Apple’s new iPad Pro is faster, smarter, and built for AI

What’s happened? Apple today lifted the covers off the next-gen M5 MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models, both featuring its latest M5 chip.

• The 2025 iPad Pro is available in 11-inch and 13-inch screen sizes, with both models packing Apple’s Ultra Retina XDR displays.
• The tablets are equipped with Apple’s new M5 chip, which features up to a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators.
• The devices also bring connectivity upgrades, thanks to Apple’s C1X and N1 chips, a memory bump for the cheaper variants, and faster storage.

Why is this important? The M5 chip promises a significant boost in performance, especially for AI workloads. It’s accompanied by a few other crucial hardware upgrades that further enhance the device’s capabilities.

• Apple claims that the M5 chip delivers up to 3.5 times faster AI performance than the previous generation, resulting in up to two times faster AI image generation in Draw Things and up to 2.3 times faster AI video upscaling performance in DaVinci Resolve.
• The M5 chip also incorporates a third-generation ray-tracing engine that speeds up 3D rendering with ray tracing by up to 1.5 times.
• The C1X modem promises up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance while consuming up to 30 percent less power than the M4 iPad Pro.
• Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support, promises better performance when connected to 5GHz networks, and improves Personal Hotspot and AirDrop reliability.
• Although storage configurations remain the same as the previous generation, Apple says the new devices offer up to two times faster read and write speeds. Memory on the 256GB and 512GB variants has also been bumped to 12GB.

Why should I care? With these hardware upgrades and the improvements in iOS 26, the 2025 iPad Pro models are now even better suited for professionals and creatives.

• The enhanced AI capabilities should greatly accelerate tasks like image generation and video editing.
• The performance upgrades will also result in smoother and more realistic visuals in applications and games.
• Buyers will also benefit from the connectivity upgrades thanks to the new modem and wireless networking chip.
• Additionally, the new models can drive external displays at up to 120Hz and support Adaptive Sync, making them great for multitasking.

What’s next? The 2025 iPad Pro with Apple’s new M5 chip is available for pre-order today and will be in stores starting October 22.

• Both 11-inch and 13-inch models will be available with up to 2TB of onboard storage.
• Models with 256GB and 512GB storage will feature a 9-core CPU, while the 1TB and 2TB variants will pack a 10-core CPU.
• The 2025 iPad Pro range starts at $999 and goes all the way up to $2,299 for the 13-inch model with 2TB storage.