Creative work and content creation may be the biggest draw of Apple’s iPad series of tablets, but that’s not the only aspect where it excels. Since the debut of its proprietary M1 chip, the Cupertino giant has embraced the shift into gaming — a logical course of action, especially since the bigger display offers an enhanced, more immersive viewing experience than the iPhone devices.
In line with yearly tradition, the 2025 iteration of the iPad Pro is now powered by its latest M5 chip, which comes in different configurations: a 9-core CPU and 10-core GPU for the 256GB or 512GB storage options, and a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU for their 1TB or 2TB counterparts. The next-generation Apple GPU with “a Neural Accelerator in each core” promises even more hardware muscle, delivering up to 3.5 times the AI (artificial intelligence) performance than the M4-powered iPad Pro, and up to 5.6 times faster performance than the original M1-powered iPad Pro (on paper, at least).
Combined with its signature Ultra Retina XDR display, the device continues to establish itself as a gaming beast in a slim, portable form. Not only did it breeze through Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero, Genshin Impact, and Delta Force, but thermal management and battery use also proved efficient, resulting in impressive performance across the board.
Check out how well it runs in the above video, complete with short bursts of high-intensity gaming and temperature checks. The iPad Pro M5 (2025) starts from S$1,499 for the 11-inch model and S$1,999 for its 13-inch variant. Both variants are available in two colour options: Space Black and Silver.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
HSALS
