MacBook Pro M5 review: serious power, still long battery life | Laptops
MacBook Pro M5 review: serious power, still long battery life | Laptops
Publish Date: 2026-04-28 02:02:00
Source Domain: www.theguardian.com
Apple’s Macs have been on a roll this year with the brand new budget MacBook Neo and a faster MacBook Air M5, but now it’s time for its workhorse MacBook Pro to be upgraded with the fastest, most powerful M-series chips.
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The latest MacBook Pro comes in two screen sizes and a large range of chip and configuration options. The 14in version starts with the M5 chip costing £1,699 (€1,899/$1,699/A$2,699) and then jumps to the more powerful M5 Pro from £2,199 (€2,499/$2,199/A$3,499) before climbing further for the 16in version or the top M5 Max chip. A pricey machine for professional workloads.
The three chip versions of the laptop create three tiers of machine: the M5 is for people who need roughly the performance of a MacBook Air but want the much fancier screen, extra ports and other bells and whistles of the Pro model.
The M5 Pro version is the laptop most MacBook Pro buyers should consider, providing significantly greater performance for demanding workloads and faster wifi 7. If your work needs the M5 Max chip with twice the graphics power and up to 128GB of memory, you probably already know it.
The simple, sleek all-aluminium design looks just as good in 2026 as it did on its introduction in 2021. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The laptop’s exterior hasn’t changed much since the design launched in 2021, but it has stood the test of time very well. The solid aluminium body looks great and travels well, slipping easily into backpacks and resisting the kind of flexing that causes screen and other issues. The keyboard and trackpad are first class and the super bright and crisp 120Hz mini LED screen is rarely rivalled in competitors’ machines.
Apple sells a nano texture upgrade for the display glass, which diffuses glare very effectively and is worth considering. Coupled with the sustained 1,000nit brightness of the screen…
