Apple iPad Pro 13" M5 2025, 12GB, 512GB, Cellular, Space Black

The iPad Pro M5 has the best display we've ever tested on a tablet, and the M5 chip makes it absurdly fast. Battery life is top-tier, and the Apple Pencil Pro support is excellent for creatives. Prices vary wildly from $883 to $1,900, so shop around. If you want the best tablet on the market and can find a good deal, this is it.

The M5 9-core CPU and 10-core GPU put this thing in the top tier of our database, and the real-world impact is that nothing you throw at it feels heavy. Video exports, 3D modeling, massive Procreate canvases, all of it just goes. The 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM is a bit of a head-scratcher at this price point, sitting in the 84th percentile, but iPadOS is efficient enough that you won't feel it unless you're running multiple pro apps with huge files open. The 512GB SSD is fast, and the Thunderbolt port means external storage is actually viable for big projects.

The display deserves its own paragraph. 2752x2064 resolution at 264 ppi on a 13-inch OLED panel with 120Hz ProMotion is the kind of spec sheet that makes other tablet makers quietly close their laptops. The 1600 nits peak brightness means outdoor use is actually pleasant, which is rare for any device, let alone a tablet. For artists and photo editors, the P3 wide color and True Tone mean what you see is what you get. This is the best screen we've ever tested on a tablet, full stop.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is the most direct competitor, and it's a genuinely great tablet. The 14.6-inch screen is bigger, and Samsung's OLED tech is no slouch. But the M5 chip in the iPad Pro runs circles around it in raw performance, and the Apple Pencil Pro ecosystem is still ahead for artists. If you're deep in the Android world or want a bigger canvas, the Tab S11 Ultra makes sense. If you want the fastest tablet on the planet, the iPad Pro is the answer.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is the other interesting comparison, because it runs full Windows. That's a real advantage if you need desktop apps like full Photoshop or Visual Studio. But the Surface's battery life and display don't match the iPad Pro, and the tablet experience is clunkier. The Xiaomi Pad 7 and Lenovo Idea Tab Plus are both solid budget options, but they're not in the same league. The Vekfulpc T60 Pro is, well, a thing that exists. If you're cross-shopping that with an iPad Pro, I don't know what to tell you.

Here's where things get interesting. The price spread across US vendors is massive, from $883 to $1,900 for what appears to be similar configurations. That's a $1,017 gap, which means shopping around isn't just smart, it's basically mandatory. Best Buy shows up as the low-price leader in our data, and if you can snag this near the bottom of that range, the value proposition flips from "premium splurge" to "genuinely good deal." In Canada, the spread is tighter, CAD 1,901 to CAD 2,102, but still worth checking before you commit.

At the high end of that range, you're paying a serious premium for the Apple logo and the ecosystem. At the low end, you're getting a device that outperforms most laptops in our database for less than a mid-range ultrabook. The 512GB config is the sweet spot for most people, and the fact that it's available at the lower end of that price range makes it the one to hunt for.

The iPad Pro M5 is Apple doing what Apple does best: throwing an absurd amount of engineering at a tablet and daring you to find a reason not to buy it. The M5 chip is the headline act, but the 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED display is the thing you'll notice every single time you pick it up. At 1600 nits peak brightness and 120Hz, this screen sits at the very top of our database, and honestly, it's not close. If you've been nursing an older iPad Pro or even a recent iPad Air, the jump here is immediate and visceral.

Who's this for? Creative pros who want a portable drawing or photo editing rig, students who need a do-everything device, and anyone who travels a lot and wants a media machine that doubles as a work tool. The 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage in this config are plenty for most people, though Apple will happily sell you up to 2TB if you're editing 8K video on a plane. The Apple Pencil Pro support and Magic Keyboard connector mean this can genuinely replace a laptop for a certain kind of user.

The interesting bit is the AI angle. Apple Intelligence is baked in, and the 16-core Neural Engine is clearly designed to handle on-device AI tasks without breaking a sweat. Whether that matters to you today depends on how deep you are in Apple's ecosystem, but the hardware is clearly built with the next few years of software in mind. This isn't a tablet that's going to feel slow in 18 months.

If you're just looking for a tablet to watch Netflix and browse the web, this is way more machine than you need. An iPad Air or even a base iPad will do the job for a lot less money. The same goes for anyone who's happy with their current iPad Pro from the last couple of generations. The M5 is fast, but if you're on an M2 or M4 iPad Pro, the upgrade isn't as dramatic as the spec sheet suggests.

Also skip this if you need a true laptop replacement for desktop-class software. The Surface Pro 11 runs full Windows, which matters if you're tied to specific apps that don't have iPad versions. And if you're an Android user who's deep in that ecosystem, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is a better fit. The iPad Pro is a fantastic device, but it's not for everyone, and that's okay.

For artists, designers, and anyone who wants the best tablet screen ever made, the iPad Pro M5 is an easy recommendation. The display alone justifies the purchase, and the M5 chip means it'll stay fast for years. Pair it with an Apple Pencil Pro and you've got a portable creative studio that fits in a backpack. The 512GB config is the sweet spot, and if you can find it near the $883 end of the price range, it's a no-brainer.

For everyone else, it's a bit more nuanced. If you just want a tablet for Netflix and web browsing, this is overkill, and you'd be better served by an iPad Air or even a base iPad. If you need a laptop replacement for serious work, the Surface Pro 11's full Windows might serve you better. But if you want the best tablet experience available right now, and you're willing to shop around for a good price, the iPad Pro M5 is the one to beat.