The next iteration of the iPad Pro is likely to be focused on refining and improving performance rather than any radical design changes. But alongside faster chips and battery efficiency, it could also pack a somewhat overdue feature to keep it among the best tablets you can buy.
According to Bloomberg, Apple may introduce vapor cooling to the iPad Pro "to improve sustained performance and reduce overheating." The site is also claiming we could see four new iPad Pro models arrive with the generational refresh in spring 2027. This would likely be the variants we're familiar with: 11 and 13-inch options, with each one coming in either a Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi+Cellular configuration.
If you're not familiar with vapor cooling, it involves a sealed cavity within the device filled with a network of metal strands and a small amount of fluid. In the case of the iPhone 17 Pro Max (which arrived with the upgrade back in September), the fluid is deionized water that evaporates and moves to the cooler side of the chamber when the phone heats up. As it does this, it takes some of the heat energy with it and, once it condenses, it flows back to the warmer part of the chamber to start the cycle again.
Adding proper thermal management to the iPad Pro (more on that down below) is one thing, but I wouldn't be surprised to see an M7 processor on the next iPad Pro as a one-two punch performance upgrade.
There's some strong suggestion Apple will skipping the M6 Pro and M6 Max and go straight to an M7 MacBook Pro next year. Considering the base M5 processor debuted simultaneously on the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro in 2025, it's seriously likely we could see the same thing occur next spring.
The trade-off Apple needs to make
When Apple launched the iPad Pro last fall, it went all-in on making it the thinnest device it had ever made. And it did so without an advert that created enough backlash it had to be pulled off the air. But while getting the iPad Pro down to a razor-thin 5.1mm is a remarkable achievement, it came at the cost of thermal throttling.
Consider the fact you have a desktop-grade processor inside a wafer-thin aluminum slab, and it's not surprising you start running into some heat during pro workloads.
I'm no industrial designer, but if a thicker iPad Pro chassis was needed to accommodate a vapor cooling system, I'd approve of the change. Anyone prepared to pay for the iPad Pro wants top-level performance, peak graphics and AI processing without worrying about overheating.
Those Apple customers who prioritize a thin and light device will still have the iPad Air ready and waiting for them. Which, incidentally, is still the best tablet we recommend for most people.
Would you be happy to sacrifice a bit of portability for performance in the next iPad Pro? Let me know your thoughts below.
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