Next iPad Pro to Have Two Key Features, But One Rumor Still Uncertain

[MacRumors]

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.

​

Article Link: Next iPad Pro to Have Two Key Features, But One Rumor Still Uncertain

 

[turbineseaplane]

More RAM = always better, especially for device longevity.

I really with all of my primary iOS/iPadOS devices had more RAM.

(iPhone 13 Mini, iPad 5 Mini, iPad 9)

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Curious if it has the “PWM” setting. Granted it doesn’t do much in its current state but if truly is tied to hardware, which is good, then it will show Apple is serious and hopefully can be tweaked as time goes on. Regardless if you’re affected, eye health is good for everyone.

 

[thefrost]

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.

"One was not enough so we decided to put a second." /s

 

[acblue94]

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: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.

​

Article Link: Next iPad Pro to Have Two Key Features, But One Rumor Still Uncertain

::yawn:: slim down the bezels. Gives us two front cameras.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Are spec bumps really "key features"? Making the stuff you need to have better is table stakes.

 

[The Game 161]

Curious what the 1TB model will have. hopefully 24GB but won't be shocked if it's still 16GB of ram

 

[adamw]

I am hoping for 2 cameras for the new M4 iPad Pro models...

 

[Greenmeenie]

In 2018, I replaced my macbook for an iPad Pro and haven’t looked back. As an artist, i think the iPad Pro is the best device Apple has ever created. Even tho it’s still going strong, after 7 long productive years, it’s finally time to upgrade my 2018 iPad Pro. I will definitely be buying the 13” 1TB M5 iPad Pro with 24 gigs of ram. It should last me another 7 years at least. Probably longer.

 

[btrach144]

Mark is always wrong nowadays

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

In 2018, I replaced my macbook for an iPad Pro and haven’t looked back. As an artist, i think the iPad Pro is the best device Apple has ever created. Even tho it’s still going strong, after 7 long productive years, it’s finally time to upgrade my 2018 iPad Pro. I will definitely be buying the 13” 1TB M5 iPad Pro with 24 gigs of ram. It should last me another 7 years at least. Probably longer.

You’re really trying to spend like $3K on a iPad? I hope you sell your art cause dang.

 

[acblue94]

In 2018, I replaced my macbook for an iPad Pro and haven’t looked back. As an artist, i think the iPad Pro is the best device Apple has ever created. Even tho it’s still going strong, after 7 long productive years, it’s finally time to upgrade my 2018 iPad Pro. I will definitely be buying the 13” 1TB M5 iPad Pro with 24 gigs of ram. It should last me another 7 years at least. Probably longer.

How do you know the exact specs if it hasn’t come out yet?

 

[TJ82]

Yeah the price on a maxed out IPP is really something. Though I do agree with Green that the IPP’s might be Apple’s strongest device relative to competitors. I have an M4 13inch and this thing is way overpowered. Love it but really struggle to find a use for it’s capacity as the video editing apps are better on the Mac and don’t want to pay an extra sub for the IPP for a worse app.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

It sounds more like Marks source confused the square sensor with a horizontal and portrait orientation to mean two cameras.

So not a hardware source, but probably an internal app developer source.

 

[rp2011]

They need 16GB RAM minimum. I bought the M4 hoping to do basic modeling and graphics tasks with the pencil, which was possible, but couldn't open or save or modify anything slightly complex, which was such a wasted opportunity. I don't expect extended performance, but at least enough RAM for basic pro tasks with the Apple Pencil. I sold my M4 and was hoping for more from the M5 in particular 16GB without opting for the TB models.

I still have an M1 iPad Pro which can do the same work as the M4 with the limited RAM. I'm still getting the new M5, but I learned my lesson and will have to opt for the TB storage option which wouldn't be too bad if it offers 32GB RAM, but I am expecting it to top off at 24.

 

[LittleChief]

It sounds more like Marks source confused the square sensor with a horizontal and portrait orientation to mean two cameras.

So not a hardware source, but probably an internal app developer source.

This is the most likely scenario

 

[Scipster]

Doesn’t Romancev768’s video confirm the second lens? Even if it’s not a full fledge camera, it seems to enable FaceID in landscape mode and better position people in the middle of the frame. Perhaps it’s similar sensor cropping that we see in the iPhone 17?

 

[thefrost]

I am hoping for 2 cameras for the new M4 iPad Pro models...

I'm assuming you meant M5 here.

 

[JPack]

The only reason we don't have undisputed confirmation is because neither Russian connected their iCloud account to their device to make a FaceTime call.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Mark is always wrong nowadays

What are you even talking about?
He is literally about as accurate as it gets, he pretty much had the last two events down minute by minute.

 

[Scipster]

Even if he didn’t FaceTime, whatever app he used to demonstrate the cameras in landscape mode is remarkably centered.

 

[hovscorpion12]

They need 16GB RAM minimum. I bought the M4 hoping to do basic modeling and graphics tasks with the pencil, which was possible, but couldn't open or save or modify anything slightly complex, which was such a wasted opportunity. I don't expect extended performance, but at least enough RAM for basic pro tasks with the Apple Pencil. I sold my M4 and was hoping for more from the M5 in particular 16GB without opting for the TB models, or 32TB for those.

I still have an M1 iPad Pro which can do the same work as the M4 with the limited RAM. I'm still getting the new M5, but I learned my lesson and will have to opt for the TB storage option which wouldn't be too bad if it offers 32GB RAM, but I am expecting it to top off at 24.

Technically yes, technically no.

While I do agree that the iPad should come with a base 16GB RAM, iPadOS's infrastructure is built a bit differently then MacOS. MacOS has the true freedom of how apps take advantage of the system specs, where as apps on iPadOS limited to some capacity. While that does not mean apps are gimped [I have used 3D apps such Octane X and Shaper 3D to their fulled] it means that apps on iPadOS are more optimized then the ones on MacOS.

The iPad is the only product that separated RAM with storage. Rather then have a 2 RAM approach. Apple could do 3.

Models with 256GB or 512GB storage = 12 GB RAM
Models with 1TB 16GB RAM
Models with 2TB or 4TB = 24GB of RAM.

 

[whitby]

Just what we need, even faster and probably more expensive iPads. I am not sure what people are doing, in general, with their iPads, but making them faster is not even on my radar for my use. But, I suppose, there must be people that need it or Apple would not have seen reason to do it. Must be the desire to run everything on one type of processor only and eliminate the need to make two types of M chip is the only reason I can deduce. Meanwhile, for me, my M1 powered iPads are more than fast enough. But that is me.

 

[Greenmeenie]

It’s a

How do you know the exact specs if it hasn’t come out yet?

It’s a rumor site. So I’m speculating like everyone else. But Apple usually does double the ram in the 1TB iPad Pro models, so I tend to believe the rumor that the 1TB M5 iPad Pros will get 24gb of ram while the base models will get the bump to 12gb.

 

[EugW]

It sounds more like Marks source confused the square sensor with a horizontal and portrait orientation to mean two cameras.

So not a hardware source, but probably an internal app developer source.

Yup that’s what I was thinking. Similar to how the another non-Mark source confused a 8X “optical quality” zoom with true optical zoom. I had been guessing 3.5X / crop 7X. That leaker got the 4X / 8X right but if from legit access to the unit, got confused by 8X crop vs 8X optical.

BTW, fun fact: The new FaceTime sensor isn’t even square. It’s octagonal.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-iphone-17-17-pro-max-air-selfie-camera-has-an-octagonal-sensor.2468204/