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Apple is holding a series of product reveals this week, but one that many have had their eye on is the reveal of fresh MacBook Pro models featuring the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
While touchscreen Macs are reportedly on their way, this announcement is an update of what the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 model kicked off last year. We get a similar chassis, but a much more powerful chip, along with other refinements.
MacBook Pro M4 Pro/Max vs MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max: Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max | MacBook Pro M4 Pro/Max |
Starting price | From $2199 (M5 Pro, 14 inch) | From $1999 (M4 Pro, 14 inch) |
Display | 14.2 inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 3024x1964 resolution. 16.2 inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 3456x2234 resolution. | 14.2 inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 3024x1964 resolution. 16.2 inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 3456x2234 resolution. |
Chipset | M4 Pro or M4 Max | M4 Pro or M4 Max |
RAM | 16GB, 24GB, 36 GB, 48GB, 64GB and 128GB options | 24GB, 36GB, 48GB options |
Storage | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB options |
Ports | SDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port | SDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port |
Front camera | 12MP Center Stage Camera | 12MP Center Stage Camera |
Size | 8.71x12.31x0.61 inches (14 inch) 9.77x14.01x0.66 inches (16 inch) | 8.71x12.31x0.61 inches (14 inch) 9.77x14.01x0.66 inches (16 inch) |
Weight | 3.4 lbs (14 inch), 4.7 lbs (16 inch) | 3.4 lbs (14 inch), 4.7 lbs (16 inch) |
Colors | Space Black, Silver | Space Black, Silver |
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max vs MacBook Pro M4 Pro/Max: Price
The MacBook Pro M5 Pro starts at $2199. Meanwhile, the 16-inch M5 Pro now starts at $2,699. In short, both models cost $200 more than their respective predecessors' starting prices.
The base M5 model isn't available for the 16-inch form factor, so that one starts at $2699 with the M5 Pro, 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Apple is no longer selling the M4 Pro/Max models of these laptops.
Apple is justifying these hikes by doubling the base storage. You can no longer get a Pro MacBook with 512GB; everything now starts at 1TB for the Pro and 2TB for the Max. If you were already planning to upgrade your storage on the M4, the price jump is essentially a wash, but it raises the barrier to entry.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max vs MacBook Pro M4 Pro/Max: Design and display
This year's model certainly looks familiar because it carries the same design that debuted in 2021 with the M1 Pro models of the MacBook Pro.
It might be getting a little long in the tooth, but Apple seems committed to the current design at least until touchscreen Macs arrive.
That means you get a 14-inch or 16-inch model, with both packing the Liquid Retina XDR display for high resolution and high contrast, as well as ProMotion for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz, which is ideal for gaming or smoother scrolling.
As with the base 14-inch MacBook Pro M5, you can upgrade to a nano-texture glass display, which does an excellent job of reducing screen glare. Just be aware that this upgrade costs an extra $150.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max vs MacBook Pro M4 Pro/Max: Performance
The new laptops feature the equally new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Apple says these chips leverage the company's new Fusion Architecture to scale the capabilities of Apple silicon, while preserving performance, power efficiency, and unified memory architecture.
As for real-world numbers, the M5 Pro has 20 percent increased graphical performance over the M4 Pro model, according to Apple. The company also says the improved CPU boosts performance by 30 percent.
Thanks to the new Fusion Architecture that connects two dies on a single SoC (system on a chip), the CPU is an 18-core beast with 6 'super cores' from the M5 and 12 performance cores. The 16-core Neural Engine is faster for AI features, too, and there are Thunderbolt 5 ports for connectivity, along with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Speaking of new chips, the M5 Pro and M5 Max now have the Apple N1 chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 to Apple’s most powerful laptops. Thunderbolt 5 is also now standard on all Pro and Max models, which is a major win for anyone using high-speed external storage or multiple 6K displays.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max vs MacBook Pro M4 Pro/Max: Outlook
The MacBook Pro lineup might just be the best it has ever been right now, but you likely don't need to rush out and upgrade from an M4 Pro or Max model unless you're, well, really running up against the considerable headroom both provide.
For just about anything else, you probably won't notice major differences day to day. But if you're buying a MacBook Pro today and need it to handle heavy workloads, be sure you're opting for the new model.
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