Apple's next-gen iPad Pro with M5 power could come out sooner than previously predicted
While Apple is now expected by one of the most trustworthy tech leakers out there to unveil a new iPhone SE edition, two upgraded iPad Airs, and an 11th gen "standard" iPad at some point this spring, the chances of seeing an improved iPad Pro duo come out at the same time as all of those other devices are clearly slim... at best.
Of course, that doesn't mean the Cupertino-based tech giant is not already hard at work on two such ultra-high-end products. Described as "minor change" models in a new Korean media report (translated here), these are obviously likely to rock super-high-quality OLED screens, and some of their components could apparently go into mass production in April or May.
That's a lot earlier than you probably anticipated based on a few of the rumors from the last few months, including Mark Gurman's most recent Bloomberg prediction of a "late 2025 or early 2026" release. Granted, today's report does not allude to a different launch timeline, but if iPad Pro (2025) parts are indeed set for a manufacturing start in the spring, the tablets themselves could be ready for primetime just a few months later.
Depending on how challenging the production process will prove, Apple's next iPad Pros might keep their prospective buyers waiting until October or even November 2025 for a commercial debut, but I think a 2026 release is pretty much out of the question now. Unless the M5 chip needs an unusually long time to be polished and green-lighted, which is certainly an unlikely but not impossible scenario.
From what we've heard so far, the Apple M5 processor doesn't exactly feel like a "minor" upgrade over the already immensely powerful M4 inside the iPad Pro (2024) duo. But it's also highly unlikely that two of the best tablets in the world today will be followed by another two undoubtedly amazing slates in 2025... with the exact same Apple M4 SoC under the hood.
For the time being, I'm afraid all we can do is theorize, make (more or less) educated guesses about Apple's iPad Pro upgrading plans, and wait, as The Elec's usually reliable inside sources have very little of substance to share on the possible specs and features of the family's next additions.
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