Apple's M5 iPad Pro is certainly a force to contend with, replete with specifications that would put serious processing machines to shame.
However, all that power is packaged within a flawed form factor, one that tarnishes the M5 iPad Pro's true potential, relegating it to the status of an overspecced media consumption device.
Apple's M5 iPad Pro Is Brimming With Raw Power, But Lacks The Battery Capacity To Use It Properly
The M5 SoC within Apple's newest Pro-edition iPad is an absolute beast when it comes to raw power. To get an idea, just take a look at device-specific M5 specifications:
- CPU
- 6 efficiency cores clocked at 2.95 GHz
- 4 performance cores clocked at 4.60 GHz
- 16 MB L2 cache
- GPU - The M5 within the new iPad Pro sports a 10-core GPU, with a dedicated Neural Accelerator in each core, which allows for processing machine learning tasks directly at the silicon level.
- A 16-core Neural Engine.
- RAM - 16 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory clocked at 4.8 GHz, offering a memory bandwidth of up to 153 GB/s.
- Connectivity - C1 modem chip, N1 wireless networking chip
The M5 iPad Pro entails a single-core score that is around 14 percent higher than the M4 iPad Pro's, and a multi-core score on the GeekBench 6 that is around 15 percent higher than its predecessor.
This is, of course, not surprising, especially as Apple's new M5 chip is nearly as fast as its workstation-class M1 Ultra chip. Even so, my contention is simple: the form factor of a tablet neither needs nor deserves a near-workstation-class SoC.
Of course, M5 iPad Pro fans would be quick to point out that you can use the device to do serious video editing, all from the comfort of your couch.
I ask such fans, what serious video editing can you achieve in mere 3 to 4 hours? For that is how long the M5 iPad Pro's battery typically lasts before you'd have to plug it in, especially after compute-intensive tasks such as video editing.
And, if you do then resort to plugging in your new iPad Pro to continue working, doesn't that negate the convenience factor, not to mention the battery-related anxiety that you'd typically feel as it depletes?
Wouldn't you be better off working on a MacBook Pro from the get-go? To me, Apple's approach is akin to equipping a bicycle with jet engines just to charge a sky-high price.
The new iPad Pro can't truly leverage the enormous capabilities of the M5 SoC. So, what is it doing in there?
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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