Apple’s iPad Pro Is Tremendously Powerful, but Still a Bit Niche

Do you want an iPad Pro? Or do you want a MacBook? That’s a line that has been increasingly blurring these past few years, and while the two machines still aren’t on par—the M5 MacBook Pro’s extra fans and higher clock speeds can deliver more oomph—the latest iteration of Apple’s flagship tablet feels more capable than ever, thanks to drastic changes in iPadOS 26.

The changes are not massive when compared to an M4-powered iPad Pro. Heck, most of this tablet is largely the same as its predecessor. It still feels niche—the 13-inch model I’m typing on starts at $1,299, and that’s without Apple’s Magic Keyboard case, while the 11-inch is $999. Few will really need and appreciate the power gains of the M5 in the iPad Pro; most will be perfectly happy with the iPad Air. Still, if money is no object and you want the best slate that excels in every category, from entertainment to work, there’s not much competition at this level.

Windowing Apps

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

iPads have had so much power, but the operating system felt hampered, so much so that it was hard to see it as a viable laptop replacement (I’m sure many folks have been able to replace their clamshells just fine). But iPadOS 26 brought a solution that makes these machines much more capable: windowed apps. This isn’t a feature exclusive to the M5 iPad Pro, but it works the best on a big screen, and your only options there are the iPad Pro or iPad Air. I want to take a second to appreciate it.

You can fling apps to the sides for easy split-screen, resize apps to whatever shape or size, or just go completely full screen if you want. It feels more malleable to how you want to work, much like a desktop. I thought I’d miss Slide Over, where I can keep one app hovering over and to the side, but I didn’t. (Good news, Apple is reintroducing Slide Over in iPadOS 26.1, so you can have the best of both.)

I have been working off this machine over the past few days, and I feel as though I’ve been able to work faster than I ever have before on an iPad. That’s not specifically because of this tablet’s performance, more so because it feels fluid to operate, thanks to the interface changes. That’s not to say there aren’t any oddities. In WIRED’s content management system in Safari, I still run into weird display issues, and every time I hop to another app and back, the cursor likes to move all the way to the top of the story, which is annoying.

However, the advanced Files app is nicer to use, being able to mark up PDFs in the Preview app is a godsend, and having the traffic lights on every app to quickly minimize them makes for a more natural experience. (I still have to get used to the Menu Bar being on the iPad, though.)

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

I worked predominantly on cellular with no issues. This is the first iPad to feature Apple’s C1X modem, the same as what’s on the iPhone Air, and my speed tests in midtown Manhattan were stellar. I wouldn’t pay for a cellular plan myself, especially after dropping a wad of cash for this iPad Pro, but it is really nice being able to turn on the tablet in a coffee shop and not fuss with Wi-Fi because it’s always connected. (Apple also has added its N1 networking chip here, for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support.)

Battery life is strong as usual. I went through a full day of work on Friday and was left with around 39 percent by 4 pm, which gave me plenty of time to wind down and catch up on some shows before I had to think about plugging in.

The tandem OLED display is wonderfully bright, colorful, and sharp, with excellent blacks, and the speakers on this iPad are rich and loud. The webcam is sharp, and the thin and light design really feels great when you pop the slate off the Magic Keyboard and lounge in bed (though the 13-inch size can still be a bit unwieldy).

Pro Work

You’re not going to notice a dramatic boost from the M4 iPad Pro, especially in general tasks. (No one should really be upgrading from last year’s iPad Pro, anyway.) Still, I saw a nice lift in performance when comparing benchmark scores in Geekbench CPU, GPU, and Geekbench AI. I hopped into the Draw Things AI image generation app, and the M5 iPad Pro was able to generate images faster than the M4—sometimes in 7 seconds whereas the M4 iPad Pro took 13 seconds—but the 2024 iPad Pro is still no slouch.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

I opened DaVinci Resolve and started editing some 4K footage and everything felt buttery smooth, but more important is the fact that thanks to iPadOS 26, you’re able to complete rendering tasks in the background without needing to stay on the app. I hit the export and render button, swapped to another app, and … well, turns out DaVinci Resolve doesn’t support this new feature just yet, so I had to keep the app open for the render to complete. You shouldn’t have an issue on Final Cut Pro, though.

The most professional task I typically use with my iPad is editing RAW images in Adobe Lightroom, and, unsurprisingly, the M5 performed its duties with ease, even with my liberal use of Adobe’s AI-erase tool. However, I also didn’t really have much issue with this on the “weaker” iPad Air. What I find annoying is the fact that this powerful machine still only comes with one USB-C port. I can’t plug it into my camera and edit photos and charge the tablet at the same time; you need a USB hub.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

The iPad Pro is for a very specific type of person, and you probably know who you are. If you’re mostly editing photos and typing up documents like me, the iPad Air is more than sufficient. But if you’re regularly in apps like Final Cut Pro or generating all sorts of weird AI images, you may like the extra power the M5 iPad Pro provides—though you can certainly get by with the older M4 model and maybe save some cash.

But unlike the iPad Air, which is just affordable enough to exist as a nice complement to a MacBook for days you don’t want the bulk of a laptop, the Pro feels more like a choice you have to make between clamshell and slate because of its high price. At present, I’d probably pick up the new M5 MacBook Pro instead, but with more desktop apps coming to iPad, I don’t think you’ll have to wait too long until the iPad Pro finally becomes the touchscreen Mac of your dreams.