The MacBook Pro just received its major 2026 upgrade with the switch to newly unveiled M5 Max and M5 Pro processors. At Apple’s New York launch event (with the Pro showcased alongside the MacBook Neo and the 2026, M5-equipped MacBook Air), I got some hands on time with the MacBook Pro, in both 14- and 16-inch sizes. The MacBook Pro received some substantial changes, but you wouldn’t know it just by looking at it, since the exterior design is identical to the previous version…and the one before that.
Check Out the New MacBook Pros…
Design and Feel: The Old Reliable Pro
Apple’s chassis design hasn’t changed, but its updated Fusion processor packaging and the massive jump in base storage make this the most significant internal overhaul we’ve seen in years. The outside remains the same: a sleek aluminum exterior in low-key, business-friendly shades of anodized aluminum.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
The profile has a consistent thickness from front to back, unlike older wedge-like chassis on legacy MacBook products. Its port selection remains the same, which is actually great news since I appreciate the particular mix on this design. The highlights are the three Thunderbolt 5 ports, a full-size HDMI connection (for video output up to 8K resolution), and an SDXC card slot. The MagSafe 3 charging port rounds out the connections, offering snag-proof power and fast charging.
The keyboard and touchpad also keep everything we like about them—read our previous MacBook Pro reviews to see how we feel about them.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
One feature I appreciated a little more today (even if it’s not new) is the nano-texture glass option for the display. Under the direct lighting in the Apple demo space, the MacBook Pro with this specially surfaced display was notably glare-free. The screen showed no reflections to disrupt my photos, and its readability was superb in this setting. It’s an extra you’ll pay more for, but if screen glare will be an issue where you will work (outdoors? near a plate-glass window?), this effectively suppresses it.
As I said, the MacBook Pro’s exterior looks the same across both the 14- and 16-inch models. For the MacBook Pro, all the important changes happen on the inside.
Bigger on the Inside: Chips, Storage, and Wi-Fi
The outside may be the same, but this Pro has a lot more going on inside than in years past. Let’s start with the simple stuff: The base storage capacity has doubled, with the 14-inch M5 and M5 Pro models starting at 1TB and the M5 Max at 2TB—a change that might take some of the sting out of the base prices climbing by $100. Even better? Those bigger drives are also faster, as SSD speeds have doubled to a blistering 14.5GBps read/write, according to Apple.
The Wi-Fi hardware also sees a boost, thanks to the new Apple N1 radio inside. With the new radio chip, the MacBook Pro finally steps up to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, closing the gap with premium Windows laptops and delivering faster, more reliable performance.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
But the biggest change happens on the nanometer scale, as the MacBook Pro now has access to the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. We saw the base M5 processor in the 14-inch MacBook Pro last year, but now the 14- and 16-inch models step up to M5 Pro and M5 Max, getting more cores, bigger GPUs, and adding neural acceleration.
The core counts have increased, ranging from 15 cores on the M5 Pro to 18 cores in the top configurations. Apple has also renamed its high-performance cores “Super Cores,” considering their enhanced throughput as worthy of a new classification. Part of the justification for this is a new category of cores between the old performance cores (now dubbed “Super”) and efficiency cores: a new core known as “performance.” (Confusing, I know.)
Get Our Best Stories!
Love All Things Apple?
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
This new, now “mid-pack” performance core lacks the maxed-out single-threaded speeds of the newly named Super Cores, but it can handle multithreaded demands with better efficiency and dynamic range without the efficiency cores’ limitations. Efficiency cores are still around on the base M5 chip, but the new M5 Pro and M5 Max drop them completely in favor of the new performance cores and Super Cores.
To sum up, M5 has some new cores in town: Super delivers peak single-threaded capability, performance cores are for multithreaded tasks in the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and the efficiency cores are the energy-sipping option on the base model.
-
Super cores: Peak single-thread speed
-
Performance cores: The new multithreaded workhorses
-
Efficiency cores: Now only on the base M5
The core nomenclature hides another change. Where past M-series chips put the CPU and GPU on the same die, delivering discrete-GPU levels of power while still taking advantage of Apple’s unified memory, the new M5 Pro and M5 Max use a low-latency interconnect called Fusion to make the CPU and GPU die work as one.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
This tech has its roots in the UltraFusion interconnect used to weld two Max-class M-series chip dies together for the Ultra processors found in the Mac Studio. But this new Fusion isn’t for doubling up CPU power. Fusing the separate CPU and GPU dies within the M5 Pro and M5 Max enables them to both access the unified memory and leverage the full power of the neural accelerators. The latter will be applicable to local AI, machine learning, and Apple Intelligence workloads.
Recommended by Our Editors
Speaking of the GPU, the new M5 Pro and M5 Max are getting the same neural-accelerated GPU cores that were introduced on M5. Where the M5 chip saw a huge graphics boost from just 10 of these cores, the M5 Pro has 20, and the M5 Max has 40, which you can expect will translate into even more capable graphics.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
One more cool thing about all this beefed-up processing hardware is that Apple actually estimates longer battery life than ever, leveraging the efficiency of the third-generation 3-nanometer (nm) process to stretch the power to a full 24 hours. We’ve actually seen past MacBook Pro models hit the 24-hour mark in our battery rundown test before, but it’s the first time Apple has claimed it for one of these powerful MacBooks. So I’m excited to see what that actually means in testing.
Pricing and Availability: What You’ll Pay for the New Pro
The new MacBook Pro models have slightly higher base prices but otherwise follow the usual tiered pricing we’ve seen in the past.
The 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro base model is now $1,699—up from the $1,599 when I reviewed the M5 version last year. That does come with the larger, faster 1TB storage, but it is otherwise the same straight-M5 model that sold for $1,599 last fall.
As for the new models, the MacBook Pro 14-inch with M5 Pro starts at $2,199, while the M5 Max version is $3,599. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is available for $2,699 (M5 Pro) and $3,899 with the M5 Max.
Preorders are now open, with units hitting shelves on March 11th.
Check Out the New MacBook Pros…
About Our Expert
Brian Westover
Principal Writer, Hardware
Experience
From the laptops on your desk to satellites in space and AI that seems to be everywhere, I cover many topics at PCMag. I’ve covered PCs and technology products for over 15 years at PCMag and other publications, among them Tom’s Guide, Laptop Mag, and TWICE. As a hardware reviewer, I’ve handled dozens of MacBooks, 2-in-1 laptops, Chromebooks, and the latest AI PCs. As the resident Starlink expert, I’ve done years of hands-on testing with the satellite service. I also explore the most valuable ways to use the latest AI tools and features in our Try AI column.
Read Full Bio
