Apple preps iPad Pro powered by 2nm M6 processor with next-generation C2 in-house 5G modem
The 2024 M4 iPad Pro, the last top-of-the-line iPad released, was the first to employ an OLED panel. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Apple has yet to start production of the M5 application processor, the chipset that will power a new iPad Pro model that will go into production later this year. While the M5 will be built by TSMC using its third-generation 3nm process node (N3P), there is already talk about a future iPad Pro model that will feature the 2nm M6 SoC under the hood. In addition, the M6 iPad Pro will also carry Apple's second-generation C2 5G modem chip. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, this top-of-the-line iPad tablet will hit the marketplace in 2027.
Right now, all of Apple's iPads feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G modem and the M5 iPad Pro is expected to do likewise. If this report is legit, the 2027 M6 iPad Pro will be the first of Apple's tablets to use the tech giant's in-house 5G modem. The C2 modem should be able to close the gap with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 5G modem or perhaps even match it. Right now, the only Apple device using the C1 5G modem is the iPhone 16e.
The M6 iPad Pro should be released in 2027 as we previously mentioned. What we didn't say is that the launch could take place during the first half of the year, possibly during the spring. This would dovetail with the launch date of the most recent iPad Pro tablets which were the first Apple slates to feature an OLED display. Powered by the M4 chip, the seventh-generation top-of-the-line iPad Pro tablets hit the shelves last May.
Not much came in the box housing the M4 iPad Pro except for one powerful tablet with an OLED display. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Before the M6 iPad Pro surfaces in 2027, the M5 iPad Pro should begin mass production later this year. Don't expect a new design for Apple's priciest tablets since the M4 model not only added the OLED screens, it also made the tablets extremely thin. Apple could release the eighth-generation iPad Pro later this year or, more likely, early in 2026. That would dovetail with the rumored spring 2027 arrival of the M6 iPad Pro.
With the 2027 version featuring a 2nm processor, those looking to update their iPad Pro slate might want to wait a couple of years. The 2nm M6 chip should help the 2027 iPad Pro deliver faster performance and longer battery life.
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