Apple’s M5 Chip Could Offer A Significant Gain In GPU Performance: Here’s How

By Shikhar Mehrotra • Updated On 1 Oct 2025

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Courtesy of the Russian YouTuber Wylsacom, we now have a first look at the Apple M5’s CPU and GPU benchmarks, and it would be an understatement to say that they aren’t impressive (particularly the GPU benchmark gains).
As we’ve seen in the video, the M5 iPad Pro features a nine-core CPU, which scores 10% higher in single-core performance and around 15% higher in multi-core performance.
In GeekBench’s Metal graphics benchmark, the M5 scores 38% higher than the M4; that’s a considerable improvement, but exactly how did Apple achieve it?

Just yesterday, a renowned YouTuber unboxed the M5 iPad Pro from what appeared to be its retail box. While the video showcased the upcoming iPad in all its glory, it also revealed another key aspect about the device: its CPU and GPU performance. Last year, the M4 chip debuted on an iPad Pro, with a nine-core CPU version, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen this year.

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Apple M5: CPU & GPU Benchmarks

Courtesy of the Russian YouTuber Wylsacom, we now have a first look at the Apple M5’s CPU and GPU benchmarks, and it would be an understatement to say that they aren’t impressive (particularly the GPU benchmark gains). Let’s discuss them one by one.

As we’ve seen in the video, the M5 iPad Pro features a nine-core CPU, which scores 10% higher in single-core performance and around 15% higher in multi-core performance. It’s worth mentioning here that the model in the video features 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (it seems like the RAM went up by 50% when compared to the M4 iPad Pro).

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Yes, you can pass off these numbers as an incremental upgrade, but you can’t do the same with the GPU score. In GeekBench’s Metal graphics benchmark, the M5 scores 38% higher than the M4; that’s a considerable improvement, but exactly how did Apple achieve it?

How Did Apple Manage The Bump In GPU Performance?

According to reports, the M5 is based on the same architecture as the A19 Pro chip, and as such, it utilizes the Neural Accelerators Apple discussed at the iPhone 17 launch event. This has led to speculation that the gain in the M5’s GPU performance is a result of the Neural Accelerators in each core.

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Now, you might not see an exact 35% improvement in all GPU-intensive applications, but you should notice a significant improvement when you put the M5 iPad Pro to gaming. Besides, the upcoming MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models should also benefit from this. Anyway, the M5 iPad Pro could break cover sometime in October 2025.

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Shikhar Mehrotra

Shikhar Mehrotra is a seasoned technology writer and reviewer with over five years of experience covering consumer tech across India and global markets. At Smartprix, he has authored more than 1,700 articles, including news stories, features, comparisons, and product reviews spanning automobiles, smartphones, chipsets, wearables, laptops, home appliances, and operating systems. Shikhar has reviewed flagship devices such as the iPhone 16, Galaxy S25+, and Sennheiser HD 505 Open-Ear headphones. He also contributes regularly to Smartprix’s growing automotive section.

With a deep understanding of both iOS and Android ecosystems, Shikhar specializes in daily tech news, how-to explainers, product comparisons, and in-depth reviews. His DSLR photography in product reviews is recognized as among the best on the team.

Before joining Smartprix, Shikhar wrote for leading publications including Forbes Advisor India, Republic World, and ScreenRant. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Lucknow.

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