Apple’s newest M5 iPad Pro might look the same as its predecessor, the M4 iPad Pro. But when you compare the two tablets’ internals, you realize a lot has changed. It’s not just a minor processor upgrade.
If you’re on the fence about upgrading or plan to buy a new iPad, here’s how the M5 iPad Pro stacks up against the M4 model.
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M5 vs. M4 iPad Pro: Specs comparison
Here’s a quick comparison of how the M5 iPad Pro differs from the M4 variant.
| Features | M5 iPad Pro | M4 iPad Pro |
| Display | 11-inch or 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR | 11-inch or 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR |
| 120Hz ProMotion | 120Hz ProMotion | |
| Antireflective coating | Antireflective coating | |
| Optional nano-texture glass | Optional nano-texture glass | |
| Chipset | M5 | M4 |
| CPU | 9-core CPU | 10-core CPU |
| 10-core CPU on 1TB and 2TB models | 10-core CPU on 1TB and 2TB models | |
| World’s fastest CPU cores | ||
| GPU | 9- or 10-core GPU | 9- or 10-core GPU |
| Neural Accelerators | N/A | |
| 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4 | ||
|
30% faster performance than M4
|
||
| 153GB/s memory bandwidth | 120GB/s memory bandwidth | |
| Faster 16-core Neural Engine | 16-core Neural Engine | |
| System memory | 12GB or 16GB RAM | 8GB or 16GB RAM |
| Storage | Starts at 256GB, up to 2TB |
Starts at 256GB, up to 2TB
|
| Cameras | Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera | Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera |
| Speaker | Four-speaker audio | Four-speaker audio |
| Microphones | Four studio-quality mics | Four studio-quality mics |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 5,3 | |
| 5G (sub6 GHz) | 5G (sub6 GHz) | |
| Apple C1x modem | Qualcomm baseband | |
| Apple N1x chip | Broadcom chip | |
| USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 | USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 | |
| Smart Connector | Smart Connector | |
| Sensors | Face ID | Face ID |
| LiDAR Scanner | LiDAR Scanner | |
| Three-axis gyro | Three-axis gyro | |
| Charging/battery | Battery life up to 10 hours of internet browsing | Battery life up to 10 hours of internet browsing |
| 20W charger in box | 20W charger in box | |
| 50% fast charge with 65W adapter | N/A |
Key differences between M5 and M4 iPad Pro
- Design and display
- Performance and power
- Battery life and charging speeds
- Price
- M5 vs. M4 iPad Pro: Should you upgrade?
Design and display
Photo: Apple
From a design and display perspective, the M4 and M5 iPad Pro are virtually identical. Both are available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, featuring an Ultra Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Tandem OLED panel delivers the same peak performance, reaching up to 1,600 nits of brightness in HDR mode.
The 13-inch model remains impressively slim at 5.1 mm and weighs the same 579 grams as before. The dimensions and weight of the 11-inch model remain unchanged, too.
As with the M4 model, you can use an Apple Pencil (USB-C) and a Magic Keyboard with the new iPad Pro to further extend its functionality. And, like before, Apple offers the M5 iPad Pro in space black and silver colors.
Performance and power
Photo: Apple
The 2025 iPad Pro revolves around Apple’s new M5 chip. Depending on the storage variant you choose, it features either a nine-core or 10-core CPU paired with 12GB or 16GB of RAM. Apple proudly claims the M5 chip sports the world’s fastest CPU cores. And that means a notable leap in performance.
More importantly, the M5 iPad Pro features a next-generation 10-core GPU. Each core now features a Neural Accelerator to significantly boost GPU performance in AI workloads. “M5 delivers AI performance that’s up to 3.5x faster compared to M4,” says Apple. 3D rendering with ray tracing runs up to 1.5x faster, while video transcoding sees a 1.2x speed boost.
The 16-core Neural Engine gets a speed boost, too, enabling the M5 iPad Pro to process on-device AI tasks more quickly.
Besides the performance boost, the M5 iPad Pro can drive external monitors with up to a 120Hz refresh rate. The M4 iPad Pro did not support high refresh rate external displays.
Memory bandwidth sees a 30% increase to 150GB/s on the new iPad Pro. This should help with multitasking and processing AI models faster.
Additionally, the M5 iPad Pro comes with a minimum of 12GB of RAM. That’s 50% more than the M4 iPad Pro, and should boost performance in heavy workloads. Plus, Apple says the 256GB and 512GB models feature twice as fast storage chips, reducing overall loading times.
Battery life and charging speeds
There’s no difference in the quoted battery life numbers of the M5 iPad Pro vs. the M4 model. But the new iPad features one key upgrade: You can top up its battery to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 65W adapter.
If you use your iPad Pro daily, the faster charging speed can come in handy.
Connectivity
Photo: Apple
Like the iPhone Air, the M5 iPad Pro uses Apple’s in-house C1x modem and N1 chip for connectivity.
The C1x modem consumes 30% less power than the M4 iPad Pro with cellular connectivity. That means longer battery life when using the tablet over 5G cellular networks.
Apple’s N1 chip handles Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Thread connectivity on the M5 iPad Pro. It enables support for the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 standards. Plus, Apple claims “better performance when connected to 5GHz networks” with a more reliable Personal Hotspot and AirDrop experience.
Price
For all the upgrades the M5 iPad Pro packs, it costs the same as the M4 model. That means prices start at $999 for the 11-inch model, with the 13-inch variant coming in at $1,299.
Bumping the storage to 512GB will cost you an extra $200, with the optional nano-texture glass being available only in 1TB and 2TB configurations. Cellular models cost an extra $200.
M5 vs. M4 iPad Pro: Should you upgrade?
Unless you have a really specific need, there’s no reason to upgrade to the M5 iPad Pro from the M4 model. The latter is still an impressive tablet and among the fastest on the market.
But if you are looking to buy a new high-end tablet, the M5 iPad Pro should be an easy pick. The speedy M5 chip will ensure the device runs smoothly for years to come and will handle your ever-increasing workload with ease.
Apple's pro tablet upgrade for 2025 features the M5 processor for maximum performance.
- Midsize Apple tablet with big-time performance
- 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion and antireflective coating
- 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4 iPad Pro
- Pricey
- Nano-texture glass only available on 1TB and 2TB models
Apple's pro tablet upgrade for 2025 features the M5 processor for maximum performance.
- Apple's biggest, most powerful tablet
- 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion and antireflective coating
- 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4 iPad Pro
- Pricey
- Nano-texture glass only available on 1TB and 2TB models
