The M4 and its more powerful variants, the M4 Pro and M4 Max will reportedly arrive in a slew of Macs next month, but Apple is not being patient regarding the launch of future chipsets, as the M5 is said to be prepared for an unveiling next year. Just like the current-generation 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models that were treated to the company’s second-generation 3nm silicon, we could witness a similar launch schedule with the updated tablets.
New M5 will likely stick with TSMC’s 3nm process but will utilize an updated variant for slightly better performance and power efficiency
Work on the M5 and A19 was said to have started back in 2023, suggesting that the company wanted to stay well ahead of the competition. In Mark Gurman’s latest ‘Power On’ newsletter, the Bloomberg correspondent reveals that updated iPad Pro models will arrive in the second half of 2025, with the display sizes remaining unchanged at 11 inches and 13 inches. Both tablets are said to feature the codenames J607 and J637, and given that it is the first time that Apple introduced tandem OLED technology last year, the technology giant should have no reason or encouragement to switch to a different panel.
For all those wondering if Apple will transition to TSMC’s next-generation 2nm process for the M5, we highly doubt it. Instead, the new chipset could be mass produced on the 3nm ‘N3P’ node, which is the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer’s third variant after ‘N3E,’ which was used to fabricate the M4, A18 and the A18 Pro. Earlier, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo commented that Apple will not introduce any 2nm chipset in 2025 due to insanely high wafer costs and predicted that the launch of silicon on such advanced lithography would happen in 2026 when Apple announces the iPhone 18 series.
One advantage that the M5 could flaunt over predecessors is that it could employ TSMC’s Small Outline Integrated Circuit Packaging, or SoIC. This type of packaging was first introduced in 2018 and allows the stacking of chips in a three-dimensional structure, resulting in better thermal management, reduced current leakage, and better electrical performance compared to the two-dimensional chip design. The specifications of the M5 are currently unknown, but a move to the improved 3nm process can mean that Apple may have the liberty to add more performance cores, just like what it did with the M4.
