Apple has launched the 14-inch MacBook Pro with its new M5 chip, delivering incremental improvements in CPU, GPU, and AI performance without changes to the chassis or display. The laptop maintains its reputation for strong battery life and portability, though it lacks major innovations compared to prior generations. Reviewers note it's ideal for prosumer tasks like video editing and light gaming.
The M5 MacBook Pro arrives as Apple's first laptop with the fifth-generation silicon, built on the same 3-nanometer TSMC process as the M4 and M3. Released alongside the M5 iPad Pro and M5 Vision Pro, it precedes the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and larger models, potentially drawing buyers who might otherwise wait for those variants.
Performance benchmarks highlight the M5's strengths. In Cinebench 2024, it achieves a single-core score of 200, an 11 percent increase over the M4, marking the smallest generational jump since the M2 over the M1. Multi-core performance improves by 17 percent with the same 10-core CPU configuration. Storage upgrades to PCIe Gen 5 yield read speeds of around 6,500 MB/s and write speeds of 6,728 MB/s, surpassing the M4 Pro, with options up to 4 terabytes.
AI capabilities see significant advances: the Neural Engine is 29 percent faster than the M4's and 40 percent faster than the M3's, per Geekbench AI tests. The 10-core GPU, now with Neural Accelerators, is 1.6 times faster than the M4's, nearly matching the M3 Pro and approaching the M1 Ultra. In gaming, Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 39 frames per second on medium settings or 51 fps on low at 1920x1200 resolution, with fan noise noticeable but quieter than dedicated gaming laptops; surface temperatures remain cool, peaking at 89 degrees Celsius internally.
The design, unchanged since 2021, measures 0.61 inches thick with a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display at 3024x1964 resolution (254 ppi). It retains three Thunderbolt ports, HDMI 2.1, SD card slot, headphone jack, and MagSafe charging, but skips Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Battery life holds at 24 hours claimed, delivering over a full day in real-world use. Speakers and the 12-megapixel webcam remain top-tier.
While not revolutionary, the M5 suits hobbyists for multimedia and side projects, though many may prefer the M4 Air for everyday needs or wait for higher-end M5 variants.