WWDC 2026 starts June 8, and anyone holding out for new iPad Pro hardware should stop waiting. Apple has no iPad Pro refresh planned for 2026, which leaves the M5 model from last October as the current flagship. Here’s what that means for pricing, configurations, and whether now is the right time to buy.
Price: From $899 (On Sale)
Where to Buy: Amazon
Stop waiting for new hardware
No new iPad Pro hardware is coming at WWDC 2026. Apple’s iPad Pro launches have alternated between spring and fall, but they almost never land at WWDC. If your current device is slowing down, waiting through the keynote won’t reward you.
Apple’s tablet strategy has shifted toward longer cycles. The company refreshed the iPad Air earlier this year with an M4 chip, and the entry-level iPad saw its last major update in March 2025. That leaves the M5 iPad Pro as the newest high-end tablet in Apple’s lineup.
Supply-chain signals ahead of WWDC point to software, not hardware. October 2025 was only eight months ago, and back-to-back iPad Pro releases inside the same year would break Apple’s usual cadence.
What Apple launched eight months ago
The M5 iPad Pro arrived on October 22, 2025, in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. Each uses the Ultra Retina XDR Tandem OLED display with ProMotion adaptive refresh from 10Hz to 120Hz. Resolution hits 2420 by 1668 pixels on the smaller model and 2752 by 2064 on the larger one.
The M5 chip carries a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in every GPU core, matching the M5 MacBook Pro architecture. The 256GB and 512GB models pair the M5 with a 9-core CPU and 12GB of RAM. The 1TB and 2TB configurations step up to a 10-core CPU and 16GB of RAM.
Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 through Apple’s N1 chip and an optional 5G cellular radio. The camera system uses a horizontal 12MP front unit and a 12MP rear sensor with LiDAR scanning. Face ID handles biometrics. The chassis measures 5.1mm on the 13-inch and 5.3mm on the 11-inch, in silver or space black.
Nano-texture glass is available on the 1TB and 2TB configurations. The display supports both the Apple Pencil Pro and the USB-C Apple Pencil. Apple sells the aluminum Magic Keyboard with a haptic trackpad as the official typing accessory.
The specs that matter in 2026
Eight months later, the M5 iPad Pro still leads the tablet market on raw performance. The Tandem OLED display remains one of the most color-accurate panels Apple ships, and the 12GB RAM floor (16GB on 1TB and 2TB models) means multitasking won’t choke on large files.
Buy the 13-inch if you need screen area for photo edits or split-view workflows. The 11-inch trades display size for portability, and at matched storage tiers the two share the same chip and RAM. Stepping up to 1TB on either size unlocks the 10-core CPU and 16GB of RAM.
The thin chassis leaves no room for a headphone jack, and the camera bump still keeps the device from lying flat without a case. Pair either model with one of the USB-C hubs we’ve tested for expanded connectivity.
Pricing hasn’t moved
Apple still lists the 11-inch M5 iPad Pro starting at $999 for the 256GB Wi-Fi model. The 13-inch starts at $1,299, and adding 5G to either size adds $200. Storage climbs through 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB tiers.
Retailers have dropped the 11-inch base model to $899 during recent sales, but those are promotional prices. Apple hasn’t adjusted the MSRP since launch, and we don’t expect one before the fall shopping season.
This is the flagship for the rest of the year
Apple’s iPad Pro refresh cycle runs roughly 12 to 18 months, sometimes longer. The M5 model arrived in October 2025, which puts a potential M6 replacement somewhere in late 2026 or early 2027 at the earliest.
The M5 chip handles current iPadOS tasks without strain, and Apple’s update history for iPad Pro hardware runs several years past launch. Buy one in June 2026 and you’ll get a tablet that stays current through at least the next WWDC, with iPadOS 27 features arriving day one.
iPadOS announcements could still matter
Even without new hardware, WWDC 2026 will bring iPadOS 27 announcements that affect the M5 iPad Pro directly. Last year’s conference unveiled an entirely new windowing system in iPadOS 26 along with deeper Apple Intelligence features. The same should happen for M5 owners this cycle.
The focus this year is expected to shift toward deeper Apple Intelligence integration. The M5 chip’s neural accelerators were built for on-device AI, so any new intelligence features should run natively on the current hardware.
External monitor support and improved file management could also arrive through software, extending the M5’s utility for pro users. If Apple announces new iPadOS features on June 8, the M5 iPad Pro will be the fastest tablet in Apple’s lineup to run them on day one.
If you’re buying this month
The M5 iPad Pro is still expensive. The 13-inch model with a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro pushes the total past $1,600, and that’s before taxes or storage upgrades.
Price: From $899 (On Sale)
Where to Buy: Amazon
But if you need a high-end tablet in 2026, this is the one to buy. There’s no replacement coming at WWDC, and the current hardware can handle whatever iPadOS 27 throws at it.
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(as of June 6, 2026 18:39 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
