With the majority of the enhancements centered on AI performance, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) feels like a rather minor upgrade over the M4 model from the previous year. Therefore, your level of interest in using technologies driven by artificial intelligence may determine how interested you are in this product. The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) is still a fantastic professional laptop with a gorgeous screen, a thin and light design, and exceptional build quality, even though it might not seem like a necessary upgrade for users of M4 and M3 MacBooks. Particularly with regard to some of the older technology (Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6E) that it still employs, it would be good to see Apple take a little more risk with a redesign for upcoming generations.
Apple appears to have found a stable pattern with the launching of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025). Few people were shocked when the M5 chip and 14-inch MacBook Pro were revealed, almost precisely one year after the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4, 2024).
But this time around, a couple things are different. In contrast to the M4 generation, when Apple released the iPad Pro around six months before any Macs or MacBooks received the M4, Apple also unveiled the iPad Pro (M5, 2025) in conjunction with the release of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025).
There are some strange aspects of this introduction, but it is encouraging to see the MacBook reclaiming its position as a showcase device for Apple's M-series CPUs. First of all, neither the more potent M5 Pro and M5 Max models that are anticipated to come out at some point nor any indication of an M5-powered Mac mini or iMac are there.
There will not be a new MacBook Pro 16-inch, at least not yet, as Apple has just revealed the base M5 chip as of this writing. For the first time in a long time, there is only one size available if you want Apple's newest MacBook.
Starting at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) comes with the latest M5 chip, which has a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.
Apple's main focus for this upgrade is increasing the on-device AI capabilities, and there are some significant advancements achieved here, but if you have no interest in AI, then you might not notice these enhancements and may be better served by a soon-to-be-discounted M4 model.
With nearly 24 hours of continuous movie looping and more than 18 hours in our web surfing benchmark, the battery life is still among the finest of any laptop. Its performance does not suffer, and it can easily last several workdays on a single charge.
This model costs the same as the one with the M4 chip, and it is encouraging that Apple is not raising the price at a time when it seems like everything else is growing more costly. It should be mentioned, nonetheless, that the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) in the UK and the EU does not include a charger. If you require one, you will need to purchase one separately, which somewhat reduces the device's worth.
The MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) shares the same design as the M4 and M3 models. That is not a big deal because the laptop still looks good and has one of the nicest 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR screens available. However, it is starting to seem like Apple has an all-or-nothing strategy and is not interested in making small changes to its MacBook designs.
Every few generations, such as with the M3 model (which took the place of the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro), there are significant design changes, but after a few years, it seems like Apple does not want to make any changes.
This means that some features of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) could become a little out of date, especially since Apple's competitors in the laptop market—particularly Dell and Lenovo—seem to be much more at ease changing the designs of their products.
In 2025, a high-end laptop that uses the outdated Wi-Fi 6E standard instead of the new Wi-Fi 7 standard will be released. It is interesting to note that the iPad Pro, which is powered by the M5, supports Wi-Fi 7, indicating that Apple clearly believes the technology is worthwhile. Additionally, the connectors are the same as those on the base edition of the M4 14-inch MacBook Pro, which includes three USB-C connections, an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe 3 charging port.
For professionals, this is still a good option because it lets you connect a TV or projector, connect several peripherals, or put in a memory card without the need for an adaptor. The USB-C ports, which support Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 technology speeds of up to 40Gb/s, are unaltered. The older M4 Pro and M4 Max models of the 14-inch MacBook Pro are among the many laptops that have much faster Thunderbolt 5 speeds of 120Gb/s. This is another area where Apple's unwillingness to make even the slightest adjustments could cause it to lose ground to its rivals.
Apple has upgraded the SSD with new technology, giving the M5 MacBook Pro double the read and write speeds of the previous model. It is unfortunate that the USB-C speeds have stayed the same.
The MacBook Pro 14-inch with the M5 CPU has nearly perfect performance; both third-party and preinstalled software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Ableton Live 12, function flawlessly, and macOS Tahoe feels quick and snappy. The issue is that many individuals will likely find it difficult to perceive any discernible generational boost because the earlier M4 model was likewise an excellent performer. I would not suggest this upgrade to anyone who already owns an M4 or even M3 MacBook Pro. However, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) has many advantages if you have an earlier Intel MacBook or are switching from a Windows laptop (perhaps due to the end of support for Windows 10).
