iPad Pro M5: OLED Display, AI Chip, Price Guide

It's also expensive, and it got more expensive in 2026. After a memory-driven price rise on 25 June 2026, the iPad Pro's starting price in the US moved from $999 for the 11-inch model to $1,199, and from $1,299 for the 13-inch model to a higher starting point in the same comparison, according to buyer-guide coverage of Apple's store. That changes the value equation, especially when the iPad Air with M4 starts at $749 in the same coverage, and the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at $1,099 with a keyboard included.

So the question isn't whether the iPad Pro M5 is good. It is. The question is who actually needs it, and who would be better off with the Air, or with a MacBook Air instead. This guide breaks down the chip, the screen, the software, the connectivity, and the price, so you can decide without getting lost in spec-sheet marketing.

The M5 chip: AI first, speed second

Apple launched the M5 iPad Pro in October 2025, alongside the M5 MacBook Pro and Vision Pro. The chip is built on a 3-nanometre process, and Apple positioned it as its next big leap in AI performance.

The details, from Apple's launch coverage and specifications, are:

• 9-core CPU on most models, rising to 10 cores on 1TB and 2TB models, with up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores.
• 10-core GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core.
• 16-core Neural Engine.
• 12GB of unified memory on most models, rising to 16GB on 1TB and 2TB models.
• Up to 4 times the peak GPU compute performance for AI compared with the previous generation, according to ZDNet's launch report.
• 3.5 times the AI performance of the iPad Pro with M4, and up to 5.6 times faster than the iPad Pro with M1, according to Apple's own claims reported at launch.

Those multipliers sound enormous, and they are — for specific AI workloads. In everyday use, the difference between M4 and M5 is much smaller. Browsing, note-taking, video streaming, and even most photo editing were already fast on M4. Where M5 shows its advantage is in sustained AI tasks: on-device image generation, real-time video processing, complex document analysis, and the kind of agent-style workflows that Apple Intelligence and third-party apps are starting to offer.

The iPad Pro M5 starts at 256GB and goes up to 2TB, with faster SSDs that matter most for large video and photo libraries.

The display: still the reason to buy a Pro

If the chip is incremental for most people, the display is not. It's the single biggest reason to choose the Pro over the Air.

The iPad Pro M5 uses an Ultra Retina XDR display with tandem OLED technology. In practice, that means:

• 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness, rising to 1,600 nits peak for HDR content.
• ProMotion adaptive refresh from 10Hz to 120Hz, so scrolling is smooth and battery is saved when nothing is moving.
• Wide colour (P3), True Tone, and a fully laminated, anti-reflective coating.
• A nano-texture glass option on 1TB and 2TB models, which reduces glare for bright environments.

Compare that with the iPad Air's Liquid Retina LCD: 500 or 600 nits, 60Hz, no tandem OLED, no ProMotion. For reading, browsing, and general use, the Air's screen is perfectly good. For photo editing, video grading, illustration, or watching HDR content, the Pro's screen is in a different class. Colours are deeper, blacks are truly black, and highlights in HDR video have a punch that LCD simply can't match.

The Pro also comes in two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch. The 13-inch model is just 5.1mm thin, which is remarkable for a device this powerful, but it also means the tablet itself is large — closer to a laptop screen than a paperback. If you plan to hold it one-handed for long reading sessions, the 11-inch is the more comfortable choice. If you draw, edit video, or use it as a portable studio, the 13-inch canvas is worth the extra size and cost.

Both models support Apple Pencil Pro, which matters if you draw or take handwritten notes. The Pencil Pro's squeeze gesture, barrel roll, and hover preview are genuinely useful for illustrators, and they work on the Air too — so the Pencil alone isn't a reason to buy the Pro. The display is.

iPadOS 26: the biggest change, and the biggest caveat

Notebookcheck called iPadOS 26 the biggest update to have ever graced the product, and for good reason. It brings a redesigned windowing system, better multitasking, improved file management, and deeper Apple Intelligence integration. For the first time, using an iPad as a productivity device feels less like a compromise and more like a choice.

But — and this is important — iPadOS 26 runs on the Air and on older iPads too. You don't need a Pro to get it. And even with iPadOS 26, software support for certain Pro-level workflows remains hit or miss, according to the same coverage. Some professional apps still lack features their Mac versions have, some workflows still require workarounds, and the App Store still doesn't offer the full range of desktop-class software that a MacBook Air does.

That means the iPad Pro M5 is best thought of as a superb tablet with laptop-like ambitions, not as a laptop replacement for everyone. If your work lives in a browser, in Apple apps, or in a handful of well-supported creative apps, it can absolutely be your main device. If your work depends on specific Mac or Windows software, a MacBook Air at a similar price is still the safer choice.

Connectivity, cameras, and the small upgrades that add up

Beyond the chip and display, the M5 iPad Pro brings a handful of upgrades that, taken together, make it a more complete device:

• C1X cellular modem on cellular models, Apple's own modem, for faster and more efficient mobile data.
• N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread, bringing Wi-Fi 7 support.
• Faster charging, rated to reach 50% in about 30 minutes.
• Thunderbolt / USB 4 connectivity, at up to 40Gbps, compared with USB-C at up to 10Gbps on the Air.
• 12MP Wide rear camera with flash and LiDAR Scanner, for augmented reality and 3D scanning.
• 12MP landscape front camera with Center Stage, so you stay in frame on video calls.
• Four-speaker audio system, compared with two speakers on the Air, and four microphones.
• Face ID, compared with Touch ID in the top button on the Air.
• Up to 10 hours of battery life, the same headline figure as the Air, despite the more powerful chip and brighter display.

None of those alone justifies the Pro price. Together, they make the Pro feel like a more premium, more capable device — especially if you use it for video calls, AR work, or as a portable studio where Thunderbolt speeds and LiDAR actually matter.

Price in 2026: what it actually costs to own one

This is where the iPad Pro M5 gets tricky. The tablet itself is only part of the cost.

At launch, the 11-inch iPad Pro M5 started at $999 and the 13-inch at $1,299. After the 25 June 2026 price rise, buyer-guide coverage put the 11-inch Pro at $1,199, with the Air at $749 in the same comparison — a $450 gap for the same storage tier, before accessories.

And accessories are not optional for most Pro buyers. The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, which turns the tablet into a laptop-like device, is a significant extra cost. Add Apple Pencil Pro, and a case, and the total quickly approaches or exceeds the price of a MacBook Air with a keyboard, trackpad, and full macOS included.

That doesn't make the iPad Pro a bad buy. It makes it a specific buy. If you want a tablet first — for drawing, for reading, for portable creative work, for a device you can hold in your hands — the Pro is superb, and the keyboard is an occasional accessory, not a permanent fixture. If you want a laptop first, and you're buying a keyboard to use it that way most of the time, a MacBook Air is usually better value, with more software, more ports, and a built-in keyboard that you don't have to pay extra for.

A few buying tips that apply in 2026:

• Check current store prices, not launch prices. The June 2026 rise changed the math, and retailer discounts — Notebookcheck noted a first $50 discount on the 13-inch model on Amazon within two weeks of launch — can change it again.
• Don't overbuy storage unless you need it. 256GB is enough for most people, especially with cloud storage. 1TB and 2TB also unlock the 10-core CPU, 16GB of memory, and nano-texture glass option, so they make sense for professionals, not for casual users.
• If you draw, buy Pencil Pro. If you don't, don't. It's an expensive accessory that only makes sense for a specific use.
• Consider the Air seriously. For most buyers, the Air with M4, at $749 in the comparison above, offers the same Pencil Pro support, the same front camera, the same base memory, and iPadOS 26, for much less money. The Pro earns its price for people who draw for hours, grade video, or want an iPad to stand in for a laptop — and the reason is mostly its screen.

Who should buy it, and who shouldn't

Buy the iPad Pro M5 if:

• You are a professional illustrator, photographer, or video editor who needs the tandem OLED display, ProMotion, and Thunderbolt speeds.
• You use an iPad as a portable studio, and you need the fastest on-device AI performance Apple offers in a tablet.
• You want the best tablet display available, and you're willing to pay for it.

Consider the iPad Air M4 instead if:

• You mainly browse, stream, take notes, and do light creative work.
• You want Pencil Pro support and iPadOS 26 without the Pro price.
• You don't need ProMotion, tandem OLED, LiDAR, or Thunderbolt.

Consider a MacBook Air M5 instead if:

• You need a laptop first, with a built-in keyboard, trackpad, and full macOS software.
• Your work depends on desktop apps that don't have full iPad versions.
• You want the best value at around the $1,099 starting point, with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage in the base MacBook Air configuration reported in 2026 coverage.

The verdict

The iPad Pro M5 is not a revolution. It's a refinement of an already excellent tablet, with a faster AI chip, a still-superb display, better connectivity, and a software platform in iPadOS 26 that finally starts to match its hardware ambitions.

For the right buyer — a creative professional who lives on a tablet — it's the best iPad ever made, and the price, while high, is justified by the display and the performance. For everyone else, it's a luxury. The Air does most of what most people need, for hundreds of dollars less, and the MacBook Air does laptop work better, for similar money.

Apple hasn't made the iPad Pro M5 for everyone. It's made it for people who will actually use what makes it a Pro. If that's you, you'll love it. If it isn't, you'll love the money you save by not buying it just as much.