Apple on Tuesday introduced updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by its all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, promising major gains in CPU, graphics and on-device artificial intelligence performance.
The new MacBook Pro delivers up to four times faster AI workloads than the previous generation and up to eight times the AI performance of M1-based models, Apple said. The company positioned the machines for developers, researchers and creative professionals who want to run large language models and advanced AI tools locally, without relying on cloud computing.
At the core of the update are the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, built on Apple’s new Fusion Architecture, which combines two dies into a single system-on-a-chip. Both processors feature up to an 18-core CPU, including six high-performance “super cores” and 12 efficiency-focused performance cores, delivering up to 30% faster CPU performance, according to Apple.
The chips also introduce a next-generation GPU with a Neural Accelerator embedded in every core, enabling faster AI inference, image generation and 3D rendering. Apple said graphics performance is up to 50% higher than on M4 Pro and M4 Max systems, supporting real-time work on complex 3D scenes and visual effects.
Memory and storage bandwidth were also boosted. The M5 Pro supports up to 64GB of unified memory with bandwidth of up to 307GB/s, while the M5 Max scales to 128GB and 614GB/s. Storage speeds are up to twice as fast as the prior generation, reaching up to 14.5GB/s. Starting storage has been increased to 1TB for M5 Pro models and 2TB for M5 Max configurations.
Apple also added its new N1 wireless chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 to the MacBook Pro lineup. The laptops support Thunderbolt 5, HDMI with up to 8K output, SDXC card slots and MagSafe 3 charging, and can drive up to four high-resolution external displays on M5 Max models.
Battery life remains a key selling point, with Apple claiming up to 24 hours of use on a single charge, while maintaining full performance whether plugged in or running on battery power. The devices feature a Liquid Retina XDR display with an optional nano-texture finish, a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, studio-quality microphones and a six-speaker audio system with Spatial Audio support.
The new MacBook Pro ships with macOS Tahoe, which expands Apple Intelligence features, enhances Spotlight search and introduces Live Translation across Messages, FaceTime and phone calls, while keeping AI processing on device for privacy, Apple said.
Pre-orders open March 4, with availability beginning March 11. In the United States, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,199, while M5 Max configurations start at $3,599. The laptops are available in space black and silver.