Apple iPad Pro (M5) review: The best comes at a cost

Greatest Costs At the moment: Apple iPad Professional 11-inch (M5, 2025)

Apple’s iPad lineup is probably the most intensive it’s ever been. There’s the lovable and compact iPad mini (A17 Professional), the wonderful on a regular basis iPad (A16), the highly effective and transportable iPad Air (M3) and on the prime, you have got the iPad Professional. 

Till not too long ago, that was the iPad Professional (M4), however Apple has now launched a extra superior processor to this slab within the M5, while additionally bettering connectivity and including, for the primary time on iPad, quick charging.

When you have the iPad Professional (M4), it’s extremely unlikely you’ll be upgrading, however in case you have an older iPad Professional, one other iPad, otherwise you’re new to iPad totally, there’s rather a lot to like within the iPad Professional (M5). Having used it because it was introduced, right here’s why it cements itself as finest at school, in addition to what to think about earlier than you hit purchase. 

Design & Construct 

• Identical design as iPad Professional (M4)
• Two colors 
• Aluminium construct

There’s simply one thing about slim gadgets. I’m not even positive we’ve all observed as telephones and tablets have elevated in thickness over the previous couple of years. Examine the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 17, although, and there’s a noticeable distinction. When the iPad Professional (M4) was revealed in Might 2024, its 5.1mm construct was as noteworthy because it was spectacular.

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At that time, we hadn’t seen the iPhone Air or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, so telephones weren’t anyplace close to that slim, not to mention tablets. It was so gentle and transportable, even within the 13-inch measurement, and its design was an actual delight. 

The iPad Professional (M5) thought it finest to maintain issues precisely how they have been, and that’s one thing I received’t fault on this case. There are two sizes once more – 11 inches and 13 inches – with the smaller mannequin fractionally thicker at 5.3mm. That’s nonetheless thinner than the iPhone Air, and similar to that cellphone, get this pill in your hand and also you’ll actually respect how pretty it’s.

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At 444g on the 11-inch mannequin, it’s practically a 3rd of the load of a MacBook Air, whereas the 13-inch mannequin (and my evaluation unit) is simply 580g – nonetheless just about half the load of Apple’s most cost-effective laptop computer.

The aluminium body is available in two boring but stylish color choices – Silver and Area Black – with the latter being my choice. All fashions have a small digicam housing on the rear, a Good Connector for attaching equipment and uniform bezels across the show. 

Display & Audio system

• 11- or 13-inch choices
• Tandem OLED, 120Hz refresh fee
• Apple Pencil Professional help
• Quad audio system

The show on the M5 iPad Professional can be the identical because the M4 model. Once more, that is under no circumstances a foul factor.

Apple is continuous with what it calls a Tandem OLED show, which successfully means two OLED panels on prime of one another to ship a brighter display general. In consequence, there’s a peak brightness of 1,600 nits on the iPad Professional (M5), which not solely makes it usable outdoors on a sunny day but additionally ensures HDR photographs and movies look very good.

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Colors are pretty and punchy, whites are extremely vibrant, and also you get true blacks throughout darker scenes. Particulars in every thing from the time stamp within the prime left nook to app icons and notification bubbles are crisp and sharp, whereas viewing angles are nice too.

In the meantime, the ProMotion show expertise means help for refresh charges as much as 120Hz, making certain a stunning, clean scrolling expertise.

On the fashions with 1TB or 2TB of storage, you have got the choice so as to add a nano-texture coating. This provides a matt end to what’s in any other case a shiny show, which ought to cut back glare within the course of.

My evaluation unit of the iPad Professional (M5) doesn’t have this end, however I’ve used and beloved it on the iPad Professional (M4). It’s wonderful for slicing by way of reflections, so should you’re planning on utilizing this iPad outdoors or in a room with vibrant lights or giant home windows, I extremely advocate contemplating it. I don’t perceive why Apple didn’t make it an choice on fashions with much less storage.

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There are two audio system positioned at both facet of the iPad Professional (M5)’s show when held in a panorama orientation. The sound is respectable for a pill, and also you’ll haven’t any drawback watching a film or taking a video name. I’d all the time advocate connecting up a pair of headphones or AirPods if you would like the perfect expertise, however the 4 audio system do a greater than satisfactory job once you want them to. 

Specs & Efficiency

• Apple M5 processor 
• 256GB beginning storage 
• Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread

Below the hood, the iPad Professional (M5) sees an improve in processor from the Apple M4 we noticed within the 2024 mannequin to the Apple M5, which you could have guessed from its title.

Constructed on a 3nm course of, the chip has a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators which might be claimed to ship 3.5 occasions sooner AI efficiency than the M4 iPad Professional. There’s additionally a sooner 16-core Neural Engine, in keeping with Apple, mentioned to be useful for issues resembling summarising a web page of notes or isolating a background in a video. 

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The CPU make-up of the M5 is determined by the storage mannequin you choose. On the upper storage 1TB and 2TB fashions, you get a 10-core CPU made up of 4 efficiency cores and 6 effectivity cores, whereas the 256GB and 512GB fashions have a nine-core CPU (three efficiency, six effectivity). My 1TB evaluation pattern benefitted from the extra highly effective model, and highly effective it most positively is. 

There was nothing I may do on my MacBook Professional that I couldn’t do on the M5 iPad Professional – it made gentle work of something I threw at it.

I spent hours modifying pictures, wrote hundreds of phrases (together with this evaluation), streamed hours of films and TV reveals and had a stunning time studying the information and casually shopping the online. Multi-tasking is a breeze (particularly with iPadOS 26 – extra on that later), and switching between apps and duties is immediate with no signal of lag.

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I discussed the storage choices already – 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB – with these larger capability fashions getting the extra highly effective chip and nano-texture show choice.

There’s no help for Micro-SD storage enlargement on any of them, although, so preserve that in thoughts should you like a big library of offline movies or wish to sync plenty of your iPhone photographs.

Elsewhere, there’s help for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and now Thread, due to a brand new wi-fi chip known as the N1. The latter ought to make it simpler to connect with and management sensible residence gadgets, however it’s primarily about future-proofing reasonably than the right here and now.

For the mobile fashions, there’s additionally a brand new mobile modem known as the C1X that’s claimed to carry 50% sooner mobile knowledge efficiency. I can’t say I observed an enormous distinction between the iPad Professional (M5)’s connectivity and final 12 months’s iPad Professional (M4), however what is maybe extra necessary is that I didn’t discover any connectivity points both, so Apple is clearly getting one thing proper.

Apple iPad Professional (M5) benchmarks

Cameras 

• 12Mp rear, f/1.8
• 12Mp entrance, f/2.0
• Heart Stage tech on the entrance lens

With regards to pictures, I’d by no means advocate utilizing a pill as your major gadget.

The smartphone in your pocket virtually actually takes higher photographs, even when it prices a fraction of the value of the iPad Professional. Tablets are sometimes too huge and cumbersome for capturing respectable, steady photographs – I cringe each time I see somebody utilizing one in public.

Nonetheless, the M5 iPad Professional’s single 12Mp rear sensor is best than many pill rivals, that means you’ll get a good degree of element and color accuracy with occasional snaps. It’s completely effective if it’s essential to scan a doc or take a photograph of your baby’s homework to add to Google Classroom with no points.

It really works in tandem with the LiDAR scanner, which permits for AR experiences like viewing a bit of furnishings in actual time in your front room, serving to you be sure you aren’t making a rash determination. That each one runs easily too, so there’s little or no to complain about on this division.

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You’ll most likely care concerning the front-facing lens way more, although, contemplating a pill’s reputation for the likes of video calls.

The entrance 12Mp digicam does a strong job, particularly with its pure positioning on the prime of the display when in panorama orientation. This lets you get extra individuals in body, but additionally makes it pure to make use of whereas the Magic Keyboard or Good Folio case (each bought individually) is hooked up.

It’s not fairly as intelligent because the entrance digicam you’ll discover on the brand new iPhone fashions – it might’t swap between panorama and portrait selfies with out you rotating the entire gadget. Nonetheless, there’s Heart Stage expertise on board to maintain you within the body should you transfer round. This works effectively should you’re on a video name to a pal and also you’re cooking and transferring round your kitchen on the similar time, for instance.

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There’s additionally Face ID help within the iPad Professional, which makes utilizing this pill considerably extra handy than another iPads. A fast look is all it’s essential to unlock it, authenticate funds and assist you to signal into apps or view passwords.

Battery Life & Charging 

• 10 hours 
• 60W charging 
• As much as 50 per cent in half-hour

Like typical, Apple doesn’t quote particular battery capacities for both measurement of M5 iPad Professional. Nonetheless, GSMArena suggests it’s an 8160mAh battery on the 11-inch mannequin and a ten,290mAh cell on the 13-inch model I’ve been testing.

Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter what iPad mannequin you purchase from Apple, all are claimed to supply 10 hours of battery life for video watching and 9 hours of shopping the online. In my expertise, that’s just about spot on for all of them, too, assuming these are the issues you’re doing.

You’ll discover the battery drops faster should you connect the Magic Keyboard and begin typing constantly for a few hours – in that situation, you possibly can count on round half that point. However should you’re checking emails, casually scrolling by way of social media, shopping the online for an upcoming winter vacation or streaming content material, you’ll get a working day trip of the iPad Professional with out a problem. 

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That’s not even the perfect information, although. The most important story right here is that the iPad Professional (M5) now helps quick charging, which is a primary for iPad.

Now, it’s not fairly as speedy because the likes of Oppo or OnePlus, each of which help 67W on their respective Android tablets, however the iPad Professional (M5) is claimed to supply as much as 50 per cent battery in round half-hour with a 60W charger. I acquired 43 per cent in half-hour with a 96W charger and 50 per cent in 35 minutes, whereas it took 1 hour and 45 minutes to achieve 100 per cent. That’s a big enchancment on what you’ll get on the M3 iPad Air.

It’s price remembering that the iPad Professional (M5) doesn’t include a charger within the field, nonetheless, so whereas the help for quick charging is now there, you have to to supply your personal charger to make the most of it.

Software program & Apps 

• iPadOS 26
• Apple Intelligence
• Higher multitasking with new windowing view

The iPad Professional (M5) runs on Apple’s newest software program for iPad, which is known as iPadOS 26. It takes over from iPadOS 18, and it’s arguably the most important and most necessary replace for iPad since Apple’s pill moved onto its personal software program and separated itself from iOS.

The rationale I say that’s the help for windowing. Throughout setup, you possibly can select between the standard structure of iPad, which is the place you sometimes use one app at a time, or two should you’re utilizing the Break up Display performance, or you possibly can choose the windowing choice.

The windowing setting permits the iPad Professional (M5) to run extra like a Mac, with the choice to rearrange a number of apps and home windows on the display, overlay them on prime of one another and resize them nonetheless you want.

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There’s additionally a menu bar like Mac on the prime of every app once you swipe down from the highest, with the identical site visitors gentle system for closing an app, minimising it or increasing it. Urgent and holding the inexperienced icon additionally permits you to snap apps right into a grid structure like Mac, with as much as 4 apps getting used directly. Truthfully, the general expertise is considerably higher for multitasking than it’s ever been. 

Elsewhere, the brand new software program brings a brand new design known as Liquid Glass, which is designed to imitate layers of glass by way of translucent menus and app icons with controls overlaid on prime of the content material in your display, permitting you to see extra of what’s beneath. It’s a bit of more durable to learn than the earlier model of iPad’s software program was, however the design itself is good. 

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The Telephone app involves iPad for the primary time with iOS 26 too, so all of your current calls, contacts and voicemails will seem right here in case you have an iPhone signed into the identical Apple ID, whereas there’s additionally a Preview app for viewing and modifying PDFs and a Video games app for a smoother gaming expertise. 

There’s help for Apple Intelligence right here too, as you’d count on, and whereas there are a selection of options but to be totally realised, like a extra contextualised and personalised Siri, there are some helpful ones already there. I’m a selected fan of Clear Up, which affords a straightforward strategy to take away objects, individuals or different distractions from photographs.

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The one factor the iPad continues to lack, nonetheless, is help for a number of person profiles. It borrows rather a lot from Mac this time round, however having the ability to have a visitor person or a number of profiles remains to be not one thing that has carried throughout. It’s a disgrace as a result of once you pay £1,000/$1,000 or extra for a pill, it ought to be simpler to modify between a number of individuals in a family if you wish to use it as a household pill.

Nonetheless, software program help is great, and whereas Apple doesn’t specify precisely what number of years it’s going to give the iPad Professional (M5) updates for, it’s often round seven years. That might imply this pill ought to get new options and safety patches till at the very least 2030.

Worth & Availability 

The iPad Professional (M5) begins at £999/$999, which is for the 11-inch mannequin with 256GB of storage and Wi-Fi connectivity. The 13-inch mannequin with the identical storage and connectivity prices £1,299/$1,299. Each might be upgraded to incorporate 5G connectivity, in addition to to storage choices of 512GB, 1TB and 2TB.

The highest-of-the-range iPad Professional (M5) with 2TB of storage, Wi-Fi and Mobile, and the Nano-texture show prices £2,299/$2,299 for the 11-inch mannequin and £2,599/$2,599 for the 13-inch mannequin. Including equipment will set you again £129/$129 for the Apple Pencil Professional and from £299/$299 for the Magic Keyboard.

You should buy one straight from Apple UK and Apple US, plus by way of retailers together with Amazon UK and Amazon US.

On the Android facet, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely (from £1,199/$1,199) is the apparent different, however there are many different choices in our information to the perfect tablets you should purchase.

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Ought to I purchase the Apple iPad Professional (M5)? 

Apple’s M5 iPad Professional is an distinctive pill. It affords efficiency on par with a laptop computer, a surprising show, an excellent slim and light-weight design and strong battery life. The person interface has additionally seen enormous multitasking enhancements due to iPadOS 26, whereas the quick charging capabilities make an enormous distinction by way of usability. 

There’s nonetheless no help for a number of person profiles, equipment price further, and there’s no getting away from the eye-watering worth, regardless of how a lot pill you get for that cash. However none of these are the iPad Professional’s greatest drawback.

As a substitute, it’s the remainder of the iPad lineup that’s the difficulty, as a result of virtually all of them shall be greater than ample for many in terms of efficiency, and so they all have the identical person expertise. 

Nonetheless, should you’re after the perfect at school pill, the Apple iPad Professional (M5) is presently it. It’s an outstanding pill that may serve you for years to return, and it’s an actual pleasure to make use of.

Specs

• iPadOS 26
• 11in or 13in Tandem OLED show
• 11in: 2420 x 1668 (264ppi) / 13in: 2752 x 2064 (264ppi)
• 4-speaker audio
• Face ID
• 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB storage
• Apple M5
• 5G mobile (non-obligatory)
• eSIM
• Wi-Fi 7
• Bluetooth 6
• Thread
• 12Mp Panorama front-facing digicam with Heart Stage
• 12Mp rear digicam with LiDAR sensor
• USB-C port
• 31.29Wh battery (11in) / 38.99Wh battery (13in)
• Obtainable in Area Black and Silver
• 249.7 x 177.5 x 5.3mm (11in) / 281.6 x 215.5 x 5.1mm (13in)
• 444g (11in, Wi-Fi) / 579g (13in, Wi-Fi)