Apple’s supply chain appears to have slipped up again. An unreleased 13-inch M5 iPad Pro has surfaced in an early unboxing and benchmark video, landing in the hands of YouTuber Wylsacom before any official announcement. While Apple reportedly looks into how a pre-release unit escaped into the wild, the footage delivers a clear first look at performance and design.
The unit shown is a 256GB model, and at first glance, the exterior looks almost identical to the current M4 iPad Pro. That continuity suggests Apple is focusing on internal upgrades this cycle rather than a big redesign, which could explain the quieter lead-up to launch. This isn’t the first time the creator has showcased an early Apple device; a similar situation happened with the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro, which was formally unveiled not long after.
For most buyers, the real story is performance. Based on the posted benchmarks, the M5 iPad Pro brings a meaningful bump in speed, with the most noticeable leap in graphics. Here’s how it stacks up against the M4 model:
Geekbench 6 CPU
– Single-core: M5 iPad Pro 4,133 vs M4 iPad Pro 3,748 — up 10.27%
– Multi-core: M5 iPad Pro 15,437 vs M4 iPad Pro 13,324 — up 15.86%
Geekbench 6 Metal (GPU)
– M5 iPad Pro 74,568 vs M4 iPad Pro 55,702 — up 33.87%
AnTuTu (overall)
– M5 iPad Pro 3,137,936 vs M4 iPad Pro 2,897,765 — up 8.29%
In short, CPU gains range from modest to solid, but the standout is the GPU, where the M5 shows a sizable jump. That should translate to smoother pro apps, faster media exports, better on-device AI workloads, and higher frame rates in graphically intensive games. If you’ve been waiting for a tablet that leans harder into desktop-class efficiency and graphics prowess, this generation looks to push that needle without rocking the boat on design.
The timing of this unboxing is intriguing. If history repeats, Apple could be just days away from revealing the M5 iPad Pro officially, mirroring how the M4 MacBook Pro went from early video to formal launch in short order. With a familiar chassis and bigger emphasis on performance, the new flagship iPad Pro seems positioned as an iterative but meaningful upgrade for creators, students, and power users who live in photo editing suites, video timelines, 3D workflows, or demanding note-taking and multitasking sessions.
If you’re on an M4 iPad Pro and satisfied with its speed, this might not be a must-have upgrade unless you’re chasing the GPU uplift. But for those coming from older iPad Pro models—or anyone who pushes heavy workloads—the M5’s improvements could be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
What do you think of the early numbers? Does a 30%+ GPU jump make the M5 iPad Pro a compelling step up, or are you holding out for a design refresh?
