14-inch iPad Pro tipped to feature powerful M3 Pro chip

A leaker said a few days ago that Apple is working on a 14.1-inch iPad Pro to run a special version of iPadOS 17. The device would support up to two 6K displays running at 60Hz, and run on an M3 Pro System-on-Chip (SoC). There’s a lot to digest in there, and we’re far from getting any confirmation. But a week later, a different leaker claims that the 14-inch iPad Pro will feature the M3 Pro chip, a processor that Apple has yet to unveil.

Apple’s newest chips are the M2 Pro and M2 Max that power the 2023 MacBook Pro models. Later this year, Apple should unveil the M3 SoC, which will be available via the expected 13.6-inch MacBook Air and legacy MacBook Pro refreshes.

An M3 Pro and its M2 Max equivalent shouldn’t drop until 2024, considering Apple’s M-series chip release cycle so far.

As for the iPad Pro models, they’ve only received M1 and M2 chip versions to date. The M3 should also power future iPad Pro versions. A move to M3 Pro for the iPad seems inconceivable. The Pro and Max chips are more powerful. They require a fan for cooling inside MacBook Pro models.

But then again, Apple can do anything it wants with its silicon. And the M3 SoCs should be more efficient than their predecessors. Maybe Apple has found a way to put the M3 Pro inside the 14-inch iPad Pro without active cooling. This is just speculation, however, based on this tweet:

Insider Tech_Reve posts plenty of tech rumors on their Twitter handle, including recent developments concerning mobile chips that would rival Apple’s M-series silicon.

It’s unclear where the user obtains their information from. But Tech_Reve discussed the Exynos 2400 chip from Samsung that might power some Galaxy S24 versions next year.

It’s too early to get excited about a 14-inch iPad running on an M3 Pro chip. It still feels like Apple is yet to take advantage of the M2 and M1 chips on iPad. Apple would also need to deploy exciting software to run on that M3 Pro chip.

On that note, analyst941, the leaker who first mentioned the M3 Pro option for the 14-inch iPad last week, claims that Apple is indeed working on new software for the iPad.

If the information is accurate, iPadOS might get Final Cut Pro in 2024, with Logic Pro to follow a year later.

Interestingly, analyst941 offered lots of exciting claims recently. The iPhone 15 Pro’s USB-C port will support external monitors, the person said on Twitter. Moreover, they said the Dynamic Island will move to iPad and Mac in the future. We’ll have to wait for Apple’s upcoming announcements to see if any of these claims can be confirmed.