M5 iPad Pro to gain dual front-facing cameras in late 2025

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in Future Apple Hardware edited July 20

The M5 iPad Pro, currently expected to launch in October 2025, will come with more than just a new chip and a thinner bezel: Apple will add a second front-facing camera in the formerly traditional portrait orientation.

The M5 iPad Pro will likely sport two front-facing cameras in vertical and horizontal positions.
The M5 iPad Pro will likely sport two front-facing cameras in vertical and horizontal positions.



The next iPad Pro will most prominently feature the M5 processor. The forthcoming update is said to have been in testing since at least March.

However, a new report says another big change is coming. Apple will add a second front-facing camera in order to make it easier for users to unlock the device when using it in its traditional vertical position, according to Bloomberg.

It's likely that the same sensors that orient the display to landscape or portrait mode will also choose which front camera to use.

Apple moved the front-facing camera to the landscape orientation when it released the M4 iPad Pro in May 2024, along with making the device thinner and lighter. This made it possible to use Face ID while turned horizontally, as well as facilitating more use for videoconferencing and selfies.

Rumors have suggested that the bezels on the front of the M5 iPad Pro could also shrink further due to changes in the OLED display. This could make it necessary to change the design of the front-facing cameras in order to fit within the reduced bezel space.

Longstanding rumors of a foldable iPad or iPad Pro with a larger screen size are still expected to come to fruition, but on track for a debut in 2027 or possibly 2028.

The iPad Pro was first introduced in late 2015. This was quickly followed by a one-off 9.7-inch iPad Pro in early 2016, followed by successive 11-inch and 12.9-inch generations in 2017 and 2018.

The roughly annual updates continued up to the sixth-gen model in October of 2022. The current seventh-gen model arrived in May of 2024.

If the eighth-gen arrives in the fall of 2025 as expected, an M6 iPad Pro could debut as soon as early 2027.

Rumor Score: Likely

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    anthogaganthogag Posts: 124member
    Wow, this is some potentially good news. A camera back to portrait location would be great. One reason I didn't upgrade my 12.9 M2 iPad Pro to the current M4 is the camera moving to landscape. I use the Pencil with my iPad.

    Some more iPad good news would be a 16" iPad Pro. 
    edited July 20
    williamlondon
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  • Reply 2 of 7
    sloth77sloth77 Posts: 62member
    "Apple moved the front-facing camera to the landscape orientation when it released the M4 iPad Pro in May 2024, along with making the device thinner and lighter. This made it possible to use Face ID while turned horizontally"

    It has always been possible to unlock the iPad in either orientation, regardless of camera placement.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 7
    dewmedewme Posts: 6,096member
    Interestingly enough I have never encountered a single issue with my M2 11" iPad Pro FaceID feature when using the device in landscape orientation. I suppose it's a little tougher when the camera is on the longer side of the device. I hope Apple keeps the 11" iPad Pro in the lineup. With the Magic Keyboard it's the closest thing you can get to the old 11" MacBook Air, only 10X better in every way. 
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 7
    yyzguyyyzguy Posts: 77member
    I sure wish they’d put a Touch ID sensor on the back side of the iPad, even for models with Face ID.
    williamlondon
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  • Reply 5 of 7
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,778member
    sloth77 said:
    "Apple moved the front-facing camera to the landscape orientation when it released the M4 iPad Pro in May 2024, along with making the device thinner and lighter. This made it possible to use Face ID while turned horizontally"

    It has always been possible to unlock the iPad in either orientation, regardless of camera placement.
    Yes it has. But sometimes it takes longer when you're using the iPad Pro vertically, or accidentally obscuring the camera when you're holding it. Having two cameras will prevent that being an issue.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 7
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,778member
    yyzguy said:
    I sure wish they’d put a Touch ID sensor on the back side of the iPad, even for models with Face ID.
    That seems unlikely. The Touch ID button design on the iPad was the trickiest one to use. I still have clients who struggle with it. This was less of an issue when the Touch ID was a larger, rounded button on the bottom (aka the home button).
    dewmeappleinsideruser
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  • Reply 7 of 7
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,712member
    What I’ve noticed is that while the only times I had problems unlocking my 13” in the horizontal position with the vertical positioned camera, was if I was holding it there with my hand and had the camera covered, where it would tell me and I’d take my hand away.

    but with FaceTime on the landscape side, the unlocking is a lot more UNRELIABLE. Now, if my face isn’t high enough, and I’m not looking up, it fails. And yes, I have the “attention” feature turned off. When I mentioned this to an Apple employe, he smiled at me. So yeah, Apple knows something isn’t right with this. I hope they fix this, this year. To say that it’s annoying, is to be extremely restrained in my reaction.
    muthuk_vanalingam
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