Apple M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro: Everything we know so far

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Design & display rumors

Foundry

• No change to the design expected.
• No changes to the display expected.
• Big changes are said to be coming to the M6 MacBook Pro.

Apple last updated the design of the MacBook Pro in 2021. There was no change to the design of the MacBook Pro when Apple introduced the M5 model. Apple will likely stick with the current design for the M5 Pro and Max models. It’s always possible that a new color makes an appearance—like Space Black in 2023—but for the most part, the MacBook Pro design is set for at least another year.

There have been suggestions that an overhaul of the MacBook design could mark the 20th anniversary of the MacBook Pro (the MacBook Pro launched in January 2006 replacing the PowerBook). However, the rumors aren’t pointing to an early 2026 redesign.

Instead, the bigger changes are expected for the M6 generation. In July 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the M5 MacBook Pro series is to be the last of this current design. Apple appears to be saving the next major design upgrade for the M6 MacBook Pro for 2026. The M6 upgrade is said to include OLED screens, a camera “hole” to replace the notch, and a thinner design.

Display rumors

There is no change to the display on the M5 MacBook Pro, so it’s unlikely that the M5 Max and M5 Pro models will get any screen updates. Although we could see a higher nits brightness rating, up from the current 1,600 nits peak.

As for display support, the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips will continue to differentiate themselves from the base M5 through superior expansion and display support. While the standard M5 is limited to two external displays, the M5 Pro is expected to support at least two 6K displays, and the M5 Max will likely support up to four external displays

More changes to the display could be in the pipeline, but not for this generation. Back in February 11, 2025, The Elec reported that OLED displays for the MacBook Pro were going into production, but these weren’t expected to featured in the laptop until 2026. Unfortunately, the big display changes seem set to arrive with a subsequent generation of MacBook Pro, with rumors, again, pointing to Apple introducing OLED screens for the M6 generation of MacBook Pro.

There could be something even more exciting coming with the M6 generation: a touchscreen! Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple is going to launch a MacBook with a touch screen, and it could arrive on a MacBook Pro as soon as 2026. However, this update is not expected to arrive until the M6 generation and could be delayed until 2027.

Foundry

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Camera

• No change expected.

The M4 MacBook Pro added a 12MP FaceTime camera, a decent upgrade from the 1080p FaceTime camera. The M5 Macook Pro maintains this camera, so it is unlikely the Pro and Max models will gain anything.

However, we could see a similar FaceTime camera update to 18MP as seen on the iPhone 17. The square sensor is less relevant here as the MacBook Pro will only ever be in one orientation, although it could allow for more of the area around a person to be visible.

More changes are rumored for the camera in the M6 generation: reports suggest that in the future we may see a hole-punch webcam instead of notch.

Petter Ahrnstedt

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Processor & performance expectations

• New chip design for the M5 Pro and M5 Max could feature the CPU and GPU on separate blocks.

The M5 MacBook Pro that launched in October 2025 was little more than a chip refresh to the consumer-targeted version of the machine. The Pro and Max variants of the chips are aimed at professionals whose workflows require sustained high performance that exceeds the capabilities of the standard M5 or M4 chips.

The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to be significant upgrades over the M4 Pro and M4 Max and likely to be designed to push the boundaries of Apple Silicon by scaling up core counts and memory interfaces. For each generation, the Pro version of the Apple-made silicon supports more CPUs and more GPUs, more memory, and additional ports, like Thunderbolt 5, that aren’t yet supported at the entry-level.

M5 Pro and M5 Max chips: Rumored features and specifications

The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to represent a significant architectural departure from previous generations, specifically designed to handle the increasing demands of artificial intelligence and parallel processing.

The most significant rumor regarding these high-end chips, involves a fundamental change in how they are constructed. In October 2025, MaxTech’s Vadim Yuryev reported that Apple is working on a new chip design for the M5 Pro and M5 Max that would feature the CPU and GPU on separate blocks.

This modular chip design that could allow more flexible CPU/GPU configurations and would allow customers greater options to configure these components. For example, one could set up a base CPU configuration with a maxed-out GPU. Yuryev stated that this new design is why the M5 Pro and M5 Max were delayed until 2026.

This “SoIC-MH” fabrication process reportedly allows Apple to vertically stack semiconductor chips, which is expected to provide superior heat control and performance compared to the standard 3nm process used in the base M5. These high-end chips are housed in 14-inch and 16-inch chassis that utilize a dual-fan cooling system, whereas the base M5 MacBook Pro relies on a single-fan design that has been noted to run hotter under heavy loads.

While exact core counts for the M5 Pro and Max have not been officially confirmed, they are expected to scale significantly higher than the base M5’s 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU configuration.

• Process Technology: TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process (N3P), offering roughly 10% better efficiency and 5% higher speeds than the M4 series.
• Memory Bandwidth: Expected to follow the ~30% increase seen in the base M5, potentially reaching significantly higher throughput than the M4 Pro/Max.
• GPU Capabilities: Likely to include third-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing and second-generation dynamic caching.
• Connectivity: Confirmed support for Thunderbolt 5, providing up to 120Gbps video rates and 80Gbps data transfer.
• AI Performance: Rumored to feature a “Neural Accelerator” in each GPU core, separate from the standard Neural Engine, to boost AI-based workloads.

Reports had indicated that we can expect a typical performance boost from one chip generation to another – between 15 and 25 percent over the M4 chips.

To summarise, the key performance expectations include:

• Architectural Shifts: Reports suggest these higher-end chips will feature separate CPU and GPU blocks, allowing for more flexible configurations, such as a base CPU paired with a maxed-out GPU to handle parallel processing for AI .
• Memory and Storage: Following the trajectory of the M4 series, the M5 Pro is expected to support at least 48GB of RAM, while the M5 Max could support up to 128GB or more . The Max variant will likely continue to be the only option supporting up to 8TB of storage.
• AI and Graphics: The M5 architecture, which shares core designs with the A19 Pro, is expected to deliver a “nearly 30 percent increase” in memory bandwidth (roughly 153 GB/s for the base M5) and a 4x increase in performance for GPU-based AI workloads . The M5 Pro and Max will scale these gains even further for demanding professional tasks.

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Specs

• N1 chip: Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
• Thunderbolt 5.

With the launch of the M4 MacBook Pro, Apple made a series of upgrades that replaced outdated components, including upping the base RAM to 16GB, bringing Thunderbolt 5 to the M4 Pro and Max models, and offering a Nano-texture glass option. The M5 MacBook Pro saw no changes to the specs other than the processor. The Bluetooth and WiFi remained the same. A new 4TB SSD option was added, but in the U.K. and Europe, Apple has removed the Power Adapter from the box.

However, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to arrive on the MacBook Pro M5 Pro and Max. Apple may also integrate the N1 chip, as used in the iPhone 17, which will bring Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, as well as improve features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

Apple

The entry-level model still only offers Thunderbolt 4, but the Max and Pro will continue to offer Thunderbolt 5.

There are reports that Apple is working on a 5G modem for the Mac, but it’s unlikely to arrive before 2026.

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Release date

• Possible launch spring 2026.
• Could launch at end of January 2026, alongside the Apple Creator Suite.

Apple is expected to release the updated MacBook Pro models featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max chips in the spring of 2026.

Specific details regarding the launch include:

• Spring 2026 Window: Multiple sources indicate that these high-end models are slated for a spring debut.
• Potential January Announcement: There is speculation that Apple could tie the release to the launch of the Apple Creator Suite on January 28, 2026, as both products target the same professional audience.
• Production Status: Reports from early 2025 indicated that fabrication facilities for these “high-end M5 models” were already being prepared, utilizing TSMC’s advanced SoIC-MH process for improved thermal management.

In December 2025, a MacRumors report indicated that a kernel debug kit used by Apple engineers referenced MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, indicating that the update is coming soon.

Why the Delay?

The staggered release – launching the base M5 in late 2025 while holding back the Pro and Max versions – is reportedly due to a significant architectural shift. As discussed above, the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are rumored to feature a new design that separates CPU and GPU blocks, which may allow for greater customization at the time of purchase to meet the parallel processing demands of AI.

New M5 MacBook Pro: Price

• Prices are unlikely to change.

Reports suggest pricing for M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros will align with the current Pro and Max models.

Here are the prices for the current standard configurations of the M4 Pro and Max MacBook Pro, for reference. Prices are unlikely to change.

14-inch MacBook Pro

• $1,999/£1,999: M4 Pro with a 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 5
• $2,399/£2,399: M4 Pro with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 512TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5
• $3,199/£3,199: M4 Max with a 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

16-inch MacBook Pro

• $2,499/£2,499: M4 Pro with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 5
• $2,899/£2,899: M4 Pro with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 48GB unified memory, 512TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5
• $3,499/£3,499: M4 Max with a 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5
• $3,999/£3,999: M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 48GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

The M5 MacBook Pro prices haven’t changed, but in the U.K. and Europe the Power Adapter will cost extra:

• $1,599/£1,599: M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4
• $1,799/£1,799: M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 4
• $1,999/£1,999: M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 1GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4

Read our comparison of every Mac Apple sells: Every Apple Mac and MacBook compared.