Apple is planning to release a base MacBook Pro with a standard M5 chip before higher-end models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, according to AppleInsider‘s sources with “knowledge of macOS Tahoe development and hardware testing.”
The report said a MacBook Pro with an M5 chip is “nearing release,” and Apple has apparently been testing this model with an unreleased macOS 26.0.2 version.
14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026, with macOS 26.3 preinstalled, the report added. Following beta testing, macOS 26.3 will likely be released in January.
There is precedent for a decoupled launch. Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip in November 2020, but 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips did not debut until October 2021. Then, the 13-inch MacBook Pro was updated with the M2 chip in June 2022, with 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips following in January 2023.
That trend stopped once the 13-inch MacBook Pro was discontinued. The entire 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro lineup was updated with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips all at once in October 2023, and 14-inch and 16-inch models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips debuted simultaneously in October 2024.
Last month, U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents surfaced for only a single unreleased MacBook Pro model, which further suggests that Apple might be planning to release a base 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip soon, followed by higher-end models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips early next year.
In fact, this split launch could explain why rumors flip flopped between late 2025 and early 2026 timeframes. Ultimately, it sounds like it will be both.
Other devices expected to be updated with the M5 chip this year include the iPad Pro and the Vision Pro. It is still not clear if Apple plans to host an October event, or if it will announce new products with press releases and shorter videos only.
An early unboxing video for the next iPad Pro already revealed that the M5 chip will offer up to 12% faster multi-core CPU performance, and up to 36% faster graphics performance, compared to the M4 chip in the current iPad Pro. The chip still has a 9-core CPU, and it is manufactured with TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process.
Bigger changes to the MacBook Pro are expected with the two-generations-away models, with rumored upgrades including an OLED display, touchscreen capabilities, a thinner design, built-in cellular connectivity, and M6 chips manufactured with TSMC’s advanced 2nm process, for even greater year-over-year performance gains.
New models of the MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Studio are not expected to launch until next year, but the report did not mention the Mac Pro desktop tower.
