68 rating, an S Pen in the box and a microSD slot, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has all three. iPad Air (M4) vs iPad Pro (M5) sets the Pro against the M4 Air.

Price

iPad Pro (M5) launched in the US on 15 October 2025 at $999 for the 11-inch and $1,299 for the 13-inch with Wi-Fi; the cellular versions were $1,199 and $1,499. It was still Apple’s current iPad Pro on 19 September 2026. Budget for the Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil on top, plus nano-texture glass if you want it on a 1TB or 2TB model. Education pricing and retailer deals move the total, so check apple.com before you buy.