MacBook Pro Reviews: One 'Astonishing' Upgrade Beyond M5 Pro and M5 Max
Source: MacRumors
Overview
The first reviews of the new 14‑inch and 16‑inch MacBook Pro models with Apple’s M5 Pro and M5 Max chips were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the laptops launching on Wednesday.
In addition to the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the new MacBook Pro models offer up to twice as fast SSD speeds compared to the previous generation, and storage now starts at 1 TB. Battery life has increased slightly on all of the new models, and the N1 chip extends to the MacBook Pro now for Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support.
Apple’s advertised figures indicate the chips deliver roughly 15 % faster CPU performance and 20 % faster GPU performance compared to the previous‑generation M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
Benchmark Scores
| Mac Model | Multi‑Core CPU Score |
|---|---|
| MacBook Pro (M5 Pro and M5 Max) | 28,500 – 29,500 |
| Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) | 27,726 |
| MacBook Pro (M4 Max) | 25,702 |
| MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) | 22,490 |
| Mac Studio (M2 Ultra) | 21,410 |
| MacBook Pro (M3 Max) | 20,960 |
| Mac Studio (M1 Ultra) | 18,434 |
| MacBook Air (M5) | 17,073 |
| MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) | 15,260 |
| MacBook Pro (M2 Max) | 14,740 |
| MacBook Air (M4) | 14,731 |
| MacBook Pro (M2 Pro) | 14,451 |
| MacBook Pro (M1 Max) | 12,345 |
| MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) | 12,345 |
| MacBook Air (M3) | 12,020 |
| MacBook Air (M2) | 9,709 |
| MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) | 8,668 |
| MacBook Air (M1) | 8,342 |
SSD Performance
The Verge reported that the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Max and a 4 TB SSD sustained 13.6 GB/s read and 17.8 GB/s write speeds. Those figures represent an 86 % increase in read speed and a 123 % increase in write speed over the equivalent previous model, aligning with Apple’s claim of up to twice‑as‑fast SSD performance.
Battery Life
Tom’s Guide’s Tony Polanco measured the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro lasting an “astonishing” 21 hours 10 minutes in a battery‑life test that involved continuous web surfing over Wi‑Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness. The prior‑generation M4 Pro model lasted 20 hours 46 minutes under the same conditions.
Coverage
Reviews and impressions have appeared on sites such as CNET, Gizmodo, Macworld, Six Colors, and others.
There are also video reviews available on YouTube, though specific links were not included in the source material.