Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips.
The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing engine. A faster 16-core Neural Engine also delivers more energy-efficient performance. Apple says that performance gains and breakthrough improvements over iPads with the M1 chip are "staggering".
In addition to the M5 chip, the cellular versions of the new iPad Pro feature Apple's custom-designed C1X modem, which allows up to 50% faster cellular data performance than its predecessor, with much greater efficiency.
It also features the N1 chip, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple says the N1 brings better performance when connected to 5GHz networks, and improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.
The new iPad Pro features over 150GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is almost a 30% increase compared to the previous generation. It also offers up to 2x faster storage read and write speeds, and the 256GB and 512GB models start with 12GB of unified memory.
The new iPad Pro adds the ability to drive external displays at up to 120Hz and now supports Adaptive Sync, which provides the lowest possible latency in external display performance.
Fast charging is now supported, allowing the new iPad Pro to charge up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher.
The new iPad Pro is available to pre-order starting today, and will be available in stores on Wednesday, October 22.
