Apple iPad Pro M5 Review: The World's Best Tablet Raises the Bar Again
Apple has a habit of releasing products that make you wonder whether any upgrade could possibly justify the price — and then somehow managing to justify it anyway. The iPad Pro M5 is the latest example of this very Apple phenomenon. It arrives with a handful of meaningful upgrades over its predecessor, and while it may not reinvent the tablet category entirely, it cements the iPad Pro's position as the most capable, most refined tablet you can buy anywhere in the world today.
In this full Apple iPad Pro M5 review, we'll break down exactly what's new, what's improved, where Apple still has room to grow, and most importantly — whether this is the right tablet for you.
Design: Familiar Elegance, One Missed Opportunity
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way immediately: the iPad Pro M5 looks almost identical to its predecessors. Apple has continued with the same slim, precision-machined aluminum chassis that has defined the Pro line for several generations. The build quality is, as always, second to none. It feels rigid, premium, and reassuringly solid in a way that competitors simply haven't been able to replicate.
However, Apple continues to offer the iPad Pro in only the most understated, muted color options available — essentially silver and space black. For a device that costs this much, and especially given that rivals are experimenting with bold, expressive finishes, it's genuinely disappointing. A splash of color would go a long way toward making the iPad Pro feel like a more personal, joyful object to own. This is perhaps the most common complaint among early reviewers and buyers alike, and it's entirely fair.
That criticism noted, if you're buying an iPad Pro, you're almost certainly buying a case for it anyway — so the color limitation is more of an emotional frustration than a practical one.
Display: Still the Best Screen on Any Tablet, Full Stop
The iPad Pro M5 carries forward what is, without question, the finest display you will find on a tablet in 2026. The Ultra Retina XDR OLED panel is breathtaking. Colors are accurate and vivid, blacks are genuinely deep, and the ProMotion adaptive refresh rate technology ensures buttery-smooth scrolling and interaction whether you're reading documents, editing photos, or sketching with the Apple Pencil.
Peak brightness reaches levels that make outdoor use genuinely comfortable, while the anti-reflective coating reduces glare impressively well. Creatives who work with the display for color-critical tasks will find it more than capable of meeting professional standards. Whether you're a video editor reviewing footage, a photographer culling and editing RAW images, or a digital illustrator bringing concepts to life, this screen will not let you down.
It's worth stating plainly: no Android tablet, Windows slate, or competing device in any price bracket currently matches this display. Apple's lead here remains substantial.
Performance: M5 Chip and Upgraded Base RAM
At the heart of the iPad Pro M5 is Apple's latest M5 chip, and the performance gains it delivers are measurable and meaningful. Tasks that once caused even the iPad Pro to hesitate — rendering complex 3D scenes, processing high-resolution video exports, running multiple demanding apps simultaneously — are handled with a cool confidence that feels almost effortless.
Crucially, Apple has upgraded the base RAM configuration on the iPad Pro M5. This is not a minor footnote. For users running iPadOS with multiple apps in memory, working with large files in professional applications, or leveraging Apple Intelligence features that are increasingly RAM-hungry, this change has a tangible real-world impact. Apps stay resident in memory longer, multitasking feels more fluid, and intensive workflows become more sustainable over extended sessions.
The M5 chip also brings improvements in the Neural Engine, which powers Apple's on-device AI and machine learning features. As Apple Intelligence continues to expand and deepen its integration into iPadOS, having more powerful neural processing headroom will pay dividends well into the device's lifespan.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7 is a Game Changer
One of the headline additions to the iPad Pro M5 is Wi-Fi 7 support, and for users on compatible networks, this is a genuinely exciting upgrade. Wi-Fi 7 delivers dramatically higher throughput, lower latency, and better performance in congested environments compared to Wi-Fi 6E. For a device that increasingly serves as a desktop computer replacement, the ability to transfer large files wirelessly at near-wired speeds is not just a nice-to-have — it's transformative.
Whether you're syncing large video projects to a NAS drive, collaborating in real time on cloud platforms, or streaming high-bitrate content, Wi-Fi 7 ensures the iPad Pro M5's wireless capabilities are no longer a bottleneck.
iPadOS: Finally Growing Into the Hardware
For years, the most common criticism leveled at the iPad Pro was not about the hardware — it was about the software. iPadOS lagged behind the ambitions of the device running it. That gap is narrowing. Recent iPadOS updates have brought meaningful improvements to multitasking, window management, and professional app support. Apple Intelligence features are maturing and becoming genuinely useful rather than merely impressive in demos.
There is still progress to be made, and power users transitioning from a full macOS workflow will still encounter limitations. But the trajectory is clearly positive, and with each major iPadOS release, the software is becoming more worthy of the extraordinary hardware underneath it.
Should You Buy the Apple iPad Pro M5?
The Apple iPad Pro M5 is the best tablet ever made. The upgraded base RAM makes multitasking and AI-driven tasks noticeably smoother, Wi-Fi 7 future-proofs its wireless capabilities, the display remains in a class entirely of its own, and the M5 chip provides performance headroom that most users won't exhaust for years. iPadOS, while not yet perfect, is improving at a meaningful pace.
- If you're on an iPad Pro M1 or older, the M5 is an excellent reason to upgrade.
- If you're on an M2 or M3 iPad Pro, the RAM bump and Wi-Fi 7 may not feel essential — but the M5 is still a superior device.
- If you're new to the iPad Pro ecosystem entirely, there has never been a better time to buy in.
The only real complaint that holds genuine weight is the absence of more expressive color options. Apple, please — give us something to be excited about aesthetically. For everything else, the iPad Pro M5 earns its premium price tag and then some.
Verdict
The Apple iPad Pro M5 is a refined, powerful, and future-ready tablet that leads the market by a comfortable margin. Upgraded RAM, Wi-Fi 7 support, the finest display in the tablet category, and a maturing iPadOS platform combine to make this the most compelling iPad Pro yet. Color variety aside, Apple has delivered another benchmark-setting device.