The next-generation iPad Pro will almost certainly get an Apple M6 processor for better performance, but Apple will go beyond a new chip to make its next premium tablet even faster: it’ll build in a vapor chamber cooling system, according to a reliable source of insider information.
The change will especially benefit graphic designers who push the GPU in current iPads to its limits.
M6 iPad Pro could sport vapor chamber cooling
There’s more than one way to increase the performance of a computer beyond putting in a faster processor. Processors can get so hot they need to slow down and throttle themselves to prevent meltdown. A cooling system is required.
High-end Macs include a cooling fan, but a fan in a phone or tablet is just silly. The answer Apple turned to instead with the new iPhone 17 Pro models is a vapor chamber heat spreader. This involves a vacuum-sealed enclosure holding a fluid. When the processor generates excessive heat, the liquid inside the chamber vaporizes, moves to cooler areas, and then condenses back into liquid, cooling the chip by moving the heat around.
Image: ChatGPT
iPads can run also hot, especially for graphic designers using powerful creativity applications.
“I know some artists have been using external cooling solutions for their iPad Pro for a while now. Procreate, and similar apps, run the GPU hot, and you do get screen dimming and temperature warnings,” noted developer Steve Troughton-Smith on Mastodon.
The problem hasn’t escaped Apple’s attention, and it’s reportedly bringing a familiar cooling solution to its high-end tablet.
“A vapor chamber in the iPad Pro — which is even thinner than the iPad Air — is on the company’s roadmap. Apple is now working on the feature, with plans to integrate it as soon as the next round of updates,” said Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Sunday.
Expect M6 iPad Pro in 2027
The 2025 iPad Pro just launched, bringing a significant performance boost from the Apple M5 processor… but no advanced cooling system.
That’ll apparently wait on the next iteration, which is probably about a year and a half away. The last several iPad Pro upgrades have all launched roughly 18 months after the previous models. That’s a long way away, but graphic designers already dealing with an overheating iPad Pro might nevertheless consider holding off until the M6.
