Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip provides a “faster chip and much faster storage,” but much else remains the same compared to the previous version, according to reviewers.
“The M5 sequel is mostly a copy-paste of the same machine — an annual Madden NFL release in laptop form. But instead of a glorified roster update, you get a slightly faster chip and much faster storage, potentially speeding things up when working on big project files and cutting down on time looking at progress bars,” said Antonio G. Di Benedetto from the Verge.
However, Di Benedetto noted that if one is using a much older laptop and looking for a powerful new machine that “doesn’t cost a fortune, the entry-level MacBook Pro continues to reign supreme.”
“On one hand, my testing shows the chip’s upgraded GPU architecture delivers big performance improvements over the M4 in the narrow areas where it applies, namely on-GPU processing for AI (notably image generation) and ray-traced graphics,” said Lori Grunin from CNET.
Grunin noted that these go along with Apple’s typical generation-over-generation performance improvements. “So, as expected, one of the best-performing consumer CPUs just got better,” Grunin added.
“Benchmarks show that the M5 chip offers 15% to 20% gains over the M4, but in real-world use, you’re unlikely to see a meaningful difference,” said Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman.
Gurman added that Apple’s benchmarks show that the base-level M5 in the $1599 MacBook Pro is on par with the M1 Ultra, a once top-of-the-line processor that first debuted in the Mac Studio desktop.
“Besides the M5 chip, the other changes are slight tweaks that only the most niche users would care about: marginally better memory bandwidth, slightly faster storage speeds for the solid-state drive and a 4-terabyte storage option,” said Gurman. “That said, if you have a regular M1 or Intel laptop — or are someone considering switching to the Mac — you’re in for a solid machine.”