The new MacBook Pro gives you M5 Pro and Max power now - for a bigger price
Source: ZDNet
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple debuts the new MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max.
- Prices start $200 higher.
- The models support Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Apple has unveiled its latest MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The new models are $200 more than the previous generation, with higher starting memory and storage, faster SSD read and write speeds, improved battery life, and a host of connectivity upgrades.
For high‑end, pro work
The new MacBook Pro with M5 Pro comes with a standard 1 TB of local storage (2 TB standard for the M5 Max), with read and write speeds of up to 14.5 GB/s, exemplifying its use case for pro workflows and high‑end video editing.
The M5 chips utilize Apple’s new Fusion architecture, unifying the CPU, GPU, and neural engine into a single SoC (system on a chip) with up to an 18‑core CPU, six efficiency cores, and 12 performance cores.
Apple increased unified memory and storage ceilings in the M5 Pro, with up to 64 GB of memory (up from 48 GB in the M4 Pro) and a baseline of 1 TB SSD storage. The M5 Max stays capped at 128 GB of unified memory, and it boasts faster bandwidth speeds of up to 614 GB/s.
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Improved performance
Apple flaunts improved AI and GPU performance, with the M5 chips delivering an overall 50 % increase in graphics performance. Notable benchmarks include:
- 4× faster LLM prompt processing than the M4 Max
- 3.8× faster AI image generation than the M4 Max
- 3× faster video effects rendering in DaVinci Resolve compared to the M4 Max
- 3.5× faster AI‑powered video enhancing in Topaz compared to the M4 Max
Apple also cites improvements to battery life, with up to 24 hours unplugged and fast charging of up to 50 % in 30 minutes (with a 96 W USB‑C power adapter).
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Pricing and availability
Prices for the M5 MacBook Pro models have a modest increase to reflect the beefier hardware:
- 16‑inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro: $2,699
- 14‑inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro: $2,199
- 14‑inch MacBook Pro M5 Max: $3,599
- 16‑inch MacBook Pro M5 Max: $3,899
The 14‑inch and 16‑inch MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors will go on preorder March 4, with general availability on March 11.
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