The next iPad Pro models are rumored to feature two key upgrades, including Apple’s M5 chip, and an increased minimum of 12GB of RAM.
Last week, apparent unboxing videos for the next-generation 13-inch iPad Pro were uploaded to YouTube by Russian channels Wylsacom and Romancev768.
The same YouTube channels leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so these latest leaks are likely legitimate.
The unboxing videos showed the M5 chip, and an increased minimum of 12GB of RAM.
According to Geekbench 6 benchmark results shown in one of the videos, the M5 chip offers up to 12% faster multi-core CPU performance and up to 36% faster graphics performance compared to the M4 chip in the current iPad Pro models from May 2024.
The benchmark result also showed the iPad Pro with 256GB of storage will have 12GB of RAM, just like the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. iPad Pro models with the M4 chip have only 8GB of RAM when equipped with 256GB or 512GB of storage, but models with 1TB or 2TB of storage are equipped with 16GB of RAM.
Last year, the iPad Pro was updated with an OLED display and a thinner design. No major design changes are expected this year, but the unboxing videos did reveal that “iPad Pro” will no longer be inscribed on the back of the next models.
Beyond the M5 chip and a minimum of 12GB of RAM, a third rumor is in jeopardy.
It was previously rumored that the next iPad Pro models would have two front cameras, allowing you to easily take photos and go on video calls in both portrait and landscape orientations. However, there is no evidence of a second front camera in the unboxing videos, with only an ambient light sensor visible in the top bezel in one of the videos.
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman commented on the rumor:
I can say with certainty that M5 iPad Pros within Apple have the second lens. There’s a history of Apple testing features at an advanced stage before pulling them (such as certain storage capacities or features like a second dock connector on the original iPad), but this would be a strange, last-minute cut.
We shall see. Apple will likely unveil the next iPad Pro models this month, so an official announcement is likely just a few weeks away.
