iPad Pro 11-inch (M5) review

I haven't used this iPad. This page rests on Apple's spec sheet, read November 7, 2026, and Fstoppers' review of the 13-inch M5 iPad Pro from March 17, 2026. Nobody I could read has tested the 11-inch yet. No score until someone does.

The money first. Apple's listed price for the 11-inch was $1,199Not verifiedNot verified (November 1, 2026). Below it sit the iPad Air 11-inch ($749Not verifiedNot verified) and the base iPad ($449Not verifiedNot verified). The 13-inch Pro is the bigger sibling.

What Apple says you get

The screen is the reason to look. It's 11.1 inches at 2420 by 1668, 264 ppi, and it refreshes anywhere from 10 Hz to 120 Hz. Apple rates it at 1000 nits full screen and 1600 nits peak, the higher figure for HDR only.

The body is 5.3 mm thick. The Wi-Fi model weighs 444 g. Inside is the M5, with Wi-Fi 7 (2x2 MIMO) and Bluetooth 6. It works with the Apple Pencil Pro and the USB-C Apple Pencil.

The memory catch

This one annoys me. The 256GB and 512GB models get 12GB of memory. For 16GB you have to buy the 1TB or 2TB model.

So Apple bundles memory with storage. Plenty of people who'd like the extra 4GB keep their files in the cloud and will never fill 1TB. I'd stay on 12GB unless you already know one of your apps runs short. Price the 1TB model on Apple's site before you assume you need it.

Battery, borrowed from the 13-inch

The 11-inch has a 31.29 Wh battery. Apple claims up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi or video, and up to 9 hours of browsing on cellular.

Fstoppers got about 10 hours of mixed use per charge with cellular on. Good news, with two catches: that was the 13-inch, and it's a reviewer's estimate from daily use, not a lab rundown. I wouldn't carry it straight over to the smaller model.

Charging, same caveat. Fstoppers says the 13-inch hit 50% in roughly 30 minutes on a 40 W or 60 W+ USB-C adapter. Buy a charger that size if you want that.

The hardware is ahead of the software

Fstoppers ran no benchmarks, so I have no number for the M5. Its verdict is that the hardware outpaces iPadOS, which is the oldest complaint about the iPad Pro.

With my own money, I'd read it like this. If your work already lives in iPad apps (drawing with the Pencil Pro, editing photos, handwritten notes), the screen and chip have plenty to do. If you want it to replace a laptop, a faster chip won't help. The limit is the software.

Who I'd buy it for

Someone who draws or edits on a tablet for hours, wants 120 Hz and 1600-nit HDR, and has made peace with iPadOS. For that person, 444 g at 5.3 mm is a nice thing to carry around.

Who I'd send elsewhere

Mostly browsing, streaming and email? Start with the base iPad ($449Not verifiedNot verified) and move up only if it falls short. Somewhere in between, try the iPad Air 11-inch ($749Not verifiedNot verified). The step up to the iPad Pro 11-inch ($1,199Not verifiedNot verified) pays for the screen and the chip, and that's only worth it if you'd use them most days.

Not sure? Wait for a test of the 11-inch.