Multiple marketing claims of '1.5x faster CPU' and 'most advanced experience ever' are contradicted by users who see no meaningful real-world improvement over the M4.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the M4 and they've spent money on an M5 for no real world advantage(s).”

vs Marketing: Apple claims 1.5x faster CPU and 3.5x faster AI than M4, and calls it 'the most advanced iPad experience ever' — but user feedback directly states there are no real-world advantages to upgrading from M4 to M5.

The need to maintain feature parity with entry-level A16 iPads structurally limits what the M5's hardware can actually do in software.

“The challenge lies in ensuring that both the entry-level A16 iPad and the high-end iPad Pro with the M5 chip can perform similar tasks, which inherently restricts the capabilities of the more advanced models.”

vs Marketing: Apple markets the M5 iPad Pro as 'the most powerful tablet ever' with 'no other tablet even comes close,' but iPadOS software constraints mean the M5's hardware ceiling is artificially lowered to match entry-level devices.

The base 16GB RAM on 256GB and 512GB configurations is considered insufficient for a device marketed as a productivity powerhouse, with owners recommending 24–32GB tiers.

“Great review of the M5 iPad Pro! Thanks for highlighting the RAM upgrade in base versions, it's so crucial and not many other reviewers mentioned this! iPad Pro is my primary computing device and I feel this is underreported.”

vs Marketing: Apple markets the iPad Pro M5 as delivering 'game-changing productivity' and 'astonishing power,' but base storage configurations ship with 16GB RAM — flagged by an owner as a critical limitation that most reviewers overlook.

The Tandem OLED display is limited to 600 nits under manual brightness settings, a notable constraint not disclosed in marketing.

“The M4 and M5 iPad Pros only go up to 600 nits when using manual brightness settings.”

vs Marketing: Apple calls it an 'amazing tandem OLED screen' without disclosing that manual brightness is capped at 600 nits — relevant for users in bright outdoor environments.

Despite self-service repair parts being available, iFixit's teardown confirms the iPad Pro M5 remains difficult to repair in practice.

“iFixit today shared a teardown video for the iPad Pro with the M5 chip, revealing a 'repair paradox' — self-service parts exist but the device remains difficult to repair.”

vs Marketing: Apple's 'unbelievably thin and light design' and premium positioning imply a refined, durable product, but the thin form factor directly contributes to poor repairability scores per iFixit's teardown.