The MacBook Pro, in its iteration, continues to be Apple’s most advanced laptop yet. Last October, Apple updated the base 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip, which provides substantial improvements in both graphics and machine learning performance. As we expect the higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models to be updated very imminently, here’s what we can expect for both of these pro laptops.
Chip
Both higher-end laptops will more than likely feature the next-generation M5 Pro and M5 Max. The regular M5 chip featured higher unified memory bandwidth as well as a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core, so we could see similar improvements for both the M5 Pro and M5 Max.
So what other improvements could we see? According to 9to5Mac, both the M5 Pro and M5 Max may use an entirely new discrete process that will separate the CPU and GPU, which could allow you to finally configure the number of CPU cores or GPU cores independently from each other. In other words, you wouldn’t need to step up to a higher-end M5 Pro or M5 Max chip just to get either more GPU or CPU cores. Examples would be if you’re doing heavy 8K video editing or anything more graphics-demanding, you may opt for more GPU cores. But if you’re regularly compiling thousands of lines of code on a daily basis, then you may opt for more CPU cores instead. Do you still remember back in the late 2000s and 2010s when you could configure any of the graphics chips from NVIDIA or AMD for your MacBook Pro? It looks like you could have a similar flexibility again.
This new manufacturing process will surely give users more flexibility when configuring a higher-end MacBook Pro. This may be why Apple recently updated the user interface when you configure a Mac on the Apple online store.
Display and Colors
I expect the MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips to have the same display specs as those of the current M4 Pro and M4 Max models. This includes SDR brightness at up to 1000 nits (outdoors). You’ll still have the option to opt for the nano-texture display for a premium.
However, expect substantial display improvements later this year as Apple is expected to introduce a significant refresh for the MacBook Pro models with the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Those laptops are the ones that you should be waiting for if you’re considering upgrading, as they’re rumored to feature tandem OLED displays with multi-touch support built in and a dramatically new design.
I/O and Connectivity
I expect the I/O on the next higher-end MacBook Pro models to be the same as that of the current models with the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, including three Thunderbolt 5 ports. For connectivity, although Apple introduced the N1 networking chip on the iPhone 17 lineup, the iPhone Air, and the iPad Pro (M5), it never made its way to the base 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5), so I wouldn’t be surprised if that networking chip didn’t make its way to the higher-end MacBook Pro models either. This would mean that the M5 Pro/M5 Max models could retain Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 specs as opposed to the newer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 found in the N1 chip. The N1 chip would also provide Thread support.
Apple started developing its own in-house cellular models starting with the C1 modem on the iPhone 16e, and it introduced its second-generation C1X modem on the iPhone Air and the cellular models of the iPad Pro (M5); however, I don’t expect the M5 Pro/M5 Max models to come with cellular built-in; optional cellular connectivity will likely be saved for Apple’s biggest refresh for the MacBook Pro later in the fall, likely with the next-generation C2 cellular modem.
Price
I expect the higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models to start at the same starting prices of $1,999 and $2,499, respectively, with similar storage and memory options as before. It’s possible that we could see additional higher storage and memory options; however, I’d highly doubt that, given the rising prices for both SSDs and RAM (thanks, AI!)
Conclusion
In a nutshell, next week’s update will likely be just a spec bump, so if you’re thinking about upgrading soon, it may be in your best interest to wait just a bit longer until this coming fall for Apple’s biggest upgrade for the MacBook Pro. Trust us; it will be worth it. Still, it may be a good option for you to opt for the M5 generation of MacBook Pros since the redesigned MacBook Pro models with the M6 Pro/M6 Max could see a price hike, given the advanced technologies in features such as a tandem OLED display. Those MacBook Pros will come sooner than you’d expect. Stay tuned as we cover next week’s announcements!
