Apple’s MacBook Pro M5 Arrives as a Solo 14″ Model…For Now

Apple announced a new 14-inch MacBook Pro this morning, and it’s a solo effort…for now. There was no stage, no crowd, just a press release, and for those curious about how the M5 performs in the wild, this is the first taste, a leisurely roll that leaves room for its more powerful siblings down the road.

Dig into the M5, and you’ll discover a chip made on the same 3nm process as the M4, keeping costs down but pushing boundaries elsewhere. Ten cores for the CPU, ten for graphics, and sixteen for brain functions. According to Apple, the CPU core is the fastest available, with a 20% improvement in managing multiple threads over the M4. This means easier app switching, faster builds for developers, and less waiting time while you’re deep into creative work like modeling data or modifying 3D sceneries.

Graphics are also significantly improved, with 1.6x faster performance in professional applications and greater frame rates for games than the M4. Blender renders 1.7x faster, while Topaz Video sharpens footage 1.8x faster. Xcode code builds are 1.2 times faster. Those figures come from Apple’s own tests in September, which pitted the new model against last year’s with equal specifications—32GB of memory and a 2TB disk. Compared to the M1 from 2020, the numbers are steeper: 6x the AI muscle, 6.8x the graphics with ray tracing, and 3.2x the frame rates in games.


Storage is also improved, with solid-state disks that are twice as fast. You can also now opt for up to 4TB of storage, giving you extra space for those ever-expanding file libraries. As for battery life, the laptop is expected to last for up to 24 hours on a single charge – enough to get through a full day of editing or a weekend without needing to recharge. Coming from an older Intel machine? You should expect an additional 14 hours of battery life above what you’re used to. And if you have an M1, you may extend your battery life by another 4 hours. Need a fast boost? A 30-minute top-up with a 96 watt USB-C adapter will get you halfway to a full charge in no time, reducing downtime to an absolute minimum.


One of its most notable characteristics remains its stunning 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, which measures 3,024 by 1,964 pixels. The P3 gamut has a billion different colors to work with, so anticipate rich, accurate colors. The brightness maxes out at 1,000 nits, making ordinary viewing enjoyable; however, if you’re watching something with a strong dynamic range, it rises to 1,600 nits, making the shadows truly pop and the bright areas glare-free. If you have the optional nano-texture coating on, you’ll be significantly less troubled by reflections if you’re working in a bright environment; additionally, the variable refresh rate goes all the way up to 120 hertz for silky smooth scrolling and panning. When you connect two external displays, you essentially have a command center at your fingertips without having to lift a finger.


Ports are kept basic but sensible: three Thunderbolt 3 ports at 40 gigabits per second, an HDMI outlet, an SD card reader for all you photographers, and a headphone jack. The audio from the six speakers (all of which support Dolby Atmos) turn movie nights into an event, and up front, the 12 megapixel camera uses Center Stage to keep you in-frame during video conversations. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 round out the connectivity.



The pricing remains the same as its predecessor: $1,599 for the base model, which has 16 gigabytes of RAM and 512 gigabytes of storage in either space black or silver. Education purchasers will receive a $100 discount, and if you need more power, you may request bespoke upgrades of up to 32 gigabytes of RAM or 4 terabytes of storage space. Pre-orders began today on the Apple website and app, with deliveries beginning on October 22 to doorsteps and retailers.