The 2025 iPad Pro is the best high-end tablet Apple’s ever made. Don’t make the mistake of dismissing it as a “chip and ship” upgrade because the major change is the new M5 processor. Plenty of other enhancements make the tablet better than the M4 model. It moves files much faster, charges more quickly, offers better Wi-Fi and more.
If you’re still using an older model like the M1 iPad Pro, you’ll see really huge changes for the better if you upgrade to Apple’s latest tablet.
Based on my time with the M5 iPad Pro, here are seven new features that make the tablet really stand out.
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M5 iPad Pro review
Apple makes a range of tablets: a budget iPad you can get for about $300, iPad Air for those who want a larger, more powerful tablet … and then there’s the iPad Pro.
Apple’s top-of-the-line tablets aren’t for people looking for an e-book reader that they occasionally check their mail on. No, an iPad Pro owner uses it for real work. Maybe they need a touchscreen and stylus while creating brilliant art, or perhaps they prefer a computer that’s even more portable than a MacBook while moving between patients in a hospital.
I’ve used an iPad as my primary computer for about a decade — most recently an M4 iPad Pro — because I want a computer that can function as a tablet, a laptop and a desktop while being put to constant, heavy use. Plus, I prefer the simplicity of iPadOS. I don’t need all the additional functionality that comes with macOS, so it’s not a benefit to me.
If this sounds familiar, then the M5 iPad Pro might be just what you’re looking for.
I tested the 13-inch model for this review, but the 11-inch one is identical internally. That leaves the essential difference being that one is more portable and one is easier to see. (I’m sure you can figure out which is which.)
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
Table of contents: M5 iPad Pro review
- M5 chip brings a hefty boost in performance
- More RAM is always better
- Much faster file transfers
- Fast charging is good charging
- Faster Wi-Fi performance, too
- Gorgeous 120Hz external displays
- Better cellular-wireless connectivity
- M5 iPad Pro builds on a brilliant foundation
- M5 iPad Pro review: Final thoughts
- Pricing
1. M5 chip brings a hefty boost in performance
Image: Google Gemini
The 2025 iPad Pro isn’t a simple chip-and-ship upgrade, but the move from an M4 to an M5 processor is undoubtedly the standout enhancement. The whole point of a new processor is faster performance, so of course I benchmarked the new chip.
I think you’ll be pleased by the change. I know some of you are pushing Procreate to its limits, and more speed is welcome. The M5 delivers, especially in graphics performance.
Starting with the CPU, Geekbench 6 shows a 15,651 score in the Multi-Core test. That’s a 16% improvement over the M4 iPad Pro. But I reference last year’s model only in passing because replacing a 2024 model with a 2025 one makes little sense. Now, those of you still using an M1 iPad Pro from 2021 can look forward to an 87% speed boost — close to double.
As for graphics performance, the M5 iPad Pro scored 74,125 on Geekbench 6’s Metal test. That’s a 36% boost over the M4, and 123% faster than an M1 iPad Pro.
Having said that, note carefully that the version of the M5 I’m testing is the one with nine CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. It comes in the variant with 256GB or 512GB of storage. Get an M5 with 1TB or 2TB of storage, and the M5 gains an additional CPU core. A tablet with that chip variant scored 16,116 on the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core test — about 3% faster.
According to Geekbench AI, the M5 boosts the artificial intelligence performance of the iPad Pro by 6% over the M4. But then you’re probably not using Apple Intelligence much.
2. More RAM is always better
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
One of the best features of the M5 iPad Pro, and one that’s easy to overlook, is that the variants with 256GB and 512GB of storage get 12GB of unified memory — a 50% boost over their predecessors.
If you go with 1TB or 2TB of storage, the M5 iPad Pro comes with 16GB of RAM. Another reason to choose carefully when ordering.
I’ve already seen the advantage of more RAM in my everyday usage. I can edit a large image in Pixelmator, then go back to WordPress in Safari, and the page I was using doesn’t need to reload.
3. Much faster file transfers
Apple promises the 2025 iPad Pro offers up to 2x faster storage read and write speeds, and that might be understating the gain.
I tested the new tablet with a LaCie Rugged SSD4. Moving a 10.75GB test file onto the drive took 4.5 seconds, down from 14 seconds transferring the same file with an M4 iPad Pro. That’s about 2.4GB/s. Copying the file onto the M5 iPad Pro took 4 seconds (about 2.7GB/s), down from 8 seconds with the M4 model.
The difference is so huge that, if you regularly move large video files to/from SSDs, it’s possible this file transfer speed increase might save you more total time than the faster processor.
Hopefully, you’re using the enormously upgraded Files application in iPadOS 26. Quicker transfers make the app even better.
4. Fast charging is good charging
The iPad Pro series runs for a long time on a single charge. Apple promises up to 10 hours without needing a plug-in, and that’s a reasonable estimate based on my usage.
Even better, the M5 iPad Pro supports fast charge — enabling up to a 50% charge in around half an hour. It takes advantage of a new $39 wall charger from Apple that ordinarily puts out 40W but can go up to 60W for short periods.
Of course, that’s not the only option. I used the Rolling Square Supertiny to fast charge the tablet. My USB-C power meter shows the computer was taking in more than 50W, while the M4 version tops out at about 35W. With that setup, the battery level in my 2025 iPad Pro shot from 3% up to 55% in exactly 30 minutes — way faster than the M4 model ever could.
5. Faster Wi-Fi performance, too
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
The M5 isn’t the only new Apple silicon inside the latest iPad Pro — the tablet also features the N1, making this one of the first computers with the Apple-designed wireless networking chip.
Perhaps the main benefit is that it brings Wi-Fi 7 support. This sports a potential maximum data rate of almost 46 Gbps. Compare that to the 9.6 Gbps max possible with Wi-Fi 6/6E. Plus, the wireless standard offers greater connection reliability.
For everyone (like me) who hasn’t yet invested in a Wi-Fi 7 router, I can reassure you that Apple switching to the new wireless chip hasn’t decreased my Wi-Fi performance versus the Broadcom chip in the M4 iPad Pro. Apple actually promises “better performance when connected to 5GHz networks,” but I’m not seeing it.
The N1 also brings in Bluetooth 6 support, up from Bluetooth 5.3 in the previous M4 model. You’re unlikely to notice any difference because the newest version isn’t focused on keyboards, mice and other tablet-friendly accessories.
In addition, Apple promises that the N1 improves the overall performance and reliability of Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. I can’t comment because I don’t have a history of having difficulties with either.
6. Gorgeous 120Hz external displays
Full support for external displays is a brilliant iPad productivity feature. And that got supercharged with the release of iPadOS 26, which looks very Mac-like with a multitasking system complete with resizable, floating windows and macOS-style controls.
The M5 iPad Pro’s internal display is 120Hz/ProMotion, and it is the first in this product line able to drive external displays at up to a 120Hz refresh rate. That includes support for Adaptive Sync, which provides the lowest possible latency in external display performance. These external monitor improvements make the new tablet even better for video editing and gaming.
7. Improved cellular-wireless connectivity
Continuing the trend toward more Apple silicon, variants of the 2025 iPad Pro configured with cellular connectivity are the first with the C1X modem. Apple says this delivers “up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance than its predecessor with even greater efficiency.”
I quote Apple because my tablet doesn’t have cellular-wireless connectivity, so I can’t test the feature. I much prefer to use my iPhone 17 as a hotspot for my tablet.
M5 iPad Pro builds on a brilliant foundation
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
I hope I’ve demonstrated that the M5 iPad Pro is more than a chip-and-ship upgrade. There are too many other improvements in the 2025 model to dismiss it as a simple CPU speed boost. And don’t overlook that these enhancements are made to a fantastic tablet: the 2024 iPad Pro.
Like its predecessor, the centerpiece of the new model is a gorgeous OLED display. With an organic light-emitting diode screen, there’s no need for a backlight — each pixel glows on its own. The result is strong colors, very black blacks, and an extremely even picture across the entire display.
The panel hasn’t changed from the previous model, so the resolution is 2,752 by 2,064 pixels on the 13-inch variant or 2,420 by 1,668 pixels on the 11-inch one. Both work out to be 264 ppi.
This beautiful display fits into a slim device: just 0.2 inches thick. The 13-inch variant weighs 1.28 pounds, while the smaller one comes in at just 0.98 pounds.
Those using a much older tablet will appreciate that the front-facing camera moved to the long edge of the screen for better horizontal use when making FaceTime calls. You’ll also like that the minimal amount of storage is 256GB, though you can go all the way up to 2TB.
Apple still hasn’t changed the number of USB-C ports — the M5 iPad Pro remains stuck at one. Fortunately, you can power it up via a fantastic charger that uses the Smart Connector and leaves the port open for SSDs and other accessories.
M5 iPad Pro review: Final thoughts
Photo: Apple
The M5 iPad Pro is hands-down the best tablet to ever come out of Cupertino. I highly recommend it if you’re getting work done on an aging M1 model or something even more antique. Apple’s newest runs blazing fast, and the OLED screen looks fantastic in every lighting condition. And don’t forget about quicker file transfers over USB-C and speedier Wi-Fi.
I’ll use mine for years to do my job, while continuing to roll my eyes when people try to tell me that a Mac is absolutely required to be productive.
★★★★★
Pricing
The 13-inch M5 iPad Pro variant starts at $1,299, while the 11-inch one starts at $999. These are the same prices as the M4 model.
Configuring the tablets with additional storage increases the prices.
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 did not provide Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
