The M5 chip has me re-evaluating the base version of the MacBook Pro. Since the pivot to M-chips, the MacBook Air has been full of power, so I wasn’t sure who the target demo for this middle-of-the-road Pro model was.
However, after spending some time with the M5 version of the computer, I’ve found out that the target demo is me…
New chip, will travel
All of the product photos in this story were shot on an iPhone 17 Pro.
When I bought my MacBook Pro in 2021 for a little more than $4,000, I got an M1 Pro chip, some added storage (2TB) and 32GB RAM. It was an outstanding computer, but with the power of the M5 chip, you can actually get more performance for roughly $1,000 less.
In my heart, I want to be an M-Pro chip guy because I’m a nerd and needing a powerful computer makes me feel tough, but when I’m using this M5 machine, it does everything I want it to and more.
This year, my recommendation for Macs is this: If you simply need a computer, get a MacBook Air. Any model from the M2 onwards will be more than enough. On the flip side, if you care about a single computer spec, from screen quality to RAM speeds, the MacBook Pro M5 checks all the boxes, and if you can afford the extra cost, it will make you happier.
This version of the MacBook Pro is designed for individuals who love computers, making it an incredibly satisfying experience to use. When I first got mine years ago, I felt like I had unlocked the power to make a movie. I didn’t make one, but looking at my computer with the perspective of “it can do anything” is exciting. Apple’s recent Jane Goodall ad actually encapsulates that feeling pretty well.
I’d be lying if I said there were no compromises. Since this is an M5 base chip, this model features only three Thunderbolt 4 ports and a single fan. Those downgrades probably won’t matter to most, but you’ll notice the fan if you plan to do intense tasks. I have no idea how much money Apple saves from this, but it feels like a cheap move for an expensive computer, and in the short time I’ve had with this model, I’ve heard it a lot more than with my M4 Pro, or even on my older M1 Pro.
Even gaming on this screen looks amazing.
Beyond that, it’s all good news, like great battery life, an industry-leading trackpad, and enough ports for most workloads. Having all that in one portable package as finely built as a unibody MacBook starts to feel like a no-brainer when you add all this up. Even the screen is phenomenal.
While I see many praising its smooth 120Hz performance, the real draw for me is the impeccable contrast ratios, really deep colour reproduction, and the HDR brightness. Everything just looks better on the MacBook Pro screen.
The last thing I want to touch on is gaming. This computer’s GPU is impressive and will push AAA games around with relative ease, but we’re still fighting the age-old problem of limited game support on Mac. Don’t get me wrong, it’s getting a lot better, and CrossOver is really impressive, but Windows and consoles still have more options. For now, it’s still geared towards casual gamers, but those casuals are treated much better than five years ago.
While I don’t know if everyone with an M1 Pro chip needs to upgrade this year (those M1 chips just won’t quit), I can say if you do, you can even ratchet down to this entry-level model and still get an upgrade in terms of speed, AI performance and even graphics.
Should I wait a year for the rumoured OLED model?
Having a display this nice makes other screens look bad. Buyer beware.
This is where the real question lies. The current MacBook Pro is phenomenal, but Mark Gurman suggests a hardware refresh in 2026, which could include a touch-screen OLED display. Will this significantly improve the quality? I’m not sure, but I suspect Apple will try to make the whole computer thinner around it, and that might be an upgrade worth waiting for.
Having said that, I expect that when Apple does refresh the laptop’s design, the first wave of the new model will only have M-Pro and M-Max chips. So anyone looking to buy a baseline model like this M5 unit would need to be ready to spend another $1,000 or more to upgrade.
That is to say, when it comes down to it, the MacBook Pro has been near perfect since 2021, and this new model continues that trend while also showing just how effective Apple Silicon can be. Everything from playing Cyberpunk 2077 to editing photos is superb on this computer. While I wish it were a little lighter, I wouldn’t call the current model heavy.
In the same way Apple is having a hard time getting people to upgrade from the M1 series, I think people who stick with an M5 will also be able to use their computers for years and years to come. But if hardware design matters more than performance per dollar, then I’d wait until 2026 to see if a new Pro is just around the corner.
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