This is my next tablet.
![Apple iPad Pro [11″] (M5)](/images/tablet.webp)
The Apple iPad Pro [11″] (M5).
The 10th-gen iPad is the most used screen in my house that isn’t a phone. This is the one replacing it, and I’m paying up for the OLED screen.”
The screen is what I’m paying for
Put the Pro next to my 10th gen and the LCD looks like what it is: grey where the blacks should be, and a halo around bright subtitles whenever a scene goes dark. Ultra Retina XDR fixes both, and throws in 1,600 nits of HDR I didn’t ask for.
The chip is a guess about where iPadOS goes next
Every core on the M5 carries a Neural Accelerator built for on-device AI, and 12GB of RAM comes standard even on the base 256GB model. I have no idea which of the AI features landing on iPadOS I’ll still be using in a year. I do know which way that work is heading, so I’d rather overbuy the chip than the storage.
Thinner, lighter, and still all-day
It’s 444g and 5.3mm, and Apple didn’t give any battery life back to get there. My 10th gen isn’t heavy, exactly, but I notice it in a bag, and I don’t expect to notice this one.
| Chip | Apple M5, 9-core CPU / 10-core GPU, 12GB RAM |
|---|---|
| Display | 11″ Ultra Retina XDR Tandem OLED, 2420×1668, ProMotion, 1,600 nits peak HDR |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1, optional 5G |
| Weight | 444 g (Wi-Fi model) |
| Storage | 256GB base |
| Best under ₹35,000 |
iPad 11th gen
₹34,900
|
Unbeatable value, same app libraryOlder chip and a non-laminated screen |
|---|---|---|
| The lighter buy |
iPad Air 11″ (M4)
₹89,900
|
M4 speed and 12GB of RAM for half the price of the ProLCD, not OLED: no true blacks and a dimmer HDR picture |
| My pick |
Apple iPad Pro [11″] (M5)
₹1,39,900
|
Tandem OLED display and M5’s Neural Accelerators in Apple’s thinnest iPad yetPro money for a screen upgrade and a chip most people will never stress |
iPad Air 11″ (M4), if the OLED screen isn’t worth the jump to you, the Air still does everything else this one does for a lot less.
Whether the M5’s Neural Accelerators actually matter day to day is a bet on AI features Apple hasn’t fully shipped to iPadOS yet, not a tested fact about how the tablet performs today.
That link is an Amazon.in search, not one exact listing: I haven’t pinned a specific product page until I’ve verified it matches this configuration. If you buy through that link I earn a small commission. It costs you nothing and keeps the picks independent. I accept long-term review units; they never buy the pick, and I say so when a unit was loaned.
Is the OLED screen worth ₹50,000 more than the Air?
For a screen this heavily used, yes: true blacks and proper HDR are things everyone notices without me pointing them out. If the household mostly did text and browsing, I’d keep that money and buy the Air.
Do I need the 1TB nano-texture model instead of the base 256GB?
No. Nano-texture only matters if you’re working under bright studio lighting, which isn’t how this tablet gets used here. The base storage and standard glass are the sensible buy.
Do I need the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro on top?
Not yet. Same answer as last time: they’re real money on top of the tablet itself, and I’d rather live with the Pro for a bit before deciding which accessories earn a spot.