In this video I’m comparing the iPad Pro M5 vs M4, but in the way I actually use these devices day to day — not benchmark charts or spec sheets. I’ve been on the M4 for around a year and a half, and I didn’t have a genuine reason to upgrade… until I started testing the M5 alongside iPadOS 26 and realised Apple has quietly improved the one thing that always annoyed me on iPad: multitasking and background app refresh. The biggest difference I noticed straight away is how much longer apps stay “where I left them.” For example, Google Sheets is a big one in my workflow, and on the M4 it can feel jumpy — you leave it in the background, come back, and it refreshes constantly. On the M5, apps stay alive longer, heavy app switching feels more stable, and overall the experience feels more robust and complete. Yes, there are subtle extras like faster charging, but that’s not enough to justify the spend. My honest conclusion: if you’re on M4 (or even M3), don’t upgrade — wait for the next proper jump (M6 or whatever Apple does next). But if you’re on M1/M2 or older, you’ll feel a much bigger difference, especially if you live in multiple apps and treat your iPad like a real work machine.