New MacBook Pro models are the most powerful Apple has ever made – with M5 Pro and M5 Max

Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro — (Image credit: Apple)

Quick Summary

Apple has announced the latest Pro models in its MacBook family, with the M5 Pro and M5 Max variants being its fastest and most powerful yet.

Starting at $2,199 / £2,199 they will be available to pre-order from 4 March 2026.

As previously rumoured, Apple has announced two upgraded MacBook Pro models featuring its latest high-end silicon – the M5 Pro and M5 Max.

The new MacBook Pro M5 Pro starts with 1TB of storage and 24GB of RAM. You also get a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU for the starting price of $2,199 / £2,199 for the 14-inch version.

That can be upgraded up to 4TB of storage, an 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU, and a Nano-texture display, plus up to 64GB of RAM to really max out the specifications. The 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro starts with the 18-core, 20-core GPU and costs from $2,699 / £2,699.

The MacBook Pro M5 Max is at the pinnacle of Apple's laptop lineup. It starts with a 2TB SSD and 36GB of RAM. Its system-on-chip sports an 18-core CPU and a 32-core GPU, with a starting price of $3,599 / £3,599 for the 14-inch model.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max starts at $3,899 / £3,899.

You can spec either up to a mammoth 8TB of storage, 128GB of RAM, and an 18-core CPU with 40-core GPU.

Both of the new MacBook Pro models are designed for serious work and creativity, with what Apple claims to be the "world's fastest" CPU core at their heart. On the M4 Pro, AI image generation is said to be up to 3.7x faster than on an equivalent M4 Pro.

There are similar performance boosts when it comes to LLM prompt processing, while 3D rendering is said to be up to 1.4x faster.

Gaming is also claimed to benefit, with titles like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition running up to 1.6x faster.

The M5 Max takes those numbers further, with AI image generation said to be up to 3.8x faster even when compared with a MacBook Pro sporting the M4 Max chhipset.

All the new models will be available to pre-order from tomorrow, 4 March.

TOPICS

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.

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