The M5 iPad Pro line has only been around for a few weeks, but already, an enticing rumor about the next iPad Pro tablets has started doing the rounds online. It's no secret that the new Apple M5 chip features some big frame rate improvements for several games, but with no way of cooling the chip inside the new iPads, you run the risk of overheating and performance throttling. However, if the latest industry whispers are true, that issue may not be a problem for the M6 iPads, set to come out in 2027.
According to Mark Gurman over at Bloomberg, the next series of iPad Pros is set to feature a vapor chamber, currently found in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max handsets. For those unaware, this is a way of cooling the chip inside the phone with water vapor, enabling the device to use more power without risk of overheating.
Although the iPad has a larger surface area compared to the biggest and best iPhones, the tablets can still get pretty toasty when running particularly demanding games. In the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the heat from the A19 Pro moves to the vapor chamber, where the water turns into steam, which is then distributed across its aluminum frame design. This means playing the best iPhone games doesn't warm up your iPhone after a short period.
Gurman also revealed that Apple is in an 18-month cycle with iPad upgrades, so don't expect the vapor chamber to appear in the best iPads until 2027 at the earliest.
Whilst the addition of a vapor chamber could be great for both new iPads and your hands, heat-wise, that doesn't take away from the impressive performance potential of the latest iPad Pro. The improvements that the M5 chip brings to iPad gaming are huge, with games such as the Resident Evil 4 remake and Hitman: World of Assassination running at stable frame rates around 50 fps.
Whether you own an M1 iPad Pro or an earlier model, upgrading to an M5-powered iPad is still worth it from a gaming point of view. But if you own an iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max, and you've found it to run cooler than previous iPhones when playing games, there's some foreshadowing of how much better the M6 iPads could run games in the future.
If you've decided to wait for these M6 iPads, check out the other side of the coin with our guides to the best Android phones and the best gaming phones in the meantime. Or, if you're looking for something just to game on without the distractions of endless apps and instant messages, take a look at our list of the best handheld consoles.