Apple iPad Pro 13" M5 Space Black 2025

Apple's iPad Pro M5 packs the absolute best tablet screen we've ever tested (1600 nits OLED, 100th percentile) and the M5 chip lands in the top 5% for CPU and GPU speed. Battery life is excellent, and the 579g weight makes it a joy to carry. Just know that iPadOS and the lack of included accessories hold back an otherwise perfect machine.

The 13-inch iPad Pro M5 is a showcase for what a tablet can do when cost is an afterthought. That OLED screen? It's the best we've ever measured, blasting 1600 nits of peak brightness and covering P3 wide color with perfect contrast. Weighing just 579g, it's thinner and lighter than almost any 13-inch device out there, yet the M5 chip inside delivers performance that benchmarks in our database put at the very top for CPU and GPU. Battery life also impresses, with the 39Wh cell staying alive through a full workday of video and multitasking.

But it's not all sunshine. Our data shows that 12GB of RAM, while fine, lands in the lower-end of premium tablets (81st percentile), and iPadOS still frustrates when you try to replace a laptop with it. The business score of 86.4/100 is the weakest link, and you'll feel that if you need desktop-class file management or external monitor support beyond screen mirroring. Still, as a tablet for reading, art, and entertainment, it's nearly untouchable.

Apple's M5 is a monster. In our CPU benchmarks, this iPad sits in the 96th percentile among all tablets, meaning it outpaces everything except a handful of overclocked gaming slates. The 10-core GPU isn't far behind at 95th, so rendering 4K video in LumaFusion or sculpting in Nomad Sculpt feels instant. The integrated Neural Engine also speeds up AI tasks like Live Text and background blur, but honestly, for most users the M5 is overkill. That's not a complaint. It just means this tablet will age gracefully.

The 12GB of RAM is the one spec that doesn't scream 'Pro.' It's enough for heavy multitasking, but some Android rivals like the Samsung Tab S11 Ultra pack 16GB. In practice, iPadOS manages memory efficiently, so you'll rarely feel constrained. Just don't expect to run dozens of desktop-class apps simultaneously without a reload now and then.

Prices for the 512GB model swing wildly from $1,158 to $1,923 depending on where you shop. Best Buy consistently has the lowest listing we've seen, making it the smart buy. At that price, you're getting a display and performance combo that's unmatched. However, if your workflow doesn't demand the absolute best screen or M5 speed, an iPad Air or even the last-gen M4 Pro will save you a chunk of change without feeling slow. But for pixel peepers and video pros, the price is justified.

Stacked against the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, the iPad Pro M5 fights back with a much brighter screen (1600 nits vs. around 930 nits) and a more polished stylus experience with the Apple Pencil Pro. Samsung's tablet throws in the S Pen and has a larger 14.6-inch canvas, but that AMOLED can't touch this peak HDR brightness. The Microsoft Surface Pro runs full Windows, which might sway you if you need legacy apps, but its battery life and tablet-optimized software are far behind. The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro and Lenovo Idea Tab Pro are solid value picks, but they use mid-range chips that our benchmarks show lag significantly behind the M5 in both single-core and GPU tasks.

If your work revolves around multi-window desktop apps, complex file management, or external monitor support beyond simple mirroring, the iPad Pro M5 will leave you wanting. The business score of 86.4/100 is our weakest metric, reflecting iPadOS's limitations. You're better off with a Surface Pro or a MacBook Air, especially when you factor in that the Magic Keyboard and Pencil will add at least $400 to your total. This is a premium media tablet, not a laptop replacement.

The iPad Pro M5 is hands-down the best tablet for creators and media junkies. That 13-inch OLED is a visual feast, and the M5 performance ensures it'll chew through any app you throw at it for years. The catch hasn't changed: iPadOS still feels like a golden cage for that chip. If you can live within its boundaries, you'll be thrilled. But if you're a traditional laptop user hoping to switch, the weak business performance and added cost of accessories might frustrate you. For everyone else, it's the tablet to beat.