{"id":226013,"date":"2026-03-21T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/21\/the-new-macbook-pro-is-still-fast-as-hell\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T09:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:20:09","slug":"the-new-macbook-pro-is-still-fast-as-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/21\/the-new-macbook-pro-is-still-fast-as-hell\/","title":{"rendered":"The new MacBook Pro is still fast as hell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/898062\/apple-macbook-pro-16-m5-max-m1-comparison-review\">The new MacBook Pro is still fast as hell<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/898062\/apple-macbook-pro-16-m5-max-m1-comparison-review\">https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/898062\/apple-macbook-pro-16-m5-max-m1-comparison-review<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Publish Date: <a href=\"publish_date]\">2026-03-21 08:00:00<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source Domain: <a href=\"www.theverge.com\">www.theverge.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy2 _17nnmdy0 _17nnmdy7 _17nnmdy5 _1xwtict1 _17nnmdyb\">Apple\u2019s flagship 16-inch MacBook Pro has reigned supreme in the world of creator-focused laptops since its M-series processor overhaul in 2021. Since then, we\u2019ve mostly seen the same design with year-over-year chip bumps and small refinements. \u201cIf it ain\u2019t broke,\u201d right?<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1\">If you want to know everything about this machine, you can read our review of the last-gen M4 Pro \/ M4 Max models \u2014 it pretty much all holds up with the M5 models that replace them. But this time around, in addition to the usual testing and use of the new M5 Max model, it\u2019s worth asking a specific new question: whether you should consider a new MacBook Pro if you\u2019re currently using an M1 Pro or M1 Max model.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1\">I see you in the comments section, 2021 MacBook owners, wondering when an upgrade is worth it. And I\u2019m here for you. We got our hands on some four-and-a-half-year-old MacBook Pros to test them against Apple\u2019s latest and greatest, and it\u2019s safe to say it\u2019s worth upgrading \u2014 for some of you, at least.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"x271pn0\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' %3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mN8+R8AAtcB6oaHtZcAAAAASUVORK5CYII='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\")\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=376 376w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=384 384w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=415 415w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=480 480w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=540 540w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=640 640w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=750 750w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=828 828w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=1080 1080w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=1440 1440w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=1920 1920w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=2400 2400w\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0004.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&#038;w=2400\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"_18t3ez0s\">$3899<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"_16zyrvq8\">The Good<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Still the best<\/li>\n<li>Amazing performance and battery life<\/li>\n<li>Double the starting storage, and it\u2019s blisteringly fast<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"_16zyrvq8\">The Bad<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Still very expensive, with a $400 price increase over the M4 Max (though you get extra storage)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1\">For 2026, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has faster processors, Wi-Fi 7 support, and twice-as-fast storage that now starts at higher capacities. The Pro costs $2,699 for an M5 Pro chip with an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU, \u201cjust\u201d 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. At a starting price of $3,899, the M5 Max has an 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage \u2014 along with double-capacity memory bandwidth over the M5 Pro (for faster data transfer between the CPU and RAM). Our M5 Max test unit is souped up with a 40-core GPU, 128GB of RAM, 4TB of storage, and a Nano-texture anti-glare display, all costing an exorbitant $6,149.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"duet--article--unordered-list _1ymtmqpi _11h7yix0 _1xwtict1 kuxlcj7\">\n<li class=\"_11h7yix1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Screen:<\/strong> A<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_11h7yix1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Webcam:<\/strong> A<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_11h7yix1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Keyboard: <\/strong>B<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_11h7yix1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Trackpad:<\/strong> A<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_11h7yix1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Port selection:<\/strong> B<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_11h7yix1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Speakers:<\/strong> A<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_11h7yix1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Number of ugly stickers to remove:<\/strong> 0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1\">The M1 Pro and M1 Max&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/898062\/apple-macbook-pro-16-m5-max-m1-comparison-review\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new MacBook Pro is still fast as hell https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/tech\/898062\/apple-macbook-pro-16-m5-max-m1-comparison-review Publish Date: 2026-03-21 08:00:00 Source&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/268395_Apple_MacBook_Pro_16_M5_Max_ADiBenedetto_0005.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-226013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-macintosh","tag-macbook-pro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226013"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226015,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226013\/revisions\/226015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}