Overview
- The refresh brings M5 to MacBook Air and introduces 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips that Apple claims process LLM prompts up to 4x faster than the prior generation.
- Base storage is doubled across the lineup with Air starting at 512GB, MacBook Pro M5 Pro at 1TB, and M5 Max at 2TB, while SSD throughput is up to 2x faster with peak speeds cited at 14.5GB/s.
- A new N1 wireless chip adds Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and Pro models retain three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI with up to 8K support, an SDXC card slot, and MagSafe 3.
- Memory ceilings and bandwidth increase for pro workflows, with M5 Pro supporting up to 64GB at 307GB/s and M5 Max up to 128GB at 614GB/s, alongside battery life claims up to 24 hours.
- U.S. pricing starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch Air, $2,199 for the 14-inch Pro with M5 Pro, and $3,599 for M5 Max configurations, with some regions reporting higher entry prices tied to upgraded base specs; retail availability begins March 11 after preorders open March 4.