Apple’s latest MacBook Pro models with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips arrive this Wednesday, and early MacBook Pro reviews already give a clear picture of what buyers should expect. Most reviewers agree that the new laptops look very similar to last year’s M4 models, but the internal upgrades deliver strong performance improvements. Faster processors, much quicker SSD speeds, and slightly longer battery life stand out as the key highlights in this generation.
At the same time, Apple has not changed the overall design or feature set in a major way. The focus stays on raw performance, which explains why many reviewers say the upgrade mainly benefits users who push their machines with demanding tasks such as video editing, coding, or GPU-heavy workflows.
M5 Pro and M5 Max chips bring performance gains
Reviewers say the biggest upgrade comes from Apple’s new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Benchmarks and early tests show noticeable improvements in both CPU and GPU performance compared with the previous M4 generation.
Jason Snell at Six Colors explains that the new chips deliver a clear step forward in speed. He writes that “the M5 CPU core is about 15% faster than the M4 generation,” which gives the new MacBook Pro strong performance gains in everyday workloads and professional tasks. Snell also reports that his review unit runs “23% faster than my M4 Max laptop,” which shows how much Apple improved the latest architecture.
Snell also notes that GPU performance depends heavily on the chip configuration buyers choose. The M5 Max versions include significantly more GPU cores, which makes them far better for heavy graphics workloads. However, he says the M5 Pro still performs impressively, explaining that “my M4 Max’s Metal score was only about 14 percent ahead of the M5 Pro’s,” despite the older chip having many more GPU cores.
Benchmarks show strong CPU and storage speeds
Several reviewers tested Apple’s claim that its MacBook Pro “super cores” are the fastest CPU cores available in a laptop today.
Tom’s Hardware compared the M5 Max against competing Windows laptops and reported strong benchmark results. In Geekbench 6, Apple’s chip scored 4,338 in single-core performance and 29,430 in multi-core tests. These numbers placed the MacBook Pro clearly ahead of competing devices such as the ZenBook Duo, which scored 3,031 and 17,283 respectively.
Storage performance also surprised many reviewers. Apple claims the new SSDs run up to twice as fast as the previous generation, and testing results show large improvements.
Tom’s Hardware reported that the MacBook Pro completed a 25GB file transfer test at 3,835 MB per second, while the next fastest competitor reached 1,724 MB per second. In a Handbrake video encoding test, the MacBook Pro converted a 4K video to 1080p in just 1 minute and 55 seconds. The next fastest machine needed 3 minutes and 18 seconds.
The Verge also highlighted the storage upgrade, writing that “the new high-end M5 chip delivers improvements, none more noticeable than the huge SSD read/write speed boost.”
Apple introduces a new core structure
Reviewers also examined the internal chip architecture that Apple uses in the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors.
Brian Westover at PCMag describes Apple’s design as something close to a “bigger.BIG” architecture. In this system, Apple uses extremely powerful performance cores alongside additional cores that handle multithread workloads more efficiently.
Westover explains that these performance cores act as the main workhorses for demanding tasks, delivering strong efficiency and performance without the bottlenecks that older efficiency cores sometimes caused.
Faster storage and longer battery life
Beyond the processor upgrades, the new MacBook Pro models bring faster storage and slightly improved battery life.
Apple now offers SSD speeds that reach up to twice the performance of the previous generation. Some testing shows extremely fast read and write results, including speeds above 13 GB per second for reading and nearly 18 GB per second for writing in high-end configurations.
Tom’s Guide reviewer Tony Polanco reported that the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro lasted “an astonishing 21 hours and 10 minutes” during a continuous web browsing test. The previous M4 Pro model lasted 20 hours and 46 minutes under the same conditions.
The new MacBook Pro models also include Apple’s N1 wireless chip, which adds support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
Conclusion
Overall, MacBook Pro reviews say the latest models deliver strong performance upgrades without major design changes. Apple focused on improving speed, storage performance, and battery life rather than introducing new hardware features.
For many users, the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips provide the main reason to upgrade. Early reviews show that Apple succeeded in delivering faster performance across CPU tasks, graphics workloads, and storage speeds.
Reviewers also note that a larger redesign may arrive in the future, with rumors pointing to an OLED display, a thinner design, and more advanced chips in later models. For now, the newest MacBook Pro generation continues Apple’s focus on performance improvements while keeping the same familiar design.
