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Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro, M5 iPad Pro, and M5 Vision Pro are all here. Now, I've already talked about the M5 iPad Pro in this video right here. And now, it's time to talk about the M5 MacBook Pro. And if you're thinking of ordering one, here are not five, not 10, but 13 things you should know before buying.
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Okay, so number one, we have the new M5 chip. And I'm actually quite excited to see Apple introduce it on a MacBook first again because fun fact, last year's M4 chip launched with the iPad Pro back in May and it actually stayed exclusive to the iPad for half a year before coming to the MacBook Pro in October. What I'm not excited about is the lack of the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. I really think that Apple should have waited until the full lineup was ready because right now it's kind of a mess. We've got the M5, the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and then the M3 Ultra. We got three generations, so it's very confusing.
As for the performance, Apple claims up to a 15% faster CPU performance. Now, in the leaked Geekbench scores, we've seen a 12% jump compared to the M4, which is a pretty good bump. Now, compared to the M4 Pro, yes, the single core is higher. However, the multi-core is still pretty far behind.
At number two, we have the GPU. And this is where we see the biggest improvement because Apple claims a 45% gain over the M4 chip. In the leaked benchmarks, we saw a 36% gain on the GPU side compared to the M5. Now, the M4 Pro is still faster, scoring at over 110,000 compared to 75K on the M5. But that's still miles ahead of the M4, which scores around 55K. So, if the M5 got such a big GPU improvement, just think of the M5 Pro and the M5 Max. Yeah, I'm really excited to see the gains there.
So, what sort of actual performance upgrades should you expect here in specific caps? Well, Apple claims an almost 2x increase in AI video processing in apps like Topaz Video. Also, an almost 2x increase in ray traced rendering in Blender, a 3x increase in AI audio enhancement, a 1.4x increase in games such as Cyberpunk, and a 1.2x increase in terms of the code compiling speeds in Xcode. These numbers are a huge jump from the M4, which is already a huge upgrade coming from the M3. So, if you're coming from an older MacBook like M1 or M2, now is the perfect time to upgrade.
At number four, we've got 4 TB of maximum storage. Now, this used to be reserved for the higher-end chips, the M4 Pro and the M4 Max, as the base M4 only supported up to 2 TB, but now Apple's bumped that up to four. Now, of course, the price for that upgrade is just insane. But if you don't want to use external SSDs or mess around with soldering your own SSD module, then paying Apple's premium is basically your only choice. Oddly enough, the M5 Pro still maxes out at 2 TB. Maybe this is some sort of space or power limitation. Or maybe Apple just wants to keep that absurd price tag exclusive to the MacBook Pro.
At number five, we have something that kind of flew under the radar, but I feel like this is one of the biggest upgrades this year, and that is way faster SSDs. Apple saying that the new M5 MacBooks have SSD that are twice as fast. And that's not compared to an M1 MacBook Pro, but compared to the M4, which was even faster, which means that the storage speeds on the base M5 MacBook Pro are now very similar to the M4 Pro and the M4 Max variants, which were around 6.7 to 7.5 GB per second compared to around 3.5 GB per second like on the base M4 MacBook Pro. And trust me, if you're working with huge file sizes like we do here at the studio, an SSD that's twice as fast will make a difference.
At number six, we have the memory bandwidth, which also went up quite a lot from 120 GB per second on the base M4 version to 153 on the M5. Now, that's still not quite as fast as the M4 Pro at 273 or the M4 Max at 546, but that's still a welcome upgrade. Now, you may be wondering, what exactly is memory bandwidth and why does it matter? Well, think of it like the width of a highway between your MacBook's CPU and its memory. The wider that highway is, the more data can travel at once. Now, in day-to-day use, you probably won't notice a huge difference unless you're doing some heavy multitasking or working with some very demanding apps. But having more memory bandwidth is always a good thing as it allows your MacBook to move that data faster, making everything feel smoother and more responsive, especially when you're under heavy load.
At number seven, we have the neural engine. And the M5 chip brings some massive improvements when it comes to neural processing. Now, we've got a dedicated neural accelerator in each GPU core, just like the A19 Pro chip. And that delivers over four times the peak GPU compute power compared to the M4 and over six times compared to the M1. That's the biggest upgrade of the M5 chip. It's not the GPU, it's the AI performance. So AI apps will see a massive improvement with the M5 chip.
At number eight, we have the connectivity. And unlike the new M5 iPad Pro, which got Apple's latest N1 chip from the iPhone 17 lineup that offers Bluetooth 6.0 and Wi-Fi 7 integrated, the M5 MacBook Pro actually retains the same connectivity as the M4 version. So that's Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. I'm pretty sure the M5 Pro MacBook Pro and that launches in early 2026 will support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. So, if you want to have the latest standards, you may want to wait a bit longer.
At number nine, we have the battery life, which also remains the same at 24 hours, the longest on any MacBook. And considering that we get a more powerful chip with faster graphics, whilst keeping the battery the same means that the chip is not just more powerful, but of course, it's also more efficient.
At number 10, if you're thinking about buying the new M5 MacBook Pro, you may also want to look at the M4 Pro version instead. You see, when the M4 lineup launched, the base M4 MacBook Pro started at $1,600, while the M4 Pro was $2,000. So, a $400 difference, but now you can find the M4 Pro on Amazon for around $1,750, meaning the gap is just $150. And if you go refurbish from Apple, that's going to cost you 1,700. So only 100 more than the M5, which I think is totally worth it as you get a much faster CPU in multi-core, although slightly slower in single core, a significantly better GPU, 24 GB of RAM instead of 16, 512 GB of storage instead of 256. So overall, that's an incredible deal. And if you do actually need a pro-level MacBook, well, that's the one to get.
At number 11, we do actually have the same port selection as on the more expensive MacBook Pros, something that was not the case with the M3 version. However, there is one catch. We only have Thunderbolt 4 compared to Thunderbolt 5 on the M4 Pro and M4 Max versions. But hey, if you don't need Thunderbolt 5 for 3x faster transfer speeds, 120 gigs per second instead of 40, then Thunderbolt 4 is more than good enough. And on top of that, you also get the SD card reader, and also the headphone jack that supports high impedance headphones. And of course, the HDMI 2.1 port, which is very useful to have.
At number 12, we have some bad news, and that's the removal of the charger from the box. You see, Apple started removing the charger back in 2020 with the iPhone and then in 2024 with the iPad Pro if you're purchasing it from outside of the US. And that's now the case with the new M5 MacBook Pro as well, which I think is a very frustrating move because you see, MacBook needs a more powerful charger compared to an iPhone and an iPad. They need a USBC charger that supports 20 volts through USB power delivery. something that most standard phone chargers don't reach. So, you will need a proper high wattage charger. If you're upgrading from a recent MacBook, like a Touch Bar model or anything newer, that charger would still work. But if you're getting your first MacBook, then you will have to buy a charger separately.
And finally, at number 13, we have the big question. Should you pre-order the new M5 MacBook Pro? And honestly, my answer is no. If you're not into heavy multitasking, just pick an M4 MacBook Air or wait for the M5 to come out in spring. But if you are into heavy workloads, just get an M4 Pro MacBook Pro on discount on Amazon or refurbish from Apple. As for an extra $100, you get so much more for your money, even a charger in the box if you order one from outside of the US. Or you could just wait for Apple to release the M5 MacBook Pros, or not even to mention the redesigned OLEDs, which are set to be coming at the end of next year. But either way, I wouldn't buy an M5 MacBook Pro, at least until we start seeing some discounts. But let me know what do you guys think. And do subscribe for my hands-on and performance testing of the M5 MacBook Pro as soon as we get it in the studio. I'm Daniel. This is Zenof Tech, and I'll see you guys in the next one. Zen of Tech signing out. Cheers.