M5 MacBook Pro is a minor spec bump with increased GPU performance – but once again, the immense battery life is the standout feature

Apple M5 is here, and surprisingly, unlike the multi-product release of the M4, it comes first in the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. And, it is only the 14in MacBook Pro with the M5 chip, as the 16in model uses the M4 Pro or Max. And there is no M5 Pro or Max, as yet.

Now, there is a clear pattern over the last four years for the MacBook Pro, where very little changes in the aesthetic, and the main point of interest is the new silicon. This has roughly translated to a 20% power increase with each chip, more AI capabilities, and an ever-expanding battery life. And this is how the tech giant is pleasing workers, creatives, and Apple-aficionados.

Image 1 of 8

You can have it now, in Silver or Space Black, starting at $1,599 (£1,599), with a dizzying array of configurations to choose from, including up to 4TB of storage. But does that make the M5 MacBook Pro enough of an upgrade?

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Design

You'll have to take our word for it that the images in this review are of the M5 MacBook Pro, because it is nearly impossible to distinguish it from the M4 model (or the M3 one, for that matter). And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a beautiful machine, made with recycled aluminum, and with the same old Apple logos and design features we know so well. It's a timeless design, and it needs to be, because it has been used time and again.

The 14in model comes with a selection of ports, which can seem like you have decent options, but ultimately that will be down to you and your specific needs. There are three Thunderbolt 4 slots (all of which take charge and connect to monitors), an HDMI 2.1 port, a full-sized SD card reader, and a headphone jack. And, a MagSafe 3 port with a USB-C connector.

The MagSafe charger creates an issue for people in Europe. Namely, you won't get a power brick in the box of your new MacBook Pro; you have to pay £59 extra for that. And the reason is the EU's Common Charger Directive, which will apply to laptops from 28 April 2026. For the last three years, the EU has required manufacturers to use USB-C connectors as standard, but has also decreed that chargers should not be bundled with devices in a bid to reduce e-waste. This has been the case for smartphones and other devices for a while now, but it will now include laptops. In true Apple fashion, its charger is actually a USB-C to MagSafe connection (meeting the EU halfway), but you can, of course, charge the MacBook Pro via one of its other USB-C ports.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Display, keyboard, and trackpad

The 14in MacBook Pro comes with the same display specifications as the 14in M4 model. A Liquid Retina XDR display, a 3024 x 1964 resolution, and up to 120Hz refresh rate with the ProMotion setting. The one noticeable change is that you can now boost the mini LED backlight, making it brighter. Apple notes that the panel can go up to 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR content. You can also pay extra for the Nano texture display, which is basically a layer that stops glare – and it does a pretty good job, in that regard.

Compared to the M4, there is a slight increase in quality. With our colormieter, the M5 MacBook Pro produced some pretty impressive scores for both gamut color coverage and volume – 99.7% and 144.1%, respectively. The M4 managed 96% and 98.9%. Its Adobe scores were also great (85.9%), as was its peak brightness (609.44cd/m2).

When it comes to the keyboard and trackpad, we literally could have copied and pasted from the 14in M4 review, but again, it's not necessarily a bad thing. The keys are nice and punchy, beautifully backlit, and with decent travel. The fingerprint reader in the top right is quick. And the trackpad is nice, big, and smooth. Plus, that haptic feedback is still so satisfying to use.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Specs and performance

With every iteration of the M-series, Apple has managed to provide significant performance increases across the board, taking each MacBook Pro a little bit further away from the competition. However, for the 14in M5 model, there are some quite impressive benchmarks for GPU performance. The reason is down to Neural Accelerators that have been added to each graphics core, a change that uses the technology from the AI-focused Neural Engine. By adding it to each of the 10 GPU cores, Apple has increased both the Pro's AI capabilities and its graphics performance.

In GeekBench 6, the M5 scored 4248 for single-core workloads and 17600 for multi-core ones. Both of which upped the 3899 and 15234 scores of the M4 MacBook Pro. However, what's more impressive is its GPU performance. We also ran the GPU benchmarks in GeekBench 6, and the M5 Pro came back with a whopping 48228. This graphical prowess was backed by its Cinebench 2024 scores, with GPU results for 1179 multithreaded performance and 201 for single.

There might be some question marks over who this new MacBook is for – the average office bod isn't going to be pushing the GPU that hard, and those who do that sort of work would arguably want the M5 Pro chip when it's available. But you're not going to complain about receiving the 14in M5 MacBook Pro for work. It is fast, it is cool, and crucially, it has unbelievably good battery life. In our looped video test, it lasted a whopping 20hrs and 31mins. And, like last year, it lasted longer than our actual looped video. The only laptop tested by ITPro to beat that is the 14in HP OmniBook 5, which recorded 20hrs, 40mins.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Features

As with all new laptops, AI is the word. Much of the M5 Pro's new capabilities stem from that super GPU and Neural Engine, but also the new macOS "Tahoe". The Sequoia operating system will be remembered for introducing Apple Intelligence, but it's Tahoe that looks to be the bigger beneficiary of the AI suite.

There are new on-device features, such as Live Translation in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime. Shortcuts are improved with new features, like automating actions where you can string them together in an automated workflow. And the whole thing just looks slightly different, and, in our opinion, better. The design change to the Liquid Glass improves elements like the menu bar or the app windows, making them more vibrant and appealing. Features like Continuity and Spotlight now offer new ways to work across devices. Apple has really nailed the way you can use both Mac and iPhone in tandem with the new Phone app for Mac.

If there is one feature that isn't changing, it's Wi-Fi 6. Why this is still on the MacBook Pro is strange, and even more so when you consider the M5 iPad Pro, which has Wi-Fi 7.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Is it worth it?

On battery life alone, the MacBook Pro is an office champion. But then, in that regard, so was the M4 model, and the HP OmniBook 5. What we're really looking at here is improvements in graphic performance and more AI capabilities. Which does beg the question, who is this 14in model for? Seems a bit too juiced for the average office bod. What's more, the M4 model of MacBook Air is significantly cheaper.

However, just because it is a bit too similar to the M4 model doesn't make it a bad laptop. It is the opposite, a stupendously great one, with a beautiful, bright display, brilliant graphical performance, and a ridiculously good battery.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in specifications