At a glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Improved GPU performance





• SSD speeds get a big boost





• Nice combination of price and performance

Cons

• Thunderbolt 4, not Thunderbolt 5





• Included 70W power adapter does not fast charge





• Power adapter not included in the U.K.

Our Verdict

The improved GPU and SSD performance help the M5 MacBook Pro make a clearer distinction from the M4 MacBook Air. It offers a tremendous combination of price, performance, and features.

Price When Reviewed

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Best Prices Today: Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5, 2025)

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Price

$1,584

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Going into this review for the M5 MacBook Pro, I wasn’t expecting much. The laptop it replaced, the M4 MacBook Pro, is excellent. But more importantly, that M4 laptop addressed many issues with the M3, M2, and M1 MacBook Pros, including the webcam quality and starting memory. The experience with the M4 MacBook Pro was so satisfying that I was a bit blasé about the M5 MacBook Pro–the only thing that’s really new in the laptop is the M5. That’s it.

After spending time with the new M5 MacBook Pro, that indifference quickly evolved into being impressed. In all, the M5 MacBook Pro is an incremental update, but it does make some big performance leaps in graphics and SSD throughput that made me say, “Wow!”

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<path d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" fill="#fff"></path>
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</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The M5 MacBook Pro is available in Space Black (shown) and Silver.</figcaption></figure>

Foundry

M5 MacBook Pro: Our model’s specifications

This review is for the most affordable model in the MacBook Pro lineup, the M5 14-inch MacBook Pro. Our review unit has the same CPU, GPU, and RAM as the base standard configuration, but the SSD is 1TB (an additional $200/£200), and it has the Nano-texture glass ($150/£150). Here are the specifications of the laptop in this review:

• CPU: M5 with 10 cores (4 performance cores, 6 efficiency cores), 16-core Neural Engine





• GPU: 10 cores





• Memory: 16GB unified memory (153GBps memory bandwidth)





• Storage: 1TB SSD





• Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR; 3024-by-1964 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch; 1000 nits sustained XDR brightness, 1600 nits peak (HDR content only); 1000 nits SDR brightness; 1 billion colors; P3 color gamut; True Tone; Nano-texture glass





• Ports: 3 Thunderbolt 4/USB-C; MagSafe 3; SDXC Card slot; HDMI; 3.5mm audio





• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax); Bluetooth 5.3





• Input devices: Magic Keyboard with Touch ID; Magic Trackpad





• Weight: 3.4 pounds (1.55 kg)





• Dimensions: 0.61 x 12.31 x 8.71 inches (1.55 x 31.26 x 22.12 cm)





• Price (as tested): $1,949/£1,949

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The M5 MacBook Pro that we reviewed has the Nano-texture display option, which is an extra $150/£150.

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Foundry

M5 MacBook Pro: Performance

Since the new MacBook Pro is just a chip upgrade, performance is the main focus of this review. The M5 is the new chip, replacing the M4, and while both have the same number of CPU and CPU cores, the M5 has architectural improvements to boost performance.

Geekbench 6.3 gauges overall performance of the CPU, and the M5’s single-core and multi-core results were 14 and 22 percent faster than the M4, respectively. We’ve seen similar improvement in past iterations, so the results are what we expected.

What’s more interesting is how much the M-series chip has evolved. For example, the M5 offers an 84 boost over the M1 in single-core performance, and a 118 percent increase in mult