Apple is heating up its computing line with new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and new Studio Displays.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro, M5 Max
The new MacBook Pro models come in 14- and 16-inch sizes with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which brings enhanced AI capabilities. The new CPU and GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core are combined with higher unified memory bandwidth that Apple says delivers four times the AI performance compared to the previous generation model and up to eight times improved AI performance compared to M1 models.
It now comes with up to two times faster SSD performance and starts at 1TB of storage for M5 Pro and 2TB for M5 Max. The new MacBook Pro includes N1, an Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 and offers up to 24 hours of battery life.
They come equipped with a Liquid Retina XDR display with a nano-texture option; a wide array of connectivity, including Thunderbolt 5; 12MP Center Stage camera; studio-quality mics; an immersive six-speaker sound system; Apple Intelligence features; and macOS Tahoe. The new MacBook Pro comes in Space Black and Silver, and is available to pre-order starting March 4, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.
The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,999 and $2,789 for education; and the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $3,599 and $3,329 (CAD) for education. The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max starts at $4,999 and $4,579 for education; and the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max starts at $5,399 and $4,979 for education. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 now comes standard with 1TB of storage, and starts at $2,399 and $2,259 for education. With Apple Trade In, customers can trade in their current computer and get credit toward a new Mac.
Apple MacBook Air M5
For those who want something lighter and more compact for travel, there’s the new Apple MacBook Air M5, which boasts improvements thanks to the M5 chip. It now comes standard with double the starting storage at 512GB with faster SSD technology, and is configurable up to 4TB.
Apple’s N1 wireless chip delivers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 and the laptop comes in a thin, light, and durable aluminum design with a Liquid Retina display, 12MP Center Stage camera, up to 18 hours of battery life, an immersive sound system with Spatial Audio, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for up to two external displays.
It’s loaded with macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence and comes in 13- and 15-inch models in Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. It’s available for pre-order starting March 4, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.
The 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at $1,499, and $1,359 for education, and the 15-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at $1,799 and $1,659 for education.
Apple M5 Pro, M5 Max Chips
What’s new with these two chips? Built using a new Apple-designed Fusion Architecture, it combines two dies into a single system on a chip (SoC), which includes a powerful CPU, scalable GPU, Media Engine, unified memory controller, Neural Engine, and Thunderbolt 5 capabilities.
M5 Pro and M5 Max feature a new 18-core CPU architecture that includes six super cores. Alongside these cores are 12 new performance cores, optimized for power-efficient, multithreaded workloads. Collectively, the CPU significantly boosts performance by up to 30% for pro workloads, says Apple, while the GPU scales up the next-generation architecture introduced in M5 to an up-to-40-core GPU. With a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core and higher unified memory bandwidth, M5 Pro and M5 Max are over four-times the peak GPU compute for AI compared to the previous generation. The GPU substantially increases graphics capabilities, which are now up to 35% for apps using ray tracing than M4 Pro and M4 Max, enhancing advanced visual effects and 3D rendering.
Apple Studio Display, Studio Display XDR
For those with desktop set-ups, there’s also the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR.
The new 27-inch Studio Display features a 12MP Center Stage camera, now with improved image quality and support for Desk View; a studio-quality three-microphone array; and an immersive six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. It also includes Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, providing more downstream connectivity for high-speed accessories or daisy-chaining displays.
The Studio Display XDR, meanwhile, is a 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display that features an advanced mini-LED backlight with over 2,000 local dimming zones, up to 1,000 nits of SDR brightness, and 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, in addition to a wider colour gamut. With its 120Hz refresh rate, Studio Display XDR is even more responsive to content in motion, and Adaptive Sync dynamically adjusts frame rates for content like video playback or graphically intense games. Studio Display XDR offers the same advanced camera and audio system as Studio Display, as well as Thunderbolt 5 connectivity to simplify pro workflow setups.
The new Studio Display with a tilt-adjustable stand starts at $2,099 ($1,969 for education) and Studio Display XDR with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand starts at $4,499 ($4,359 for education). Both are available in standard or nano-texture glass options, and can be pre-ordered starting March 4, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.
Customers can pre-order the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR starting March 4 at apple.com/ca/store and in the Apple Store app in 35 countries and regions, including Canada. They will begin arriving to customers, and will be in select Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Wednesday, March 11.