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iPad Pro Q&A
Published November 2, 2025
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What are all the differences between the current iPad Pro M5 11" and iPad Pro M5 13" (2025)? How do they compare to the iPad Pro M4 (2024) models replaced? Which is for me?
In 2025, Apple replaced the iPad Pro M4 models with the iPad Pro M5 line. The models within the iPad Pro M5 series are the same except for physical size, connectivity, and price.
Compared to the iPad Pro M4 series, the iPad Pro M5 models also are the same externally as their predecessors. However, the iPad Pro M5 has a faster processor/graphics processor, faster storage, better external display support, faster charging, and faster wireless networking. Entry-level configurations with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage have more RAM, as well.
It is worthwhile to evaluate these differences between lines and models within each, as well as review the significant similarities.
Specifically, there also are three different iPad Pro M5 models of each display size, too.
EveryMac.com formally documents the 11" models as the iPad Pro M5 11" (Wi-Fi Only), M5 11" (Wi-Fi+Cell), and M5 11" (Wi-Fi+Cell China) and the 13" models as the iPad Pro M5 13" (Wi-Fi Only), M5 13" (Wi-Fi+Cell), and M5 13" (Wi-Fi+Cell China).
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPad Pro M5 Models -- 11" and 13")
External Differences
Naturally, the 11" iPad Pro models are physically smaller and weigh less than the larger 13" models from both lines, but all share the same identical design -- a glass front with a narrow bezel around the edge, an aluminum back, and flat sides with rounded corners. Case color options include a black front with either a silver colored or "Space Black" back.
All of these models have impressive displays of the same quality -- an "Ultra Retina XDR" display (264 ppi) with "Tandem OLED" backlighting that uses two OLED panels and combines the light from both for increased brightness; "ProMotion" technology, which provides adaptive refresh rates from 10 Hz to 120 Hz; supports Wide-color (P3); and True Tone technology, which evaluates the color temperature and ambient brightness of your surroundings and dynamically adjusts the display's white balance to match.
The Ultra Retina XDR display in all of these models provides an SDR brightness of 1000 nits max, XDR brightness of 1000 nits max full screen and 1600 nits peak brightness for HDR content); and have a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
As you would expect, the 11" iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 displays are physically smaller (2420x1668), whereas the 13" iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 displays are larger (2752x2064). Regardless of series or display size, if configured with 1 TB or 2 TB of storage, the display also can be upgraded at the time of purchase with "Nano-texture glass" for reduced glare for an additional US$100 premium over the standard configurations.
All iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 are compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro (A2538, MX2D3AM/A) and size specific Apple Magic Keyboard 11" and Apple Magic Keyboard 13" options.
All of the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 models have the same front and rear cameras, too. The front camera is a landscape oriented, 12 megapixel "TrueDepth" camera that shoots 1080p video, supports the "Center Stage" feature that automatically pans and zooms to keep subjects in frame, and "Face ID" authentication. The rear camera is a single 12 megapixel "Wide" camera that shoots 4K. All of these iPad Pro models have four microphones and a four speaker system, as well.
Internal Differences
Internal differences between the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 lines are substantial.
The iPad Pro M4 models are powered by a 4.4 GHz Apple M4 processor, a 10-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, and 120 GB/s of memory bandwidth. If configured with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage, the iPad Pro M4 models are equipped with 9 CPU cores (3 performance; 6 efficiency) and 8 GB of onboard RAM. If these models are configured with 1 TB or 2 TB of storage, they also are equipped with 10 CPU cores (4 performance; 6 efficiency) and 16 GB of onboard RAM.
The iPad Pro M5 models, on the other hand, are powered by a 4.4 GHz Apple M5 processor, a 10-core GPU with a "Neural Accelerator" in each core, a 16-core Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and 153 GB/s of memory bandwidth. If configured with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage, the iPad Pro M5 models are equipped with 9 CPU cores (3 performance; 6 efficiency) and 12 GB of onboard RAM. If configured with 1 TB or 2 TB of storage, they also are equipped with a 10 CPU cores (4 performance; 6 efficiency) and 16 GB of onboard RAM.
In independent tests, the Geekbench 6 benchmark shows that the iPad Pro M5 is around 11% faster than the iPad Pro M4 in single-core tasks and around 30% to 35% faster in multicore tasks; an impressive year-over-year increase in performance.
Connectivity Differences
The iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 lines share LiDAR, a Thunderbolt / USB 4 port for power and advanced connectivity, and cellular capable models support 5G, but the iPad Pro M5 models support one fewer 5G bands (they do not support band n76).
Other connectivity is different. The iPad Pro M4 supports 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E) and Bluetooth 5.3 whereas the iPad Pro M5 supports more advanced 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) and Bluetooth 6. Both lines support one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz, but the iPad Pro M5 adds support for one external display up to 4K resolution at 120 Hz.
The iPad Pro M5 also adds support for fast charging (up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with the additional purchase of a USB-C power adapter that provides 60W or higher).
iPadOS Support Similarities
The iPad Pro M4 models all initially shipped with iPadOS 17.5 (21F84). They are compatible with iPadOS 18 as well as iPadOS 26.
The iPad Pro M5 models initially shipped with iPadOS 26.0 (23A8330).
Both lines are fully compatible with iPadOS 26 -- the current version of the iPadOS -- including the Apple Intelligence (AI) feature.
Identification Differences
It essentially is impossible to use visual identification for different iPad Pro models and definitely impossible to visually differentiate between models within the same line that have different cellular capabilities.
Historically, one of the best ways to identify iPad Pro models is via Model Number, because they have been externally displayed toward the bottom on the back of each device. This works well for the iPad Pro M4 line, but the iPad Pro M5 line no longer has this information on the device back itself, only on packaging:
iPad Pro |
Model No |
The iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 models also can be differentiated by other identifiers, though, such as the Order Number, which is more precise, but more complicated to access.
The Order Number is on packaging and also can be located by selecting the Settings app and pressing General > About and scrolling down to what is specified as "Model" within the iPadOS. For example, the Wi-Fi configuration of the iPad Pro M5 11" in Space Black with 512 GB of storage is MDWM4LL/A.
To track down an exact iPad Pro by a variety of different identifiers, please refer to the Ultimate iLookup feature.
Connectivity & Battery Life Differences
While using Wi-Fi, the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 models provide up to of ten hours of runtime, whereas the cellular configurations only provide up to nine hours of runtime when using a cellular connection.
None of the iPad Pro M4 or iPad Pro M5 models support 5G mmWave, but the iPad Pro M4 added new support for bands n75 and n76 and the iPad Pro M5 dropped support for band n76. All of these models support the same 5G bands regardless of where they are sold:
iPad Pro |
Model No |
5G |
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79 |
||
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79 |
||
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79 |
||
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79 |
||
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79 |
||
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79 |
||
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79 |
||
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79 |
All cellular iPad Pro models ship, or shipped, unlocked. In the United States, the applicable tablets work with all carriers, but some carriers may still require activation or configuration before it will work properly -- or at all -- on their network.
All of the cellular-capable iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 models have eSIM capability and do not support a physical SIM card, even models sold in mainland China.
iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 Comparison Chart
The above differences between the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M5 lines are summarized below:
| iPad Pro M4 |
iPad Pro M5 |
|
| Processor Type: | M4 | M5 |
| Processor Cores: | 9, 10 | 9, 10 |
| Memory Bandwidth: | 120 GB/s | 153 GB/s |
| RAM: | 8 GB; 16 GB | 12 GB; 16 GB |
| Wi-Fi: | 802.11ax (6E) | 802.11be (7) |
| Bluetooth: | 5.3 | 6 |
| 5G LTE: | 26 Bands | 25 Bands |
| External Display: | 6K 60 Hz | 6K 60 Hz 4K 120 Hz |
| Adaptive Sync: | No | Yes |
| Fast Charge: | No | Yes |
| Original iPadOS: | 17.5 | 26.0 |
| Maximum iPadOS: | Current | Current |
iPad Pro M5 Comparison Chart
Likewise, the above differences between the 11" iPad Pro M5 and the 13" iPad Pro M5 -- as well as US pricing details -- are summarized below:
 11" iPad Pro M5 |
 13" iPad Pro M5 |
|
| Display Size: | 11" | 13" |
| Display Type: | Ultra Retina XDR | Ultra Retina XDR |
| Backlight: | Tandem OLED | Tandem OLED |
| Resolution: | 2420x1668 | 2752x2064 |
| Processor Cores: | 9, 10 | 9, 10 |
| RAM: | 12 GB; 16 GB | 12 GB; 16 GB |
| Storage Capacity: | 256, 512 GB; 1, 2 TB |
256, 512 GB; 1, 2 TB |
| Front Camera: | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Center Stage: | Yes | Yes |
| Rear Camera: | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Video Recording: | 4K | 4K |
| ProRes: | Yes | Yes |
| Thunderbolt / USB 4: | Yes | Yes |
| Face ID: | Yes | Yes |
| LiDAR: | Yes | Yes |
| 5G LTE: | Yes | Yes |
| mmWave: | No | No |
| Wi-Fi: | 802.11be (7) | 802.11be (7) |
| Bluetooth: | 6 | 6 |
| External Display: | 6K 60 Hz 4K 120 Hz |
6K 60 Hz 4K 120 Hz |
| Adaptive Sync: | Yes | Yes |
| Fast Charge: | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM: | Embedded | Embedded |
| SIM Card: | None | None |
| Original iPadOS: | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Maximum iPadOS: | Current | Current |
| Color Options: | Silver Black |
Silver Black |
| Battery: | 31.29 W Hr | 38.99 W Hr |
| Height: | 9.83 in. | 11.09 |
| Width: | 6.99 in. | 8.48 in. |
| Depth/Thinness: | 0.21 in. | 0.20 in. |
| Weight: | 0.98 lbs. | 1.28 lb. |
| Magic Keyboard: | Small | Large |
| Apple Pencil Pro: | Yes | Yes |
| Original Price (Wi-Fi): | US$999, US$1199, US$1599, US$1999 | US$1299, US$1499, US$1899, US$2299 |
| Original Price (5G): | US$1199, US$1399, US$1799, US$2199 | US$1499, US$1699, US$2099, US$2499 |
For pricing in dozens of countries, see the "Global Prices" on the specs page for each iPad as well as the "By Global Original Prices" section of EveryiPad.com.
So, which iPad Pro M5 is best for my needs? Is the iPad Pro M4 still worth considering?
Just comparing the iPad Pro M5 options, the 11" iPad Pro M5 models cost US$300 less when otherwise identically equipped and are more convenient to transport. Because they are otherwise the same in quality across the board, we tend to prefer the 11" models for portability sake (as well as price), but this is very much a personal decision. If you have the funds available, you really can't go wrong with either size.
Compared to the iPad Pro M4 series, the iPad Pro M5 models have (1) as much as 35% faster performance, (2) faster connectivity, (3) better external display support, and (4) faster charging. The entry-level configurations with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage (5) pack more RAM, too.
The jump in performance between the iPad Pro M5 and iPad Pro M4 alone is significant for someone who can put the extra speed to good use and the other enhancements are nice to have, as well. However, the iPad Pro M4 models certainly are quite capable and definitely remain well worth considering, especially given discount prices on the used market.
In the US, site sponsor Other World Computing sells used and refurb iPad Pro models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well. Finally, if you need to sell an iPad, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPad with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs has a large number of used and refurbished iPad models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK.
Please also see EveryiPad.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPad to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad (new or old alike).
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