Apple MacBook Pro M5 release date, price, specs, and must-know features
MacBook Pro for illustrative purposes. | Image by Apple
MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max now officially here
What's changed vs the MacBook Pro M4 Pro:
- Apple already announced the M5 MacBook Pro in October 2025
- In March, the M5 Pro and M5 Max-powered models from the lineup were announced
- M5 Pro and M5 Max engineered from the ground up for AI
- Existing design is retained
- Faster AI tasks
- No significant camera upgrades
- The M5 Pro and M5 Max powered MacBook Pro models were announced on March 2, 2026.
- The regular M5-powered MacBook Pro model was announced on October 15, 2025.
Expected price:
- M5 Pro model starts at $2,199 for the 14-inch version, while the 16-inch model starts at $2,699.
- M5 Max model, on the other hand, starts at $3,599 for the 14-inch version and $3,899 for the 16-inch version.
MacBook Pro M5 models release date
A 14-inch MacBook Pro with the base M5 chip was released on October 15, 2025. The 14-inch and 16-inch models with the beefier M5 Pro and M5 Max chips were announced on March 2, 2026, with general availability starting on March 11, 2026.
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max | March 2, 2026 | March 11, 2026 |
| MacBook Pro with M5 | October 15, 2025 | Octber 22, 2025 |
| MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 Max | October 30, 2024 | November 8, 2024 |
| MacBook Pro with M4 | October 30, 2024 | November 8, 2024 |
MacBook Pro M5 price
Prices for the new 14-inch version with M5 start at $1,599 (that's the entry-level 16GB/512GB version). The M5 Pro model starts at $1,699, and the M5 Max one at $3,599 (prices both for the 14-inch model).
| MacBook Pro model | 14-inch, starting price | 16-inch, starting price |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro with M5 Pro chip | $2,199 | $2,699 |
| MacBook Pro with M5 Max chip | $3,599 | $3,899 |
| MacBook Pro with M5 chip | $1,599 | - |
| MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip | $1,999 | $2,499 |
| MacBook Pro with M4 Max chip | $3,199 | $3,499 |
Of course, choosing different memory and storage combinations will make these prices fluctuate. Meanwhile, the M5 Pro model now comes starting with 1 TB of SSD storage as a standard, while the M5 Max' storage starts at 2 TB.
Design and ports
There aren't any changes to the MacBook Pro design language.
Apple is saving its MacBook Pro redesign for the future MacBook Pro M6 generation, which could be out in late 2026 or early 2027, so the M5 flavor of its powerful laptop range is not getting any aesthetic changes.
The MacBook Pro still utilizes the well-known slab design language with flat frames and slightly rounded edges and corners here and there. Honestly, it's a design language that doesn't need an introduction or any significant change: it's perfectly adequate as it is right now.
Apple isn't changing the design language anytime soon. | Image by Apple
The device is available in two size flavors: 14-inch and 16-inch ones.
Due to the lack of any design changes, the laptop retails its usual dimensions. The smaller-sized and more compact 14-incher measures 31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55 cm and weighs 1.6 kg, whereas the beefier 16-inch model measures 35.57 x 24.81 x 1.68 cm and tips the scales at 2.14 kg.
The keyboard remains a 78/79-button QWERTY with a Touch ID embedded in the power button.
The MacBook Pro keyboard is a joy to type on. | Image by Apple
We love the current iteration of the MacBook Pro keyboard, which is very comfortable to type on, all things considered. Sure, you might have a $400 mechanical keyboard with custom switches that's subjectively better, but for what it is, the MacBook Pro keyboard is among its strengths.
The large and super-useful capacitive trackpad is yet another highlight of the MacBook Pro that's definitely staying. If Apple is eyeing any updates to that, they'll possibly be on the inside.
Color-wise, we do hope that Apple spices things up with a new MacBook Pro color with the M5 generation. We know, we know, a laptop is not a fashion statement, and the usual Space Black and Silver blend well into the professional scene, but a slightly more colorful new paint job option would be appreciated by many.
Ports
In terms of ports, Apple doesn't add any extra ones, but it doesn't remove any ports either.
That's mostly fine, as the current port selection on the MacBook Pro M5 is pretty decent in comparison with the more affordable MacBook Air, but of course many Windows-powered rivals offer an even more flexible selection in terms of I/O connections.
The MacBook Pro with M4, released roughly a year ago, kept the formula unchanged. On the left-hand side, we get the MagSafe 3 port dedicated for charging, dual USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
MacBook Pro ports, left side. | Image by Apple
On the right-hand side, we get the dedicated HDMI port, another Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, and an SDXC card slot.
MacBook Pro ports, right side. | Image by Apple
One thing that's important to mention here for the M5 Pro and M5 Max models is the addition of Thunderbolt 5 support. On the base M5 model, we have Thunderbolt 4, which is limited to 40Gb/s, while the M5 Pro and M5 Max-powered devices come with Thunderbolt 5, which gets more than double the speeds –120Gb/s.
Display
As we mentioned, no big upgrade came to the MacBook Pro M5 lineup.
Display sizes remain 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch. The 14.2-inch one comes with 3024-by-1965 native resolution, while the 16.2-inch one comes with 3456-by-2234 resolution. Both can hit 1,600 nits of brightness in HDR mode and 1,000 nits in SDR mode. Both also have smooth ProMotion, of course.
| MacBook Pro M5 | MacBook Pro M4 |
|---|---|
| Peak brightness 1,000 nits SDR 1,000 nits XDR sustained 1,600 nits HDR | Peak brightness 1,000 nits SDR 1,000 nits XDR sustained 1,600 nits HDR |
| Display technology mini-LED | Display technology mini-LED |
| Display refresh rate 120Hz ProMotion | Display refresh rate 120Hz ProMotion |
| Display Size 14.2-inch 16.2-inch | Display Size 14.2-inch 16.2-inch |
| Display resolution 3024 x 1964 (14") 3456 x 2234 (16") | Display resolution 3024 x 1964 (14") 2880 x 1864 (16") |
Performance and Memory
The big upgrade with the MacBook Pro M5 is the 3nm chipset inside.
The most basic one gets the base M5 chip. Pro users can choose between powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which offer higher CPU and GPU core counts and therefore better performance.
The base M5 is available only in a 14-inch version; you're unable to get the larger 16-inch model with the base chipset.
The M5 Pro features an 18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores, and a 20-core GPU. The M5 Max takes this even further with a 32-core GPU, while keeping the same CPU core count. All M5 processors come with 16-core Neural engine. Of course, memory bandwidths differ between the configurations, with the highest you can get being the M5 Max (612 GB/s memory bandwidth for the 40-core GPU version).
| MacBook Pro 14" M5 | MacBook Pro 14"/16" M5 Pro | MacBook Pro 14"/16" M5 Max |
|---|---|---|
| Memory 16GB 24GB 32GB | Memory 24GB Configurable to 36 GB (M5 Max with 32-core GPU), 48 GB (M5 Pro or Max with 40-core GPU), 64 GB (M4 Pro or M5 Mac with 40-core GPU), or 128 GB (M5 Max with 40-core GPU) | Memory 36 GB Configurable to 48 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB (M5 Max with 40-core GPU) |
| Storage 1TB 2TB 4TB | Storage 1TB 2TB 4TB | Storage 2TB 4TB 8TB |
If you want a model with the M5 Pro chip, you get starting storage of 1 TB, while the M5 Max one starts at 2 TB. Of course, you can choose to max everything out, as Apple gives you plenty of options to do just that.
The M5 Pro and Max chips are engineered with a strong focus on AI tasks. They have up to 18 cores for their CPU with 6 super cores and 12 all-new performance cores.
Thanks to these new chips, the MacBook Pro (M5 Pro and M5 Max) can now reach up to 4x faster LLM prompt processing than the M4 Pro and M4 Max, as well as a 50% increase in graphics performance.
Apple is also bringing an increase in unified memory bandwidth, again intending to power AI model training or massive video projects. Storage is also faster now in terms of read/write performance.
Software
The laptops come with macOS 26 Tahoe, which delivers the blessing (or the curse, depending on the perspective) of Liquid Glass to the MacBook lineup. With a universal and cohesive design language that is shared between macOS, iOS, watchOS, and visionOS, Liquid Glass delivers more than a simple redesign. It is a sign that Apple aims to bolster the draw of its ecosystem, starting with the aesthetics.
Aside from the new looks, Tahoe also gives us Live Activities on the Mac, allows for Control Center customization, folder customization with symbols, emoji, and colors, the Phone and Games apps, a new icon tinting option, Shortcuts automations, Metal 4 support, and last but absolutely not least, enhanced Spotlight Search, which doubles as an app launcher.
However, Tahoe also sunsets the LaunchPad. If you've been a devoted fan of it, bad luck for you.
Battery and charging
Battery life depends on the size and chip you choose.
Here are the 14-inch model estimations, according to Apple:
| Model (14-inch) | Battery size | Battery life | Charging |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro M5 | 72.4Wh | Up to 25 hours video streaming Up to 16 hours wireless web | 70 W USB-C Power Adapter, Fast-charge capable with 96 W USB-C Power Adapter or higher |
| MacBook Pro M5 Pro | 72.4Wh | Up to 22 hours video streaming Up to 14 hours wireless web | 70 W USB-C Power Adapter, Fast-charge capable with 96 W USB-C Power Adapter or higher |
| MacBook Pro M5 Max | 72.4Wh | Up to 20 hours video streaming Up to 13 hours wireless web | 96 W USB-C Power Adapter |
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is available only with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip.
| Model (16-inch) | Battery size | Battery life | Charging |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro M5 Pro | 100Wh | Up to 24 hours video streaming Up to 17 hours wireless web | 140W USB-C Power Adapter |
| MacBook Pro M5 Max | 100Wh | Up to 22 hours video streaming Up to 16 hours wireless web | 140W USB-C Power Adapter |
Should you wait for the MacBook Pro M5?
- You should wait for the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max if you want the ultimate power experience from a MacBook Pro model that Apple can offer in 2026.
- You should not wait for the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max if you are currently rocking an M4 Pro or Max-powered MacBook Pro. The bigger upgrade for you could come with the M6 release next year.
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