Apple Launches New M5 Chips, MacBook Pro, and First New Monitors In Years
Published: (March 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST)
2 min read
Source: Slashdot
Source: Slashdot
New M5 Chips in MacBook Pro and Air
Apple updated the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with support for its new M5 chips.
Longtime Slashdot reader jizmonkey shares details about the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which represent a major update from the previous generation:
- Apple claims the newest CPUs have the fastest single‑threaded performance in the world.
- Both the M5 Pro and M5 Max use an eighteen‑core design (versus twelve or fourteen cores in the M4 Pro and fourteen or sixteen in the M4 Max).
- Core composition has changed: the M5 chips feature six “super” cores (higher‑performing) and twelve “performance” cores (lower‑performing). In the older M4 designs the split was eight, ten, or twelve performance cores plus four efficiency cores.
- Maximum RAM remains unchanged: 128 GB for the M5 Max and 64 GB for the M5 Pro.
- GPU improvements:
- M5 Pro – up to a 20‑core GPU.
- M5 Max – up to a 40‑core GPU, each core equipped with a Neural Accelerator.
- Apple states the new architecture delivers over 4× peak GPU compute for AI compared to the previous generation and up to 35 % faster performance in ray‑traced graphics workloads.
Laptops with the new chips are available to order starting tomorrow, with deliveries beginning March 11.
New Studio Display XDR Monitors
Apple introduced a pair of all‑new Studio Display XDR monitors. Key details from Apple’s announcement and MacRumors reporting:
- 27‑inch mini‑LED displays with 5K resolution.
- Peak brightness: 2,000 nits for HDR content (Studio Display XDR) vs. up to 600 nits (regular Studio Display).
- Refresh rates: 120 Hz for the higher‑end Studio Display XDR; 60 Hz for the regular model.
- Thunderbolt 5 connectivity and up to 140 W pass‑through charging (Studio Display XDR only).
- Camera: 12‑megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View support on both models.
- Audio: Upgraded six‑speaker system with “30 % deeper bass” compared to the previous model.
Pricing and availability (U.S.):
- Regular Studio Display – starts at $1,599.
- Studio Display XDR – starts at $3,299.
Pre‑orders began on Wednesday, March 4, with a launch scheduled for Wednesday, March 11.