Suddenly released, Apple's three M5 products are here. The AI performance has soared 3.5 times, starting from 8,999 yuan.
According to a report by ZDONGXI on October 16th, last night, the 14 - inch MacBook Pro based on Apple's brand - new M5 chip finally arrived. Alongside it, the tablet product iPad Pro and the spatial computing device Apple Vision Pro, both powered by the M5 chip, were also released. All three products will start accepting pre - orders at 9 a.m. on October 17th and will be available for sale on October 22nd.
Compared with the previous generation, the 14 - inch MacBook Pro in the M5 series has little change in appearance and still starts at 12,999 yuan. The highlights of this update include being equipped with the M5 series chip, a 3.5 - fold improvement in AI performance compared to the previous generation, the longest ever Mac battery life of 24 hours, and the charming Liquid Glass design. (For more details about the M5, please refer to "Apple's M5 Chip Debuts: 10 - core CPU, 10 - core GPU, AI Performance Soars 3.5 Times".)
▲ The page of the new MacBook Pro goes live. (Image source: Apple Store official website)
The new 14 - inch MacBook Pro is available in two colors: Space Black and Silver. There are three options: 16GB of memory + 512GB solid - state drive, 16GB of memory + 1TB solid - state drive, and 24GB of memory + 1TB solid - state drive, priced at 12,999 yuan, 14,499 yuan, and 15,999 yuan respectively.
▲ Configuration options and prices of the new MacBook Pro. (Image source: Apple Store official website)
"The M5 marks another significant leap for Mac in the field of AI and significantly enhances graphics processing performance, accelerating the adaptation to the demanding workflows of everyone, from students to creative professionals, from developers to business people," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice - president of hardware engineering.
The iPad Pro equipped with the M5 also has a 3.5 - fold improvement in AI performance and features highlights such as a comprehensive upgrade in the iPadOS 26 design, the pinnacle of display brought by the Super Retina XDR, and a sleek design as thin as 5.1 millimeters.
▲ Product image of the new iPad Pro. (Image source: Apple official website)
In terms of configuration options and prices, the new iPad Pro is available in 11 - inch and 13 - inch sizes, with two appearance colors, Silver and Space Black, and offers 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations, starting at 8,999 yuan.
▲ The launch page of the new iPad Pro. (Image source: Apple Store official website)
The new Apple Vision Pro is also equipped with the latest M5 chip, with improved display rendering effects, faster AI workflows, and a longer battery life. It also features a new double - loop braided headband for a more comfortable fit. It starts at 29,999 yuan and offers storage capacities of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. All models will be available for sale after approval.
▲ The launch page of the new Apple Vision Pro. (Image source: Apple Store official website)
01.
MacBook Pro: 3.5 - fold Improvement in AI Performance
1.6 - fold Faster Graphics Processing, 24 - hour Long Battery Life
Equipped with Apple's brand - new M5 chip, the 14 - inch MacBook Pro is faster and more powerful, with a significant improvement in AI performance.
The M5 chip uses a new - generation GPU, with each core equipped with a neural accelerator. The AI performance is up to 3.5 times higher than that of the M4, and the graphics processing speed is up to 1.6 times faster. It also includes a faster and more efficient CPU, an enhanced neural engine, and higher memory bandwidth, which can accelerate everything from launching apps to running large - language models on the device.
▲ The new MacBook Pro can easily handle demanding workflows.
The new MacBook Pro also features a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display with an optional nano - texture finish, a 12 - megapixel Center Stage camera, a six - speaker sound system, a rich set of interfaces, Apple Intelligence features, and the performance of macOS Tahoe. In addition, it offers a long battery life of up to 24 hours.
1. 3.5 - fold Improvement in AI Performance, Accelerating Various Professional Workflows
When users run diffusion models in apps such as Draw Things, they will experience faster text - to - image generation. Large - language models will also run faster in popular apps such as LM Studio.
The M5 chip can also accelerate various professional workflows, such as deep learning, data modeling, and AI video enhancement. The faster 16 - core neural engine further accelerates AI - driven tasks on the device and improves the performance of Apple Intelligence generative models.
In addition, the solid - state drive (SSD) performance of the new 14 - inch MacBook Pro is up to 2 times higher than that of the previous generation, allowing users to load local large - language models faster. Now, users can choose up to 4TB of storage space.
▲ The new 14 - inch MacBook Pro brings faster and more powerful on - device AI.
2. Higher Performance, the World's Fastest CPU Cores, Effortlessly Playing Cyberpunk 2077
The M5 chip also brings faster system - wide performance and more features to the 14 - inch MacBook Pro.
With the new GPU in the M5, compared with the M4 model, the new 14 - inch MacBook Pro can provide up to 1.6 times faster graphics processing performance in professional apps and up to 1.6 times higher frame - rate improvement in games.
The M5 CPU has the world's fastest CPU cores, with a faster response. The ten - core design offers up to 20% higher multi - thread performance in workloads such as code compilation compared with the M4, making it ideal for multitasking or accelerating creative applications.
The new 14 - inch MacBook Pro is suitable for data analysts who use Python to query databases and professionals such as product designers who often multitask between apps such as Rhino, Notion, and Jira. In addition, with a unified memory bandwidth of over 150GB/s, users can process large AI models on the device or manipulate massive scenes in 3D applications.
▲ The new MacBook Pro supports users to multitask between apps such as Keynote and Asana.
The 14 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M5 has the following features:
(1) Compared with the 13 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M1, the AI video enhancement performance of Topaz Video can be up to 7.7 times higher, and compared with the 14 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M4, it can be up to 1.8 times higher.
(2) Compared with the 13 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M1, the 3D rendering speed in Blender can be up to 6.8 times higher, and compared with the 14 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M4, it can be up to 1.7 times higher.
(3) Compared with the 13 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M1, the game frame rate can be up to 3.2 times higher, and compared with the 14 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M4, it can be up to 1.6 times higher.
(4) Compared with the 13 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M1, the build performance when compiling code in Xcode is 2.1 times higher, and compared with the 14 - inch MacBook Pro equipped with the M4, the build performance is 1.2 times higher.
▲ The new MacBook Pro can be used to play demanding games such as "Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition".
3. Up to 24 - hour Total Battery Life, 1600 - nit Peak HDR Brightness
With significant improvements over Intel - based and M1 models, Apple also mentioned the following advantages of the new 14 - inch MacBook Pro:
(1) Performance Improvement: Compared with Intel - based systems, its AI performance is up to 86 times higher, GPU performance is up to 30 times higher (with ray - tracing support), and CPU performance is up to 5.5 times higher. Users upgrading from M1 will experience up to 6 times higher AI performance, up to 6.8 times higher GPU performance (with ray - tracing support), and up to 2 times higher CPU performance.
(2) Battery Life: For Intel - based users, the battery life can be extended by an additional 14 hours; for users who previously used the M1 processor, the battery life can be extended by an additional 4 hours, with a maximum total battery life of up to 24 hours. Therefore, users can get more work done on a single charge.
Unlike many PC laptops, the MacBook Pro provides the same excellent performance whether it is plugged in or running on battery. New Mac users and those upgrading from Intel and M1 processors can also take advantage of the fast - charging feature. Using a 96W or higher - power USB - C power adapter, the battery can be charged to 50% in just 30 minutes.
(3) Liquid Retina XDR Display: Upgrading users will enjoy a 14 - inch Liquid Retina XDR display with an optional nano - texture finish, with a peak HDR brightness of up to 1600 nits and an SDR content brightness of up to 1000 nits. Upgrading users can also connect up to two high - resolution external displays.
(4) Upgraded Camera, Microphone, and Speakers: The upgraded version is equipped with an advanced 12 - megapixel Center Stage camera and studio - grade microphones, providing users with the best visual and audio experience when answering calls. In addition, the upgraded version will also experience an immersive six - speaker sound system supporting spatial audio.
(5) Powerful Apple Intelligence Features: Apple Intelligence is seamlessly integrated into macOS, with breakthrough privacy - protection features, providing intuitive features for upgraders and new Mac users.
(6) Higher Value: Users coming from Intel - based and M1 systems will also get 16GB of starting unified memory, an additional Thunderbolt port, and a Space Black finish with an anodized seal.
▲ The Liquid Retina XDR display can provide a peak HDR brightness of 1600 nits.