MacBook Pro M5 Pro & Max release date: Where are the Pro MacBooks?

Macworld

MacBook Pro M5 Pro & Max: In summary

The M5 MacBook Pro launched in October 2025 but the Pro and Max models are yet to be updated.

Apple’s next-gen M5 Pro, and M5 Max processors promise performance gains.

More exciting updates are rumored for the M6 MacBook Pro.

In October 2025, Apple introduced an M5 MacBook Pro, but didn’t update the year-old M4 Pro or M4 Max machines. There were indications that while Apple was on schedule to ship the M5 MacBook Pro in the October timeframe, the wait could extend to spring 2026 for the M5 Pro and M5 Max models.

While the M5 processor in the MacBook Pro boasts a new GPU architecture with a Neural Accelerator in each core that Apple says means it can provide “over 4x the peak GPU compute performance compared to M4, a 45 percent improvement in graphics performance compared to the M4, the new chip will be no match for the M4 Pro or and M4 Max in the more powerful MacBook Pro models still on sale.

So what changes could be coming to the more pro MacBook Pro models and is it going to be worth the wait, or would power users be wise to wait a little longer for the much bigger changes rumored to be just around the corner for the M6 generation of the MacBook Pro, with the M6 model possibly offering a touch screen and more.

This article will keep track of the rumors and offer a perspective based on Apple’s Mac lineup. Here’s everything we know so far.

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Design

No change to the design expected.

Big changes are said to be coming to the M6 MacBook Pro.

Apple updated the design of the MacBook Pro in 2021. There was no change to the design of the MacBook PRo when Apple introduced the M5 model. So it seems like Apple will stick with the current design for the M5 Pro and Max models.

It’s always possible that a new color makes an appearance—like Space Black in 2023—but for the most part, the MacBook Pro design is set for at least another year.

In July 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the M5 MacBook Pro series is to be the last of this current design though. Apple appears to be saving the next major design upgrade for the MacBook Pro for 2026. The M6 upgrade is said to include OLED screens, a camera “hole” to replace the notch, and a thinner design.

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Display

No change to display expected.

There is no change to the display on the M5 MacBook Pro, so it’s unlikely that the M5 Max and M5 Pro models will get any screen updates. Although we could see a higher nits brightness rating, up from the current 1,600 nits peak.

On February 11, 2025, The Elec reported that OLED displays for the MacBook Pro are going into production, but they won’t be featured in the laptop until 2026.

However, on July 28, 2025, Dealsite reported that Apple has a deal in place with Samsung Display for OLED displays for the MacBook Pro that will ship in late 2025. That might not mean that the displays are any better, of course.

There could be something even more exciting coming with the M6 generation: a touchscreen! Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple is going to launch a MacBook with a touch screen, and it could arrive on a MacBook Pro as soon as 2026. However, this update is not expected to arrive until the M6 generation and could be delayed until 2027.




Apple could be saving any drastic changes to the MacBook Pro for 2026.Foundry



New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Camera

No change expected.

The M4 MacBook Pro added a 12MP FaceTime camera, a decent upgrade from the 1080p FaceTime camera. The M5 Macook Pro maintains this camera, so it is unlikely the Pro and Max models will gain anything.

However, we could see a similar FaceTime camera update to 18MP as seen on the iPhone 17. The square sensor is less relevant here as the MacBook Pro will only ever be in one orientation, although it could allow for more of the area around a person to be visible.

New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Processor

The M5 MacBook Pro that launched in October 2025 is little more than a chip refresh and it is likely that the M5 Pro and Max will be a similar story. Reports had indicated to expect the typical performance boost from one chip generation to another–between 15 and 25 percent over the M4 chips.

On May 8, 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is working on M6 and M7 chips, but they won’t be in the MacBook Pro until later. Apple is also working on a “more advanced Mac chip” called Sotra, but no details were provided.

On July 3, AppleInsider reported that Apple plans the release four standard configurations with the following code names:

J714c: M5 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro

J714s: M5 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro

J716c: M5 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro

J716s: M5 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro

On October 7, 2025, MaxTech’s Vadim Yuryev reported that Apple is working on a new chip design for the M5 Pro and M5 Max that would feature the CPU and GPU on separate blocks. This would allow customers greater options to configure these components. For example, one could set up a base CPU configuration with a maxed out GPU. Yuryev stated that this new design is why the M5 Pro and M5 Max are delayed until 2026.



New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Specs

N1 chip: Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

Thunderbolt 5.

With the launch of the M4 MacBook Pro, Apple made a series of upgrades that replaced outdated components, including upping the base RAM to 16GB, bringing Thunderbolt 5 to the M4 Pro and Max models, and offering a Nano-texture glass option. The M5 MacBook Pro saw no changes to the specs other than the processor. The Bluetooth and WiFi remained the same. A new 4TB SSD option was added, but in the U.K. and Europe Apple has removed the Power Adapter from the box.

However, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to arrive on the MacBook Pro M5 Pro and Max. Apple may also integrate the N1 chip, as used in the iPhone 17, which will bring Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, as well as improve features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.




Apple

The entry-level model still only offers Thunderbolt 4, but the Max and Pro will continue to offer Thunderbolt 5.

There are reports that Apple is working on a 5G modem for the Mac, but it’s unlikely to arrive before 2026.



New M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro: Release date

Possible launch spring 2026.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in March 2025 that Apple is on schedule to ship the M5 MacBook Pro “around the same time of year” as when the M4 and M3 MacBook Pro shipped. That suggests an October/November timeframe. Gurman then reported on May 8 that the M5 MacBook Pro could arrive “as early as the end of this year.”

Gurman was initially confident that Apple would release the M5 MacBook Pro by the end of 2025, and indeed it did, but his confidence was certainly faltering as the launch neared, with a tweet prior to the launch pointing out that M4 MacBook Pro was constrained, but not the M4 Max or M4 Pro models.

On the base level 14-inch MacBook Pros, custom configurations on the line store are constrained till the end of October. Not the case for the Pro/Max and 16-inch models.— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 6, 2025

Then, Vadim Yuryev, host of the Max Tech YouTube channel, predicted on October 6: “3 days of M5 chip product launches next week starting on Monday or Tuesday. M5 MacBook Pro 14-inch model ONLY, M5 iPad Pro, M5 Vision Pro.”

So for now a spring launch for the rest of the MacBook Pro line up looks most likely.



New M5 MacBook Pro: Price

Prices are unlikely to change.

Here are the prices for the current standard configurations of the M4 Pro and Max MacBook Pro, for reference. Prices are unlikely to change.

14-inch MacBook Pro

$1,999/£1,999: M4 Pro with a 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

$2,399/£2,399: M4 Pro with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 512TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

$3,199/£3,199: M4 Max with a 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

16-inch MacBook Pro

$2,499/£2,499: M4 Pro with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

$2,899/£2,899: M4 Pro with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 48GB unified memory, 512TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

$3,499/£3,499: M4 Max with a 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

$3,999/£3,999: M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 48GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 5

The M5 MacBook Pro prices haven’t changed, but in the U.K. and Europe the Power Adapter will cost extra:

$1,599/£1,599: M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4

$1,799/£1,799: M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, Thunderbolt 4

$1,999/£1,999: M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 1GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4

Read our comparison of every Mac Apple sells: Every Apple Mac and MacBook compared.