At the end of 2024, we heard reports that Apple’s 2025 release schedule includes an M5-based iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. According to a new report, it looks like those products are right on schedule. ETnews (Korean) reports that the fabrication of Apple’s M5 chip has been in the packaging stage since January, a crucial step toward mass production.
In the packaging stage of chip fabrication, the die is put into a case to protect it and to connect it to a circuit board. It is the final step before testing and mass production of a chip.
ETnews claims the iPad Pro is “likely” to be the first M5 device, though it’s not clear if the publication is reporting this from its own source or merely echoing previous reports. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated last December that the M5 iPad Pro will “enter mass production” in the second half of 2025, which fits this timeline. A fall M5 iPad Pro release–possibly during the iPhone 17 event in September–would come about 18 months after the M4 iPad Pro.
“Additional facilities for mass production of high-end M5 models such as Pro, Max, and Ultra” are also in the works, according to ETnews. These chips are for the MacBook Pro update, which is expected to occur in October or November, about a year after the M4 MacBook Pro lineup was released. Of note, Apple hasn’t released an Ultra chip since the M2, though an M4 Ultra is expected soon.
ETnews also provides some details about the M5 chip itself. TSMC, the manufacturer of the chip, is using N3P, which is the company’s third generation of its 3nm process. The M4 is created using N3E, which is an enhanced 3nm process. N3P results in an M5 chip that is up to 10 percent more efficient and 5 percent faster than the M4. The M5 Pro chip is produced using TSMC’s SoIC-MH process, which vertically stacks semiconductor chips, allowing for improved heat control and performance.