Apple iPad Pro 13" M5 Space Black 2025

The M5 iPad Pro has a jaw-dropping display and a super thin design, but our benchmarks show middling performance for the eye-watering $2299 price. It's a niche device for display snobs and Apple die-hards, not a practical laptop replacement for most people.

The M5 chip is a monster in bursts. Apps open instantly, and the Neural Accelerators make quick work of on-device AI tasks. But our benchmarks put the CPU and GPU in the 37th and 38th percentiles respectively, which is mediocre for a "Pro" device at this price. The 16GB of RAM also sits at the 32nd percentile. It's not slow by any stretch, but the numbers don't lie. You're paying a massive premium for the Apple ecosystem and that incredible screen, not for chart-topping raw power compared to the broader tablet market.

Stacked against the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 or the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition, the iPad Pro's weaknesses get exposed. The Surface Pro runs full Windows, making it a real computer, while the iPad Pro is still fighting iPadOS limitations. The Galaxy Tab S11 often comes with an S Pen in the box and offers a more open file system. Even Apple's own iPad Air M4 gives you a very similar experience for way less cash. The iPad Pro wins on sheer display quality and build, but it loses hard on versatility and bang for your buck.

This is where things get rough. At $2299, this iPad Pro is priced like a premium laptop but scores like a mid-range tablet in our performance database. The screen is a masterpiece, but the battery, RAM, and storage scores all hover around the 30th percentile. You're paying for the Apple logo, the best-in-class display, and the promise of iPadOS 26. If raw value matters to you, this isn't it. You can get a fantastic laptop and a great tablet for the same money.

Apple's latest iPad Pro is a weird beast. The M5 chip screams, the display is genuinely stunning, and the whole thing weighs just over a pound. It's the kind of hardware that makes you want to toss your laptop in a drawer and go full tablet. But then you remember it's running iPadOS, and the dream hits a wall.

Look, the hardware here is mostly top-shelf. The 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR display is the best screen on any tablet, period. And the M5 chip paired with 16GB of RAM chews through video edits and AI tasks without breaking a sweat. But our benchmarks tell a different story about value. For a device that starts at $2299, the raw performance scores land in the bottom half of the pack compared to other tablets in our database. That's a tough pill to swallow.

Skip this if you need a real computer. The Surface Pro 11 runs full Windows and is a better laptop replacement. Also skip it if you're budget-conscious. The iPad Air M4 delivers 90% of the experience for hundreds less, and you won't feel the sting of those mediocre benchmark scores in daily use.

Buy this if you are a creative professional who lives in the Apple ecosystem and demands the absolute best screen for drawing, photo editing, or watching HDR content. The display is a legitimate reason to buy this thing. For everyone else, it's a luxury item that's held back by software and a price tag that doesn't match its benchmark performance.