Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5) vs Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1)
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5) ($1,499) vs Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1) ($500) — side-by-side specs, weight, pros and cons to help you pick the right pro tablet.
Spec-by-spec
| Spec | Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5) | Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1) |
| Price | $1,499 | $500 |
| Weight | 579g | 682g |
| Chip | M5 | Apple M1 |
| Display | 13" Ultra Retina XDR tandem OLED | 12.9" Liquid Retina XDR, mini-LED, 120Hz ProMotion |
| Thickness | 5.1 mm | — |
| Security | Face ID | — |
| Accessories | Apple Pencil Pro, Magic Keyboard | — |
| Weight | 579 g (Wi-Fi) | 682g (Apple published, Wi-Fi) |
| Port | — | Thunderbolt / USB 4 |
| Camera | — | 12MP Wide + 10MP Ultra Wide, LiDAR |
| Pencil | — | 2nd generation Apple Pencil |
Pros & Cons
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5)
- Best display in any portable device
- 5.1 mm — the thinnest Apple product ever
- M5 handles genuine creative workloads
- Apple Pencil Pro support is best-in-class
- $1,499 before keyboard or Pencil
- iPadOS still limits the hardware
- 579 g wants two hands or a stand
Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1)
- Mini-LED XDR display, still one of the best screens ever put in a tablet
- M1 chip handles anything current iPadOS asks of it
- Thunderbolt/USB 4 for external displays and fast storage
- LiDAR and the full Pro camera system
- 682g plus a keyboard case is a genuine laptop-weight bag addition
- Mini-LED can show blooming around bright text on dark backgrounds
- Costs noticeably more used than the 11-inch M1 Pro for the display upgrade alone
- Several generations behind current M-series Pro silicon now
Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1) is the better value at $500. If weight matters most, Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M5) carries lighter at 579g. Both are part of our curated pro tablet index — tap through to check current pricing.