MacBook Pro M5 vs iPad Pro M5: Full Review Comparison

Tom's Guide

Apple’s new M5 chip is here, powering both the MacBook Pro M5 and the iPad Pro M5. But which one is right for you? In this full review of the new machines, Tony breaks down everything from the price comparison, design, display, performance, benchmark tests, editing, and even gaming on Apple Silicon. We’ve also got our battery life results to share, plus a breakdown on how iPadOS vs. macOS compare these days.  Whether you’re a student, creative professional, or casual gamer, this video will help you decide if the MacBook Pro or iPad Pro M5 fits your lifestyle.

Transcript

00:00So, Apple's M5 chip is here and it's powering two different types of machines.

00:04We got the MacBook Pro M5, Apple's classic powerhouse, and consistently one of the best

00:08laptops for productivity out there.

00:11But we've also got the iPad Pro M5, the tablet that wants to be your laptop.

00:15In this episode of Viruskip, I'll be giving you my MacBook Pro M5 and iPad Pro reviews

00:20together to help you decide which one you should actually buy.

00:23Let's break it down.

00:25Let's start with how much you actually pay for these things because the difference might

00:27surprise you.

00:28The 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 starts at $1599 with 16 gigs of RAM and a 512 gigabyte SSD.

00:35But for transparency, the configuration I tested cost $2350 and that's with the nano texture

00:39display and a 1 terabyte drive.

00:41So yeah, the cost really goes up when you start personalizing the machine.

00:45Meanwhile, the iPad Pro M5 starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1299 for the 13-inch

00:50model.

00:51That sounds cheaper, but that's before you add in what actually makes it useful.

00:54The magic keyboard is another $299 or $329 depending on the iPad Pro size and the Apple Pencil Pro

01:01costs $129.

01:02To make the iPad feel more like a MacBook replacement, you're really looking at $1600,

01:06$1700 minimum.

01:07Then pass $2000 if you want the 1 terabyte drive like I have here.

01:10So the iPad Pro ends up checking out roughly the same as the MacBook Pro but with less storage

01:15and fewer ports.

01:16Again, I think a lot of people are going to be surprised when they see just how small the

01:19margins end up being.

01:22At least with premium prices, you're getting premium bills.

01:24Both of these machines are beautiful.

01:26Apple probably better than any other company out there knows how to make a slab of aluminum

01:31feel like a luxury item.

01:32The MacBook Pro design hasn't changed much since 2021.

01:35Same sturdy chassis, same 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, and it still feels practical

01:41in a kind of timeless way.

01:43It weighs about 3.4 pounds, so you'll definitely feel it in your backpack, but it's still relatively

01:47easy to travel with.

01:48The iPad Pro, on the other hand, is ridiculously thin.

01:52The 13-inch model is about a fifth of an inch thick and only 1.28 pounds, actually lighter

01:57and smaller than the MacBook Air.

01:59You can toss in a tote bag and forget it's even there.

02:01If you're getting the magic keyboard, it might add some heft, but the iPad Pro wins on sheer

02:05portability.

02:06That said, if you want something you can plug into a dock or external monitor and live

02:10on all day, the MacBook Pro still feels like a more stable overall workstation.

02:15Even a bit closer at the displays, the MacBook Pro's mini-LED screen is still one of the

02:19best you could buy.

02:20It hits around 1100 nits in HDR and around 550 nits in SDR, so even outdoors or under studio

02:26lights, you can actually see what you're doing.

02:28It's also color accurate, and now you can spec it with a nano-texture glass option, which

02:32basically cuts screen glare down to almost nothing.

02:35You know, for a screen that's not OLED, this looks really nice.

02:45Meanwhile, the iPad Pro's OLED panel just hits differently.

02:48You get those deep inky blacks and perfect contrast, plus very solid brightness hitting

02:53around 960 nits in HDR and 560 nits in SDR.

02:57Watching videos or even scrolling through photos, it just has that wow factor.

03:03Now let's talk about the M5 chip, the star of the whole show, as both devices are powered

03:07by it.

03:08It uses Apple's advanced 3 nanometer process, and it generally delivers around 12-15% performance

03:13boost over the old M4 chip.

03:16On Geekbench, the MacBook Pro M5 beat the iPad Pro in both single and multi-core performance,

03:21though the difference isn't that stark.

03:23In my real-world use, both fly-through everyday tasks, Safari, Slack, editing photos, even gaming.

03:29None of it makes these devices even break a sweat.

03:31The difference is more about how you use that power.

03:35You know it's not one of my reviews if I don't talk about gaming, and yes, both the

03:38MacBook Pro and iPad Pro M5 handle gaming surprisingly well, if games are optimized for Apple Silicon.

03:46Important caveat there.

03:47Resident Evil 4 Remake actually runs decently on both, though I saw smoother frame rates

03:51on the MacBook.

03:52I've said this a few years ago, MacBook Pro gaming is consistently improving.

03:56It's not the first machine or console I'd reach or recommend for, for serious gaming,

04:00but if you're only wanting to buy one, an all-in-one machine, it's a lot more capable

04:04than you probably think.

04:06The iPad Pro?

04:07I don't know, guys.

04:08This isn't a form factor I feel very motivated to game on.

04:11Again, games run better than you'd probably think on an iPad, but you'll have a better

04:14experience on the MacBook Pro.

04:17Besides gaming, editing, workflow, and performance are something I get asked about a lot when it

04:21comes to iPad Pro versus MacBook Pro.

04:23I brought in one of our channel editors to do some quick video editing tests.

04:27A lot of video editors have been wondering, can the iPad Pro be my main video editing machine?

04:32The answer is, not quite yet.

04:34While you can use a lot of major editing software on an iPad Pro like Premiere, Final Cut Pro,

04:40and DaVinci Resolve, they're not the same applications and they all have some limitations.

04:44You can't even open up a desktop Premiere project on the iPad Pro.

04:48But when you're actually editing, it is shocking how well the iPad Pro handles big files from

04:53professional cameras, and when you have the Magic Keyboard, it basically feels the same

04:57as editing on a laptop.

04:59But rendering times leave something to be desired, with the M5 iPad Pro taking about twice as long

05:05to render the same DaVinci Resolve project as the M5 MacBook Pro.

05:10In my experience, the MacBook Pro is still the better tool for big projects.

05:13You've got faster exports, more flexible file management, and you can plug it into multiple

05:18drives and displays, and the built-in SD card reader is still handy.

05:22But I think some folks might actually prefer editing short-form videos on the iPad.

05:26The touch interface, pencil precision, and OLED color accuracy make it fun and fast for

05:30quick social content.

05:31Speaking of which, make sure you're following Tom's Guide on all socials if you're not already.

05:36Gaming, editing video, all this is going to take a big toll on battery life.

05:40We've run the infamous Tom's Guide battery life test on both machines, and both results,

05:45pretty impressive.

05:46The MacBook Pro M5 lasted over 18 hours, which is basically a full day and a half of work.

05:51The iPad Pro isn't all that far behind, lasting 13 and a half hours, which actually beats Apple's

05:55own 10-hour claim and outlasts Samsung's Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra.

06:00In short, both will get you through a full day without you even having to think about a charger.

06:05Now as we're getting towards the end of the video, I have to get a little philosophical,

06:09so bear with me.

06:10I love iPadOS 26 for what it's trying to be.

06:13It's more flexible now with proper windowing and better multitasking.

06:16You can actually take calls directly on the iPad and run apps side by side.

06:21That said, it's still not macOS.

06:23You can't just plug in a hard drive, drag files around freely, or install random software.

06:28It's a more closed environment.

06:29macOS, meanwhile, is predictable, professional, and powerful.

06:33You can jump between desktop apps, run full software like Final Cut or Logic, and hook up

06:38external monitors without workarounds.

06:40The iPad is getting there, but if you need a real desktop experience, the MacBook Pro

06:44is still the grown-up option.

06:46If you're a creative professional, student, or power user who wants a proper desktop experience

06:51in a portable shell, get the MacBook Pro M5.

06:53It's a more versatile, long-lasting plug-anything-in-and-go machine.

06:58If you're more of a creator, designer, or digital minimalist who values portability, a beautiful

07:03OLED screen, and a tactile feel of touch and pencil input, the iPad Pro M5 is probably your

07:08better choice.

07:09Personally, I still lean towards the MacBook Pro for my daily work, but every time I pick

07:13up the iPad, I kind of wish my Mac could feel that effortless.

07:16Either way, Apple's M5 chip has made both of these devices way more capable than most people

07:21need.

07:22If you'd like to see comparisons to the MacBook Pro vs iPad Air or iPad Pro vs iPad Air, be

07:27sure to let me know.

07:28But for now, drop a comment, tell me which one you'd pick, the iPad or the MacBook.

07:33And if you want to see how the M5 stacks up against last year's model, check out my full

07:37reviews linked in the description.

07:38Once again, I was Tony Polanco, and I'll see you in the next video.

07:41Later.

07:51see you next time.

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