The external design of the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro is unchanged. | Image by Apple
It’s a busy week for Apple fans, just like Tim Cook promised. After launching the iPhone 17e and an iPad Air update, today is time for new laptops. While those are upgrades of models we’ve seen before, they come with some important changes.
Apple announced new laptops with better chips and higher prices
Apple announced the release of an upgraded MacBook Air with the M5 chip and new MacBook Pro laptops featuring the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors. All new models will be available for preorder on March 4th, followed by availability in stores on March 11th.
In a move reminiscent of its strategy with the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple is raising the starting storage and prices of all models. The M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch model or $1,299 for the 15-inch version, which is $100 higher than the M4 MacBook Air. The company has the same approach for the new MacBook Pro models, which start with the following prices:
M5 MacBook Pro starts at $1,699 (a $100 increase)
M5 Pro MacBook Pro starts at $2,199 (a $200 increase)
M5 Max MacBook Pro starts at $3,599 (a $400 increase)
Some specs upgrade
Apple says the MacBook Air is the most popular laptop for business users. | Image by Apple
The most notable change on all laptops is the increased storage. The new M5 MacBook Air starts at 512GB storage, which is twice as much as the one offered with the M4 MacBook Air. The new model also goes up to 4TB instead of 2TB. The new laptop also has twice as fast read/write performance, according to Apple.
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The M5 MacBook Air also supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6 thanks to Apple’s custom N1 wireless chip. Apple claims the battery of the new laptop can last up to 18 hours.
Do you plan to upgrade to some of Apple’s new laptops?
The M5 Pro and M5 Max in the new MacBook Pro laptops are built on a new Fusion Architecture, which combines two dies into a single SoC. Both chips include an 18-core CPU, up from the 14-core and 16-core of the M4 Pro and M4 Max, respectively. Those cores include six “super cores,” which is Apple’s new name for the highest-performing cores, and 12 “performance” cores, which are focused on efficiency. The M5 Pro comes with up to a 20-core GPU, which can go up to 40 cores on the M5 Max. Both chips have faster shared memory, which can now go up to 64GB on the M5 Pro.
The base storage of Apple’s top-tier laptop has also grown, and they start at 1TB storage instead of 512GB. Like the M5 MacBook Air, the Pros feature Apple’s N1 wireless chip. Apple says the battery can last up to 24 hours on the 16-inch model. The laptop also supports fast charging, which can get the battery to 50% in 30 minutes with a 96W or higher USB-C adapter.
Decent upgrade
Apple’s laptops have been powerful enough for years, and it’s unlikely that anyone with an M4-powered MacBook would need an upgrade. However, if you’re using an aging laptop, those sound like good options, despite the higher entry prices.
Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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