October typically means new MacBooks, and Apple is keeping that tradition alive with the just-announced 14-inch MacBook Pro M5. This annual refresh upgrades our longtime best laptop pick for power users with the company’s new M5 chip, which promises some notable performance bumps for everything from AI tasks and coding to 3D rendering and gaming.
It certainly looks like the most powerful MacBook Pro yet, though it’s also a pure specs upgrade that not everyone will need. There’s also no 16-inch option of this new M5 variant, which is peculiar. So, should you preorder the new MacBook Pro ahead of its Oct. 22 release date? Here’s what you need to know and our thoughts on who should upgrade.
The MacBook Pro M5 upgrades our favorite power user laptop with even faster speeds for AI tasks, gaming and graphics work.
The M5 chip promises a big performance bump
This new 14-inch MacBook Pro is physically identical to what Apple put out last year; the big story is what’s inside. We won’t bore you with every technical tweak, but what you need to know is that the notebook’s new M5 chip promises perks like AI video enhancement that’s 7.7 times faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 and up to 1.8 times faster than last year’s MacBook Pro M4. You can also expect up to 6.8 times the 3D rendering performance compared to the M1 model, and up to a 3.2x bump in frame rate performance for gaming.
I’m particularly intrigued by the latter, as the MacBook Pro is slowly but surely becoming a decent gaming laptop alternative, thanks to its growing list of big AAA releases. Apple’s blog post announcing the new notebook was quick to hype up the laptop’s AI performance, so if AI is a big part of your workflow (or you’re among the people that actually use Apple Intelligence), the MacBook Pro M5 should at least be on your radar. Interestingly, Apple doesn’t seem to offering multiple flavors of the M5 chip this time around. Last generation let you choose between M4 Pro and M4 Max chips depending on how much performance you needed. It’s possible that the company is streamlining things a bit with a single chip to rule them all, but recent history would suggest the aforementioned 16-inch model could arrive with more powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max chips at a later date.
The MacBook Pro isn’t the only Apple device set to take advantage of the snazzy new M5 chip either. It’ll be joined by a souped-up iPad Pro M5 that promises similar AI and performance chops. And if you have $3,500 burning a hole in your wallet, the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset also just got an upgraded M5 edition that includes a new Dual Knit Band that Apple claims will be more comfortable.
More of the same great MacBook Pro with one odd quirk
Improved performance aside, this is the same laptop that’s sat near the top of our best Apple MacBook rankings for years now. You’ve got that familiar sleek design in a choice of Silver and the newer Space Black, with a healthy selection of ports that includes three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections, an HDMI port for additional displays and an SDXC card slot for offloading your photos. The same rich Liquid Retina XDR display we loved on previous models is back, as are the system’s booming six-speaker audio setup and reliable 12-megapixel Center Stage camera. The MacBook Pro M5 is rated for the same 24-hour battery life as last year’s model, a claim that bore out to about 19 hours of nonstop 4K video playback in our own testing. There is one other notable spec bump here: The MacBook Pro M5 can be configured with up to a whopping 4TB of storage compared to last year’s 2TB maximum, though doing so will run you at least $3,200.
Interestingly, the new M5 chip is only available for the 14-inch MacBook Pro as of this writing. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is still being sold but with last year’s choice of M4 Pro or M4 Max chips. It’s possible that a 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 is still on the horizon or that Apple simply deems last year’s model to be more than powerful enough for enthusiast users who want a bigger screen (we would agree).
The takeaway
Much as we anticipated, the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 looks to be the fastest version yet of a notebook we’ve loved and recommended for years; however, you should really only consider it if you’re upgrading from a very old MacBook or are getting your first and don’t mind splurging for the best of the best. Folks coming from an MacBook Pro M1 or an Intel-based Mac will notice a huge difference in performance and will get to take advantage of a more modern MacBook Pro design with a much better port selection than before. And while this new MacBook Pro is far from cheap, it’s at least retaining the same starting price of $1,599 that we’ve seen over the past few years.
Still, unless you use demanding AI tools, do a lot of taxing graphical work or want to really crank up the latest Mac games, you’ll likely be served just as well by the latest MacBook Air M4 that starts at a much more attainable $999. We’ll be getting our hands on the MacBook Pro M5 as soon as possible to find out just how big of a leap forward it is, so stay tuned for our comprehensive hands-on review.
FAQs
The 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 starts at $1,599, keeping in line with the same MacBook Pro pricing we’ve seen over the years.
The MacBook Pro M5 is available for preorder now and is set to ship on Oct. 22.
Yes, it does. Unlike the fanless MacBook Air, the latest MacBook Pro models have an internal fan to keep the system at a manageable temperature during demanding tasks.
Why trust CNN Underscored
CNN Underscored has a team of writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been testing the latest tech products for more than a decade now and has gotten his hands on enough MacBooks to know the difference between a boring spec bump and a true upgrade.
Mike Andronico is CNN Underscored's senior tech editor, overseeing coverage of phones, laptops and everything else consumer electronics. When he's not knee deep in review units, you can find him hunting for retro video games, hanging with his French bulldog and playing with his band, Ghost Tour.
