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ZDNET Highlights
- Apple’s M5 chipset will deliver up to 4 times the highest GPU compute performance than before.
- The new M5 MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Vision Pro are priced the same as their predecessors.
- All three new M5-powered Apple devices are now available for preorder and will be on sale from October 22.
As predicted, Apple has announced three new devices for Pro customers, but the star of the show is the next-generation M5 chipset. New Vision Pro, 14-inch base MacBook ProAnd ipad pro All are powered by the latest in-house chipset, which is claimed to deliver 4x the peak GPU compute performance for AI compared to the M4.
Here’s what it means for you, and whether it offers any tangible benefits over the new generation of Apple products.
Apple focuses on AI performance with M5
The Apple M5 processor, built on a 3nm process, is being called “the next big leap in AI performance for Apple silicon.” It features a next-generation 10-core GPU architecture with a neural accelerator in each core. It is said to be optimized for AI and graphics to offer “over 4x peak GPU compute performance and 45% more ray tracing” compared to the M4.
The M5’s 10-core CPU features six efficiency cores and up to four performance cores, which is rated at a 15% performance gain over its predecessor. This is paired with an improved 16-core Neural Engine, which “provides approximately a 30% increase in integrated memory bandwidth, up to 153GB/s.”
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Apple says its new M5 processor allows the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro to “benefit from dramatically accelerated processing for AI-powered workflows,” including running large language models locally using the platform or diffusion models in apps like Draw Things. It improves the performance of Apple Intelligence models thanks to its faster neural engine and integrated memory in the M5.
Apple’s M5 processor helps the new Vision Pro transform 2D photos into spatial scenes in the Photos app and generate a persona with greater speed and efficiency. We’ll be testing it in our reviews, but at first glance the M5 chip seems to be a big upgrade.
14-inch MacBook Pro gets a speed bump
The base 14-inch MacBook Pro gets faster internal storage and an M5 chip refresh. Apple says the latter offers a 3.5x AI performance boost and 1.6x faster graphics compared to the M4 MacBook Pro. It improves multithreaded performance by up to 20% and offers higher memory bandwidth of 153Gbps (120Gbps on the M4 MacBook Pro).
Too: A touchscreen MacBook could finally launch next year – as we know it
You can now also buy a base MacBook Pro with 4TB of storage, which was previously limited to the M4 Pro and M4 Max-powered models. It’s rated to last up to 24 hours on a single charge and is priced at $1,599 for the 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, 16GB of memory. You get the same I/O ports, colors, and construction as the previous generation model.
The new iPad Pro gets a helpful connectivity upgrade
The M5 iPad Pro offers a “huge leap in AI performance” and adds faster storage and other new Apple chips. It is said to have 3.5x more AI performance than the iPad Pro with M4 and 5.6x faster than the iPad Pro with M1. It comes with Apple’s new C1X cellular modem (on the Cellular variant) and the N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread.
Too: iPadOS 26 is turning my iPad Air into the ultraportable laptop it was meant to be
The best upgrade is the fast charging, which is rated to charge up to 50% in under 30 minutes. As before, the M5 iPad Pro comes in two sizes: an 11-inch model starting at $999 and a 13-inch Pro starting at $1,299. You get the same display, anti-reflective coating, storage, and color options as before in a thinner design.
The biggest Vision Pro change is…
The M5 Vision Pro comes with an all-new soft, padded dual knit band that “helps users achieve an even more comfortable fit.” The M5 chipset allows apps to load faster and makes web browsing a more responsive experience.
Also: I finally tried Samsung’s XR headset, and it outperforms my Apple Vision Pro in meaningful ways
The M5 Vision Pro gets 10% more pixels on a custom micro-OLED display than its predecessor. This display can increase refresh rates up to 120Hz, which was previously at a maximum of 100Hz.
Apple says its new headset can last up to 2.5 hours during normal use and up to three hours of video playback, 30 minutes longer than before. It’s priced the same as before: $3,500, and will be available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.
