Apple's Next-Gen iPad To Use The iPhone 17 Pro's Best Feature

Apple might have only just recently released a new iPad Pro with an M5 chip, but according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company is already preparing an iPad that uses one of the iPhone's best features: the vapor chamber cooling system. In his Power On newsletter, the journalist writes that Apple plans to release this tablet around the spring of 2027, as it continues to focus on a year-and-a-half cycle for upgrades.

The vapor chamber was introduced with the iPhone 17 Pro lineup, and not only does it make the iPhone's performance a lot more reliable, but it also helps preserve battery life, since the device doesn't overheat the way previous models did. According to Gurman, a vapor chamber-like technology for the iPad Pro would make the tablet run faster with less performance throttling. This upgrade would make the iPad Pro an even better device, as Apple continues to push this device's limits with new software updates. For example, iPadOS 26 brings proper background updates, window tilling, which allows several apps to run at the same time, and with the recently released Creator Studio bundle, users can enjoy all of the Mac's pro apps on the tablet, like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, and more.

In 2024, Apple gave the iPad Pro its biggest revamp so far. With an ultra-thin design, it was the first Apple device to run the M4 chip, and to this day, it still has an unmatched OLED display. With the M5 version released last October, Apple added an improved chip and a few other internal tweaks, including its first in-house connectivity processor, the N1, and the C1X 5G modem.

With these technologies, Apple says it's able to make Wi-Fi and Bluetooth more reliable for experiences like AirDrop, connecting to multiple wireless devices, and more. With its in-house 5G modem, the company was also able to make the iPad more energy efficient, and with iOS 26.3, it brought a new privacy feature that let users hide their location from carriers.

While these changes might not be enough to make M4 iPad Pro users upgrade, it seems they will have to hold on a little longer to their current model, as, besides the vapor chamber technology expected for the 2027 model, this upcoming iPad Pro will likely just get a processor upgrade, most likely the M7 chip, and that's it. Apple also recently released a new iPad Air with the M4 chip, and it hasn't been a huge upgrade for anyone who bought an iPad in the past few years.