Apple upgrades iPad Pro, MacBook Pro and Vision Pro with new M5 chip

Apple announced its new M5 chip on Wednesday as well as the new iPad Pro, MacBook Pro and Vision Pro, all powered by the new chip.

These devices are now available for pre-order, with delivery and in-store availability expected on October 22.

The M5 chip will allow new devices to run faster than their predecessors. Apple claims the chip has four times the GPU computing performance of the M4. Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, added in a statement that this “ushers in the next big step forward in AI performance for Apple silicon.”

For the new iPad Pro, Apple says the chip brings “up to 3.5x the AI ​​performance” of last year’s Pro and up to 5.6x faster than the iPad Pro with M1.

Other upgrades include Apple’s C1X cellular modem with up to 50% faster cellular data performance and the N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Thread connectivity. Additionally, the new iPad Pro offers faster storage, reading and writing speeds and faster charging of up to 50% in around 30 minutes.

Adding more power to the iPad Pro seems like a logical step for Apple as the tech giant pushes it to be more laptop-like. With iPadOS 26, the tablet benefits from more intuitive window displays, the Preview app, and the ability to create folders for better organization.

Pricing starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch, with black and silver color options.

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro is expected to be even faster than its predecessor, with improved graphics performance (up to 1.6 times better), higher memory bandwidth of 153 Gbps (up from the M4’s 120 Gbps), and improved storage speeds.

It also benefits from a battery life of up to 24 hours.

Pricing starts at $1,599 and it comes in Space Black and Silver.

Vision Pro should also receive the M5 chip, replacing the current M2.

The M5 chip improves display rendering by 10%, supports refresh rates up to 120Hz (up from 100Hz), and accelerates AI-based features, making them 50% faster. Additionally, battery life improves by 30 minutes, providing up to 2.5 hours of general use and three hours of video playback.

The upgraded Vision Pro also comes with a Dual Knit band to give users a more comfortable fit. It is available in small, medium and large. The price remains at $3,499.

The announcement of the new Vision Pro follows reports that Apple is focusing on developing smart glasses instead of overhauling its VR headset.