Apple Announces New MacBook Pro Featuring M5 Pro & M5 Max, Plus M5 MacBook Air

Apple has just introduced the new MacBook Pro models featuring newly-debuted M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, alongside updated MacBook Air lineup featuring the base M5 chip, first launched alongside the 14-inch MacBook Pro last October.

M5 Pro / M5 Max MacBook Pro

According to Apple, the new M5 Pro and M5 Max are both built on Apple’s updated Fusion Architecture combining two 3nm dies into a single system-on-a-chip (SoC). Both feature up to an 18-core CPU with 6 “super” cores (more commonly referred as “Prime” core elsewhere) and 12 performance cores, along with a new GPU that maxes out at 20 cores for the M5 Pro, or 40 cores for the M5 Max.

Models with M5 Pro supports up to 64GB of unified memory with memory bandwidth of up to 307GB/s, while M5 Max supports up to 128GB of unified memory with bandwidth of up to 614GB/s. The new MacBook Pro also offers up to twice the SSD speeds of the previous generation, reaching up to 14.5GB/s, with storage capacity now starts at 1TB for models with M5 Pro and 2TB for models with M5 Max.

Both models include the Apple’s N1 wireless chip supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0, plus the usual I/O that involves Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI 2.1, an SDXC card slot, and MagSafe 3 charging. Irrespective of the sizes chosen, the new MacBook Pro features Liquid Retina XDR display with up to 1600 nits peak HDR brightness and an optional nano-texture finish for reduced glare.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at RM8,999, while the 16-inch version starts at RM10,999; models with M5 Max start at RM14,999 for the 14-inch version and RM15,999 for the 16-inch version. Color options are limited to Space Black and Silver only.

M5 MacBook Air

Apple also introduced updated MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, in the usual 13-inch and 15-inch sizes. The M5 chip features a 10-core (4P+6E) CPU and up to a 10-core GPU, and Apple has given the new lineup upgraded starting storage at 512GB, though this remains configurable up to 4TB, and is doubly faster in read/write than the previous generation. Like the MacBook Pro, it also gets the N1 chip that enables Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 support.

The MacBook Air features a Liquid Retina display measuring 13.6 inches or 15.3 inches with 500 nits of brightness, with a cutout housing a 12MP Center Stage camera. It includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, MagSafe charging and support for up to two external displays. Battery life is rated at up to 18 hours. Pricing-wise, the 13-inch starts at RM4,699, while the 15-inch model starts at RM5,499, both in four colors – Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight and Silver.

Pokdepinion: Wonder where we’ll see M5 Pro and M5 Max next?