It's that time of year again, and Apple has announced its latest product line featuring the most advanced chipset yet - the M5. Coming to stores officially on October 22, there are just a few days left to preorder a new iPad Pro M5 or a new 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 – and be one of the first to get hands-on with the next generation of Apple silicon.
We've been promised a big leap in AI performance (3.5x better than the M4) on the new iPad Pro M5 model, as well as faster storage and improved iPadOS 26 capabilities. According to Apple, the M5 unlocks the most advanced iPad experience ever. With the new MacBook Pro, however, highlights include a more efficient CPU, an enhanced Neural Engine, higher memory bandwidth, 3.5x more performance for AI workflows, faster SSD performance, plus a super impressive 24 hours of battery life.
iPad Pro M5 prices
How much is it? Prices for the iPad Pro M5 start at $999 / £999 for the 11-inch Pro, and $1,299 / £1,299 for the 13-inch model with entry-level specs. Both of these have 256GB storage, which can be upgraded to as much as 2TB capacity for an extra cost. This is the same price as the last generation was at launch, which is excellent value.
Our buying advice: For those on a tighter budget, it might be a good idea to wait a little while for the M5 iPad to drop in price, or opt for last year's model instead. We know from experience that Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday will present the perfect opportunity to bag yourself a bargain on older models, or a small discount on the latest-generation iPad (anything is better than nothing, right?).
Should you upgrade? A common criticism of iPad releases is that the upgrade from each generation is underwhelming and minimal. But from the looks of things, there has been a lot of tinkering going on under the hood this time around.
The M5 is offering a pretty generous leap in power and performance. The 10-core M5 GPU also introduces a slightly new architecture that boasts a Neural Accelerator in each core, plus the new Apple-designed N1 wireless networking chip enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity.
MacBook Pro M5 prices
How much is it? Prices for the MacBook Pro M4 (14-inch) start at $1,599 / £1,599 for the 512GB entry-level model, which increases to $1,799 / £1,799 for the 1TB storage configuration. You can also bump up the RAM from 16GB to 24GB for an extra $200, at the price of $1,999 / £1,999.
Our buying advice: We don't want to put you off from buying the latest MacBook Pro M5 model (especially if you can afford it), but honestly, odds are that you probably don't need this level of power. Ask yourself if you really want to spend this much simply to own the latest device, and if the answer is yes, great! If not, save yourself some serious dosh and get the last-gen flagship instead, which remains perfectly capable for what most creatives need.
Should you upgrade? The key selling point of the new MacBook Pro M5 is, without a doubt, the phenomenal battery life, clocking in at a whopping 24 hours. If you can see yourself benefiting from this feature, then go for it. Another highlight is the powerful new macOS Tahoe operating system, and a bunch of industry-leading capabilities not to mention Apple Intelligence features.
The M5 performance boost will certainly benefit video editors, with up to 7.7x faster AI video-enhancing performance in Topaz Video (compared with the M1 model), and 6.8x faster 3D rendering in software such as Blender.
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