Apple’s First M5 Laptop is Here: Meet the New 14-Inch MacBook Pro

Apple just unveiled the new M5 MacBook Pro, but this year’s launch signals a curious change in its release strategy. The company is leading with the entry level 14 inch model, which keeps the same $1,599 starting price as its M4 predecessor. This new machine arrives alongside new 11- and 13-inch iPad Pros and a refreshed Apple Vision Pro that also feature the M5 chipset. But unlike last year’s big reveal, the more powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max versions are nowhere to be found.

So, what does this staggered release tell us? It seems to be a shift in Apple’s usual playbook.

A New Release Strategy

In the past, Apple typically launched its entire MacBook Pro lineup at once, as it did in 2024 with the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max models. This time is different. One theory is that Apple wanted to get a head start on sales, since the M5 Pro and M5 Max editions are reportedly still several months away. It’s also possible Apple opted for a quieter launch because, aside from the chip, the new MacBook Pro is almost identical to the last one.

With that in mind, all eyes are on the M5 chip and the performance gains it brings to the table.

Under the Hood: The M5 Chip Takes Center Stage

Apple is sticking with the 3 nanometer fabrication process for the M5, the same technology used for the M4, a decision reportedly made for cost reasons. The new chip packs 10 GPU cores and 10 CPU cores, plus a 16 core Neural Engine dedicated to machine learning tasks.

The company claims the M5 features the “world’s fastest CPU core,” delivering up to 20 percent faster multithreaded performance than the M4. For creatives and gamers, the GPU improvements are even more notable. Apple says it offers up to 1.6x faster graphics in pro applications and enables significantly higher frame rates in games like the upcoming Halo remake. This could make the base M5 MacBook Pro a much more capable machine for video editing and gaming than its predecessor.

What Do These Performance Gains Actually Mean?

Let’s translate these numbers into real world use. Compared to the M4 MacBook Pro, Apple claims the M5 model offers:

• Up to 1.8x faster AI video enhancement in Topaz Video.
• Up to 1.7x faster 3D rendering in Blender.
• Up to 1.2x faster performance when you code compiling in Xcode.

The company is also promising a massive 3.5x boost in AI performance over the M4 and an incredible 6x improvement over the M1. On top of that, SSD performance is said to be up to twice as fast, which should make file transfers and app loading feel much snappier.

Familiar Form Factor: What’s Staying the Same

Besides the new chip, not much has changed. The M5 MacBook Pro features the same gorgeous 14.2 inch Liquid Retina XDR display, with a 3,024 x 1,964 resolution that can reach 1,000 nits of sustained brightness and 1,600 nits for HDR content. The adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and P3 wide color gamut remain, making it a dream for visual professionals.

The port selection is also identical. You get an SDXC card slot, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The three USB-C ports are still Thunderbolt 4, not the faster 80 Gbps Thunderbolt 5 found on the M4 Pro and Max models. Other familiar features include the six speaker sound system with Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and the reliable 1080p webcam. Naturally, it ships with macOS Tahoe pre installed.

As Apple’s own comparison page confirms, the dimensions, weight, and power adapter are unchanged. This is very much an incremental update, but one that could be significant for those needing more processing power without jumping to the higher end models among next-gen laptops.

Pricing and Availability

The 14 inch M5 MacBook Pro is now available for pre-order, starting at $1,599 for a model with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. You can configure it with up to 32GB of RAM and 4TB of storage. Shipping is scheduled to begin on October 22.