- The M5 iPad Pro is rumored to have two front cameras, but this is uncertain
- Two unboxing videos seem to contradict each other
- We’ll know for sure when the M5 iPad Pro launches in a few weeks
Last week saw a major Apple leak as the upcoming M5 iPad Pro was unboxed in detail by several prominent Russian YouTubers. It’s the second time a seemingly real Apple product has escaped containment before launch, with the M4 MacBook Pro being revealed ahead of schedule in October 2024. And with almost every M5 iPad Pro secret being thrust into the light, we’ve now received the answer to most of our questions – except one.
Back in July, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman claimed that Apple was working on adding a second front-facing camera to the M5 iPad Pro. The first unboxing video that revealed this device (posted by YouTuber Wylsacom) seemed to suggest that it would come with a single-front facing lens, as Wylsacom said this element was identical to the M4 iPad Pro – which, as you might have guessed, only has one camera on the front.
Yet in his Power On newsletter posted this weekend, Gurman said that he could “say with certainty” that the M5 iPad Pro would in fact feature two front-facing cameras. And now, we seem to have confirmation of that idea.
That’s because a second Russian YouTuber (Romancev768) managed to get hold of a leaked M5 iPad Pro, and their unboxing video specifically showed off the second front-facing camera. In their video, you can see one lens on the tablet’s long edge and another on its short side.
Romancev768 noted that the second lens doesn’t appear to be a true camera as they couldn’t take pictures with it, and they mused that it might instead be a sensor to help with Apple’s Desk View video feature.
On the other hand, the YouTuber also opined that the camera could simply be locked by software and will be unlocked by the time the device launches. Given Gurman’s wording that a second “camera” would be present (not a camera and an extra sensor), the latter option might be the more likely.
Camera enhancements?
Adding a second camera could potentially improve video performance and Face ID recognition, no matter whether you’re using the tablet in portrait or landscape mode. Presumably, the device would just pick the best lens for the job without you having to manually flip it over, which would let you use it in whichever mode is most comfortable.
Interestingly, Gurman didn’t seem to be aware of Romancev768’s video. Seemingly in light of Wylsacom saying that the M5 iPad Pro’s front-facing camera was the same single-lens setup as the M4 model, Gurman noted that Apple has a history of dropping features (like the dual-camera setup) at the eleventh hour, although he added that doing so here would be a “strange, last-minute cut.”
Combined with Romancev768’s uncertainty over the new lens’s capabilities, we can’t be sure that you’ll end up with two “true” cameras if you get the M5 iPad Pro. Ultimately, we’ll have to wait until the device launches before we can be confident.
What else is new?
The M5 iPad Pro unboxing videos gave us more clarity on two other features that have been rumored for Apple’s tablet.
The first is the introduction of the Apple’s M5 chip. According to benchmarks posted by Wylsacom, this chip is about 10% faster in single-core performance and 16% quicker in multi-core testing. As for its graphics output, this is an impressive 34% faster than the M4.
The second change is an increase in the entry-level memory from 8GB to 12GB, which should bring greater performance to the iPad Pro. Interestingly, leaked benchmarks show this 12GB RAM amount being present in the base-level M5 iPad Pro with 256GB of storage. In the M4 version, the 256GB and 512GB models had 8GB of memory, while upping the storage to 1TB or 2TB increased the RAM to 12GB. Whether that means the M5 iPad Pro’s 1TB and 2TB editions will also offer increased memory capacities is unknown for now.
The issue of the front-facing lenses may not yet be resolved, but the M5 iPad Pro is coming into sharper and sharper focus. With its launch expected in the next few weeks, there’s not long until you’ll be able to try out all of its new features.
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