Image: AzureSaturn / CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
In short: Apple introduced the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max on 3 March 2026. Both chips have an 18-core CPU. The M5 Pro offers 16 or 20 GPU cores and the M5 Max 32 or 40. Every model has three Thunderbolt 5 ports. In the US, the 14-inch M5 Pro starts at $2,199 and the 16-inch M5 Max at $3,899. For most people, though, the base M5 model is enough.
The 2026 MacBook Pro family
- M5: 14-inch only, the entry point
- M5 Pro: 14 or 16 inches, for demanding creative and developer work
- M5 Max: 14 or 16 inches, for the heaviest graphics and memory needs
Prices
| Model | Germany | US | Base storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14" M5 | €1,899 | – | – |
| 14" M5 Pro | €2,499 | $2,199 | 1 TB |
| 16" M5 Pro | €2,999 | $2,699 | 1 TB |
| 14" M5 Max | €4,199 | $3,599 | 2 TB |
| 16" M5 Max | €4,499 | $3,899 | 2 TB |
Base storage is now 1 TB on the M5 Pro and 2 TB on the M5 Max. Even so, CNBC reported that entry prices rose compared with the previous generation.
The chips
Both have an 18-core CPU with 6 "super" cores for single-threaded speed and 12 performance cores for parallel work. The real difference is the GPU:
| Chip | GPU cores | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| M5 Pro | 16 or 20 | photo editing, 4K video, coding |
| M5 Max | 32 or 40 | 8K video, 3D rendering, local AI models |
Unified memory lets large local AI models run without a separate graphics card. See our AI overview for autumn 2026.
Ports, display and battery
- three Thunderbolt 5 ports with up to 120 Gbit/s, plus HDMI, an SD card slot and MagSafe
- a Liquid Retina XDR display at up to 120 Hz, with optional nano-texture
- according to Apple, up to 22 hours of video playback with the M5 Pro and 20 hours with the M5 Max, depending on the model
Which one for whom?
- Study, office and web use: an M5 or a MacBook Air.
- Development, photography, 4K video: the 14-inch M5 Pro.
- Large projects on the road: the 16-inch M5 Pro.
- 8K video, 3D, local AI: the M5 Max with plenty of memory.
Memory cannot be upgraded later, so buy one step more than you need today. All models run macOS 27 Golden Gate. More in MacBook.
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