I’ve been maintaining a tally of the iPad Professional, and the newest whispers sound attention-grabbing. Seems like a recent twist could possibly be coming quickly.

Some of us go for the iPad Professional as a result of they need a giant display screen that may step in for a laptop computer. I’ve heard the identical line time and again—Apple nails the laptop computer really feel, however battery life and the OS nonetheless journey it up. With M5 iPad Professional leaks making the rounds, I get the sense Apple desires to push productiveness additional. With out tying you to a desk. And that’s only one piece of the puzzle.

The massive shift? A second entrance digicam. Proper now, individuals who maintain their iPad Professional upright run into FaceTime points, and Face ID barely works except the pill’s sideways. Apple heard that and is tossing in a portrait digicam. So let’s take a look at what else is on the desk.

M5 iPad Professional unboxing video

The M5 iPad Professional bought a primary look weeks earlier than its official launch. A Russia-based YouTube channel, Wylsacom, shared an unboxing video displaying the machine in motion.

The video doesn’t reveal a lot that surprises anybody. The M5 iPad Professional looks as if a small step ahead in comparison with final yr. From what I can see, the primary change is the transfer from the M4 to the M5 processor.

I didn’t spot a second front-facing digicam within the video. Nonetheless, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the M5 iPad Professional has a second lens inside Apple. He factors out that Apple typically checks options earlier than deciding whether or not to incorporate them, like further storage choices or the second dock connector on the primary iPad.

Apple M5 chip

Apple’s M5 chips use TSMC’s N3P course of, which supplies “higher energy, efficiency, and density.” The M5 iPad Professional retains issues acquainted—it sticks near final yr’s M4 mannequin. That one already bought a full makeover.

By the top of 2025, Apple plans to convey the M5 to the iPad Professional, Imaginative and prescient Professional, Mac mini, and iMac.

M5 iPad Professional digicam system

Some individuals discover iPad cameras tremendous useful. Others by no means contact them. Actually, if Apple left them out and simply gave us Contact ID, some customers wouldn’t even discover. Now, for those who FaceTime rather a lot, you in all probability know the entrance digicam barely will get the job executed. To make eye contact, you’ve bought to flip the iPad sideways, which makes your face land someplace in the midst of the display screen on the opposite particular person’s cellphone. Gurman says Apple’s subsequent iPad Professional will repair that.

With the M4 iPad Professional, Apple made the pill thinner and moved the entrance digicam to the panorama edge. That helped Face ID work higher and improved the video name expertise. However it additionally annoyed individuals who use the iPad in portrait mode, since unlocking the machine and framing pictures bought trickier.

The M5 model goals to help each orientations with a second front-facing digicam on the portrait edge. So for those who’ve ever fumbled to maneuver your hand mid-unlock in portrait mode, this could be the improve you’ve been ready for.

Software program

For years, individuals have known as out the bizarre mismatch between the iPad’s muscle and what the software program permits you to do. That may change now. With the M5 iPad Professional, Apple appears extra targeted on what the system does, not simply how briskly it runs.

At WWDC25, Apple gave iPadOS a severe refresh. They pushed the iPad nearer to the Mac. Yeah, apps nonetheless launch in fullscreen, however now you’ll be able to transfer them round, resize them, and snap them subsequent to one another such as you would on a Mac.

Apple additionally dropped Exposé on the iPad. I’m all for that. I take advantage of it on a regular basis to maintain observe of what I’ve bought operating and soar between apps. Oh, and now the iPad has a menu bar, too.

With iPadOS 26, the expertise leans nearer to a desktop setup. That’ll be a magnet for individuals who desire a versatile machine however don’t all the time carry their MacBook.

I by no means noticed the logic behind conserving iPads and MacBooks to this point aside. They run on the identical chips. My primary grievance? iPadOS doesn’t really feel a lot completely different from iOS. If Apple desires the iPad to develop into one thing extra, they’ve bought to form it right into a center floor between a pill and a full pc.

Wi-Fi 7 help

The world of wi-fi know-how retains altering, and Wi-Fi 7 is the newest improve. The brand new commonplace boosts velocity, effectivity, and knowledge capability. This implies easy 4K or 8K streaming, lag-free gaming, and strong sensible residence connections.

The M4 iPad Professional sticks with Wi-Fi 6E, however Apple switched all the iPhone 16 lineup to Wi-Fi 7 final fall. So, I anticipate the M5 iPad Professional will get Wi-Fi 7, too.

M5 iPad Professional launch date

In 2024, Apple provide chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo talked about that the Cupertino firm plans to kick off mass manufacturing of the M5 iPad Professional within the second half of 2025. Wanting on the final 3 iPad Professional releases, Apple waits round 18 months between every one. For the reason that M4 mannequin got here out on Could 15, 2024, I’m pondering the M5 model hits cabinets round November 2025.

Worth

When Apple launched the M4 iPad Professional, they bumped the value by beginning the bottom mannequin at 256 GB. I’m guessing they’ll do the identical for the M5. The 13-inch Wi-Fi mannequin may kick off round $1,399 for 256 GB, and the 11-inch would possibly begin close to $1,099 at that dimension. Larger storage choices like 512 GB, 1 TB, and a pair of TB will in all probability value about $100 extra every, identical to earlier than.

Recently, Apple has leaned into longevity. Final yr, the corporate shared a report displaying how new manufacturing methods, software program updates, and restore choices assist preserve units going longer. I believe this give attention to sturdiness will make individuals really feel higher about paying a bit extra for Apple merchandise.

Ultimate ideas on M5 iPad Professional leaks

The M5 iPad Professional feels much less like a small improve and extra like Apple’s manner of fixing long-standing issues. Between the brand new digicam format, the software program tweaks, and the chip bump, it checks off options I’ve wished for years.

The M5 chip and Wi-Fi 7 add strong upgrades, too. I’m curious to see the way it all comes collectively in actual life.