MacBook Pro A new wave of updates is ushering in, but this time the protagonist is replaced by Apple The new chips, M5 Pro and M5 Max, have all-enhanced specifications, exceeded the upper limits of memory and storage capacity, and added Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 5. However, the appearance, screen and battery life have almost remained unchanged, and the price has remained unchanged. For creators and heavy users, whether this wave of updates is just a routine upgrade, or whether the difference can be really felt, is worth taking a closer look.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max are officially launched! M5 Max gets 128GB of memory
This MacBook Pro update is actually not a surprise. Since M5 was first installed on some 14-inch models in October 2025, everyone has been waiting for the Pro and Max versions to make up for it. Nowadays, all high-end 14-inch and 16-inch models are replaced by M5 Pro and M5 Max, which can be regarded as returning to the familiar upgrade rhythm.
The overall design is almost unchanged, with the two colors of space black and silver, and the body size and appearance lines are exactly the same. This update method is familiar to those who have been paying attention to Apple laptops for a long time. It is essentially a pure chip upgrade.
- M5 Pro：
The standard configuration is a 15-core CPU paired with a 16-core GPU, a basic memory of 24GB, and a storage space starting from 1TB. Up to 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 64GB memory and 4TB SSD are available.- The estimated running scores show that the single-core is about 4300, the multi-core is about 32400, and the Metal is about 146000. The actual performance has to wait until the review machine is released, but judging from the book figures, it does show steady growth compared to the previous generation.
- What is more noteworthy is the change in the core structure. This time, the distinction between performance core and efficiency core is no longer emphasized, but replaced by super core and performance core. This means that Apple’s architecture is more biased toward high-performance output, especially in the fields of AI and graphics computing.
- M5 Max ：
It is prepared for really heavy users. The entry version has an 18-core CPU, a 20-core GPU, 24GB of memory and a 2TB SSD. If you choose the 16-inch highest specification, you can customize it to upgrade to an 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 128GB memory and 8TB SSD, but this will cost NT$245,900 (an additional NT$5,250 will be added if you choose the nano-texture display).- In terms of estimated running scores, the single-core score is about 4,500, the multi-core score is about 32,400, and the Metal score is 250,000. Especially after the GPU core is doubled, image editing, 3D modeling and high-resolution video post-production work will have more obvious advantages.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max official website
For creators who edit videos, retouch images, or even process large amounts of materials for a long time, 128GB of memory is actually an exaggerated but reassuring configuration.
Amid the AI craze, Apple is emphasizing the upgrade of its neural engine this time. Neural Accelerators are built into the GPU core to improve the efficiency of machine learning and generative applications. In terms of memory bandwidth, the M5 Pro is 307GB per second, and the M5 Max is increased to 460GB per second or 614GB per second depending on the number of GPU cores. This is very important for large-scale model inference and real-time rendering of movies.
The SSD read and write speed has also doubled, reaching 14.5GB per second compared to the M4 version. This can indeed save a lot of waiting time for reading and writing materials that can easily reach hundreds of GB.
One of the new highlights this time is the Apple N1 chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. In the future, if you upgrade your home to a new generation router, you can theoretically get lower latency and higher throughput. The connection port has been upgraded to Thunderbolt 5, which has higher bandwidth and is more flexible for external high-speed storage devices and multi-screen output, while MagSafe 3 remains.
The new MacBook Pro displays are still 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch mini LED-backlit Liquid Retina XDR displays. The resolutions are 3024 x 1964 and 3456 x 2234 respectively, with a peak brightness of 1600 nits and support for ProMotion 120Hz, True Tone and P3 wide color gamut.
The sound effect maintains the six-speaker system and bass vibration cancellation unit, and the 3.5mm headphone jack that supports high-impedance headphones is also retained. The 12MP Center Stage camera is also unchanged, as is the three-microphone array.
The battery life is about 14 hours of web browsing for the 14-inch model and about 16 hours for the 16-inch model. This part is considered a stable output, with no surprises or setbacks.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/M5 Max Taiwan price
In terms of price, the 14-inch M5 Pro model starts at a suggested price of NT$74,900, and the M5 Max version starts at NT$119,900. The 16-inch M5 Pro starts at NT$89,900 and the M5 Max starts at NT$129,900. They are already on sale in Taiwan.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max official website
Source: KOCPC Chinese