Apple won’t follow the trend of introducing a brand new chip with its best new iPad models, as it did with the M4 iPad Pro. According to the latest reports, the M5 iPad Pro won’t arrive before late 2025 or even early 2026.
Top insider Ming-Chi Kuo wrote a blog post on Medium saying the M5 iPad Pro is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2025. “The iPad Pro equipped with the M5 processor is expected to enter mass production in 2H25,” he wrote. “The company’s business momentum in 2H25 is anticipated to benefit significantly from Apple’s new product launches.”
While this might not mean much, Kuo is likely talking about the significant refreshes expected by this time of the year, such as the iPhone, Apple Watch, and possibly a new version of the Apple Vision Pro. That said, users shouldn’t be that worried about their M4 iPad Pro becoming an obsolete product in the near future.
If rumors are accurate, the iPad Pro with the M4 processor could be almost two years old before Apple introduces a new variant. Even when that happens, we don’t expect significant changes. Based on what we’ve heard so far, it seems that the iPad Pro will only get a specs bump with the M5 processor, and the next-generation chip won’t even be such a big deal.
Tech. Entertainment. Science. Your inbox.
Sign up for the most interesting tech & entertainment news out there.
By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use and have reviewed the Privacy Notice.
Image source: Apple Inc.
While the M4 greatly improves over the M3, Apple has apparently canceled the M5 with the newer 2nm process developed by TSMC due to cost concerns. According to The Elec, the M5 chip will adopt a new System On Integrated Chip technology, which enhances thermal management and reduces electrical leakage.
With that, we could see enhancements in performance and efficiency and a broader focus on Neural Engine tasks for AI and Apple Intelligence. While knowing that Apple has moved on to producing its newer processors, we still have several months with M4 products, including some new ones that need to be unveiled.
When will Apple start introducing new M5 products?
If the company follows the schedule analysts predict, the M5 family won’t be available before the end of next year. Here’s what we expect:
- Late 2025: Apple should unveil at least new M5 MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max options; the company could also update the Mac mini and iMac, although it’s unclear at this moment;
- Late 2025/Early 2026: Apple introduces the M5 iPad Pro;
- Early 2026/Mid 2026: Cupertino unveils new MacBook Air models with the M5 processor;
- Mid 2026/Late 2026: Apple expands the M5 chips for the Mac Studio and potentially to Mac Pro, depending on the upgrades expected for this processor.
It’s important to note that bigger changes are expected to start appearing by 2026 or 2027, when Apple will unveil a new OLED display technology for the MacBook Pro, followed by an improved display on the iPad Pro. In the next couple of years, we could also see Apple unveiling its first foldable products as well.
