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Review: Apples new M5 iPad Pro is a victory lap in tablet form

October 21, 2025

When you hold the newest Apple tablet in your hand, you immediately know it’s unlike any device you’ve ever tested. That is, unless you already have the M4 model from last year, in which case you already had that experience a year ago.

Like its predecessor, the 11-inch M5 iPad Pro is astonishingly light at just 0.98 pounds. It’s a mere 5.3mm thin. To put that in perspective, that’s even thinner than the newly released iPhone Air that reviewers have been lusting after (we called it the sexiest phone ever made in our recent review). It’s even thinner than the iPad Air, which we named the best tablet for most people. While it looks a lot like the previous model, that’s a good thing in this reviewer’s opinion, and the new silicon gives you even more processing power.

Now, Apple only gave us a few days with this device, so consider this a review in progress. Check back for a more in-depth M5 iPad Pro review coming soon.

Apple iPad Pro 2025 (11-inch, M4): By the numbers

the m5 ipad pro on home screen

Liquid Glass looks incredible on the OLED display.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The iPad Pro comes in silver and space black in both an 11-inch and 13-inch model, with starting prices of $999 and $1,299. As per usual, you can choose WiFi only or WiFi and cellular, if you want to add a cellular plan to your new device. I’ve been testing a specced-out version with 1TB of storage and an eSIM card, courtesy of Apple. I’m sharing the specs of the base 11-inch model.

  • Display: Ultra-Retina XDR display (Tandem OLED with HDR capabilities)

  • Memory: 16GB RAM

  • Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

  • Dimensions: 9.83” x 6.99” x 0.21”

  • Weight: 0.98 pounds (444 grams)

  • Ports: Thunderbolt/USB-4

  • Brightness: 1,000 nits (1,600 nits with HDR content)

  • Refresh rate: Up to 120Hz

  • Touch ID: Yes

  • Face ID: No

And we have to talk about the silicon, of course. While the M5 chip is new, it has the same architecture as the M4 — a 9-core CPU (three performance cores, six efficiency cores) and a 10-core GPU.

Pro tip: Go with the midnight black version and invest in a microfiber cloths and cleaning wipes for fingerprint smudges.

The M5 iPad Pro design and Liquid Glass: A victory lap for Apple

close-up of buttons on ipad pro

Thinner than you think.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

To use a racing metaphor, following the debut of iPadOS 26 and Liquid Glass, the M5 iPad Pro is like a victory lap for Apple.

While it has the same overall design as the previous iPad Pro, that’s only because the previous design was approaching perfection. You might think I’m overselling it, but hot damn, when you hold this device in your hands, you feel like you’re living in the future. We may not have flying cars yet, but this is a beautiful consolation prize. As soon as you can fold it up and put it in your pocket, we’ll have reached straight-out-of-science-fiction levels of design.

On top of that, Apple recently introduced iPadOS 26, which brings the translucent, glass-like aesthetic of Liquid Glass to the iPad. In my iPad OS 26 reivew, I wrote that “iPadOS 26 doesn’t just put a futuristic new face on your tablet,” but also brings “critical new features like multitasking and windowing that make your iPad more like a laptop.” Combine the iPad Pro design with Liquid Glass, and you get something truly special.

windows in ipados 26

Left:
iPadOS 26 brings Liquid Glass and windowing to your iPad.
Credit: Apple
Right:
Multitasking is easier in iPadOS 26.
Credit: Apple

Peak design is what Apple is known for, and the iPad Pro proves Apple hasn’t totally lost its design chops in the post-Jobs era. It’s thinner than both the iPad Air and iPhone Air, yet somehow more powerful, too.

So, while everything I’ve said was also true of the M4 iPad Pro (Mashable’s former tech editor Kimberly Gedeon also raved about the design in her M4 iPad Pro review last year), combine all that with the OLED, HDR-capable display and thoughtful accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, and you get a truly premium experience.

ipad pro with apple pencil


Credit: Joe Maldonado

Honestly, I think Apple should put the iPad team in charge of the iPhone, as it would be nice to get a shakeup in the mobile category, where Apple is falling behind rivals like Samsung and Xaiomi.

The M5 iPad Pro: Performance for those who need it

If you use a tablet for browsing the web, checking emails, playing The Sims, and your daily Wordle, then you don’t need the iPad Pro. It’s a device for professional artists, filmmakers, creators, and AI powerusers. The new M5 chip delivers a few key (though iterative) improvements over the M4.

Apple says the new M5 comes with purpose-built Neural Accelerators, which will help power Apple Intelligence features and any models you’re running on device rather than online.

The M5 iPad Pro has a Geekbench score that breaks 16,400, putting it in the top eight percent of laptops in our testing database. Of course, it’s not a laptop, and all the laptops that do outperform it are overpowered gaming laptops that cost two, three, or four times as much. Like the M4 chip, it offers hard-to-believe power efficiency, resulting in a lengthy battery life.

person typing on ipad pro with magic keyboard


Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The iPad Pro’s Geekbench score also puts its closest competitors in the tablet space to shame. It trounces the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, which scored 13,469, and the iPad Air powered by the M3 chip, which scored a measly 10,498.

iPad OS 26 and Liquid Glass let you use the M5 chip to the fullest. Now that the iPad offers windowing (the ability to resize, drag, minimize, and access control menus for iPad apps and widgets), you can truly multitask on the iPad just like you would on a laptop. That makes it a lot easier to work on the device, though you’ll need the $299 Apple Magic Keyboard to make the most of it.

In my initial testing, this tablet’s been able to handle large video files and programs like Adobe Premiere Pro without breaking a sweat, which is no surprise based on its Geekbench scores.

The OLED display remains drool-worthy

m4 ipad pro with oled display

The new iPad Pro has the same OLED display as the M4 iPad Pro, pictured here.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

I could sing the praises of the Ultra Retina XDR display all day, but my predecessor Gedeon already did that. But in the same way that the unchanged design still impresses us a year later, the Tandem OLED display has the same effect. Colorful HDR footage looks absolutely gorgeous, and the crispiness of the details is so real that it’s almost unreal.

So, sure, it’s the same as last year’s model, but when it looks this good, there’s not much to complain about.

Even casual users will be able to marvel at the resolution, clarity, colors, and deep blacks. But only Pro-level users will be able to truly appreciate the subtleties of the HDR display. High-dynamic range video provides the best possible color, contrast, and subtle details, but if you don’t know what HDR video is, if you’ve never used Final Cut or DaVinci Resolve, or if you aren’t trying to grow your YouTube channel, then you may not really need the iPad Pro.

So, who is the iPad Pro for? Hint: It’s in the name.

person using apple pencil on ipad pro


Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Look, you don’t have to be a Pro user to enjoy the iPad Pro. I’ve been comparing it to the iPad Air, which I recently re-tested for Mashable, and while it’s only slightly thinner and a touch lighter, that 0.8mm really does make a difference, as does the OLED display.

So, if you’re a tech enthusiast with money to burn and you simply want the newest and coolest products, then by all means, go for it. You truly won’t regret it. But for the average user, it’s overkill.

That being said, if you like to run AI models on your device, you’re a professional illustrator or designer, or you need to deliver professional-quality video, the new iPad Pro is up for the job.

A quick word on the cameras, updated Games app, and other features

m5 ipad pro rear camera array


Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Apple is keen for users to try out the new Games and Arcade experience on iPadOS 26 and the iPad Pro, and I really tried to get into it. But the truth is, the types of games that are fun to play on the iPad — cozy games, simulators, word puzzles, and the like — simply don’t need the M5 chip or an OLED display.

Likewise, the iPad Pro has a decent camera on the front and back:

  • Primary camera: 12MP Wide camera

  • Front camera: 12MP Center Stage selfie camera

It can even record 4K video at 60 frames per second. However, tablets have always been a poor form factor for photography. The only real use case for me is video calling, which the iPad Pro can do very well.

Finally, I should note that I had a smooth experience with the eSIM card, and the ability to use the phone and messages app on your tablet is a nice perk. (Though, my eSIM card came pre-installed, and it’s not always painless for the average person to set up an eSIM card.) I could see some advantages to essentially having your tablet act as a second cell phone line, but I think most people will opt for the WiFi-only version. After all, you can always use your iPhone as a hotspot if you’re not in WiFi range.

The final word: Is the M5 iPad Pro worth the upgrade? Yes and no.

m5 ipad pro with apple pencil


Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The new Apple tablet is absolutely worth the investment, at least, according to our initial tests. If we encounter any unexpected problems, we’ll share them in a future update to this iPad Pro review.

But we’re also living in the era of iterative improvements, where companies put out new models on an annual basis, even when they probably shouldn’t. So I’m going to say something that I’m frankly getting really tired of saying: The new iPad isn’t an instant-upgrade if you already have last year’s model. You could say the same about virtually any smartwatch, smartphone, fitness tracker, tablet, or laptop released in the past year — and I have. (To offset the cost, look into Apple’s trade-in program.)

Still, the design, the display, and the performance are unbeatable in the tablet space.


Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M5): Ultra Retina XDR Display, 256GB, Landscape 12MP Front Camera/12MP Back Camera, LiDAR Scanner, Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1, Face ID, All-Day Battery Life — Silver

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M5)
$999
at Amazon

 




Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5): Ultra Retina XDR Display, 256GB, Landscape 12MP Front Camera/12MP Back Camera, LiDAR Scanner, Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1, Face ID, All-Day Battery Life — Space Black

Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5)
$1,299
at Amazon

 




Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch

Credit: Apple


Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch
$298
at Walmart

 

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