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ZDNET's key takeaways
- Apple debuts the new MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max.
- Prices start $200 higher.
- The models support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Apple has unveiled its latest MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The new models are $200 more than the previous generation, with higher starting memory and storage, faster SSD read and write speeds, improved battery life, and a host of connectivity upgrades.
For high-end, pro work
The new MacBook Pro with M5 Pro comes with a standard 1TB of local storage (2TB standard for the M5 Max), with read and write speeds of up to 14.5GB/s, exemplifying its use case for pro workflows and high-end video editing.
Also: Everything Apple may unveil at its March event: MacBook M5, iPad 12, and more
The M5 chips utilize Apple's new Fusion architecture, unifying the CPU, GPU, and neural engine into a single SoC (system on a chip) with up to an 18-core CPU, six efficiency cores, and 12 performance cores.
Apple increased unified memory and storage ceilings in the M5 Pro, with up to 64GB of memory (up from 48GB in the M4 Pro) and a baseline of 1TB SSD storage. The M5 Max stays capped at 128GB of unified memory, and it boasts faster bandwidth speeds of up to 614GB/s.
Also: The new MacBook Air M5 costs $100 more – here's what that gets you
Apple's new N1 wireless networking chip (also found in the new MacBook Air M5) enables support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, along with Thunderbolt 5 ports.
Improved performance
Apple flaunts improved AI and GPU performance, with the M5 chips delivering an overall 50% increase in graphics performance. The official press release includes a flurry of numbers and statistics contextualizing the new hardware's improvements over previous generations, particularly with respect to the M5 Pro and M5 Max 18-core CPU and new 12 performance cores. Notably:
- 4x faster LLM prompt processing than the M4 Max
- 3.8x faster AI image generation than the M4 Max
- 3x faster video effects rendering performance in DaVinci Resolve compared to the M4 Max
- 3.5x faster AI-powered video enhancing in Topaz compared to the M4 Max
Also: The iPhone 17e is here: 6 ways Apple just upgraded its cheapest phone
Apple also cites improvements to battery life, with up to 24 hours unplugged and fast charging of up to 50% in 30 minutes (with a 96W USB-C power adapter).
Pricing and availability
As previously mentioned, prices for the M5 MacBook Pro models are seeing a slight bump to correspond with the beefier hardware.
- 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro: $2,699
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro: $2,199
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max: $3,599
- 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max: $3,899
Also: Apple's new M4 iPad Air is here – and it's twice as fast as your old M1 model
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors will go on preorder March 4, with general availability on March 11.
