Apple may bring vapor chamber cooling to future iPad Pro models

Apple could be gearing up for a major thermal upgrade to its flagship tablet. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is exploring the use of vapor chamber cooling for future iPad Pro model’s a move that could significantly improve performance and efficiency. The report comes just weeks after Apple refreshed the iPad Pro lineup with the M5 chip, hinting that even more powerful hardware innovations may be on the horizon.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to introduce a vapor chamber cooling system to the next-generation iPad Pro. The upcoming model expected to feature the M6 chip built on TSMC’s 2-nanometer process could be the first iPad to include this advanced cooling technology.

A vapor chamber works by circulating liquid within a sealed structure to spread and dissipate heat evenly across the device. This helps maintain higher sustained performance, reduce thermal throttling, and ensure cooler operation during demanding tasks such as gaming, video editing, and AI-powered workflows. For a tablet like the iPad Pro, this could translate to longer-lasting performance and improved user experience during high-intensity use.

If the move proves successful on the iPhone and iPad Pro, Apple could extend vapor chamber cooling to other passively cooled devices such as the MacBook Air. Gurman also noted that Apple now appears to follow an 18-month refresh cycle for the iPad Pro, suggesting that the next-generation model could arrive around spring 2027.