Apple has unveiled its latest lineup of MacBooks and Studio Displays. These notebook-style laptops are powered by Apple’s new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, making them faster and more efficient. The new MacBooks also have increased storage space, better battery life, new colors, and more. Read on to find out what’s new with the latest MacBooks and Studio Displays.
Jump To:
MacBook Pro: Everything You Need to Know
Image Credit: Apple
Availability
- Pre-order March 4
- Available March 11
Sizes & Pricing
- 14-inch M5 Pro starts at $2,199
- 14-inch M5 Max starts at $3,599
- 16-inch M5 Pro starts at $2,699
- 16-inch M5 Max starts at $3,899
Additionally, Apple announced that the MacBook Pro with M5, which was released last year, now comes standard with 1 TB of storage and starts at $1,699. It, as well as this new lineup of MacBook Pros, all come in Silver and Space Black colors.
What’s New with MacBook Pro
The new lineup of MacBook Pros is equipped with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips and designed with AI in mind. These new chips are more powerful and faster than ever, with Apple claiming quadrupled AI performance compared to the M5 MacBook Pro. Apple has built these MacBooks from the ground up for professional use. The faster M5 Pro and Max chips allow for more demanding workloads required by users like coders working with AI, game developers working with 3D models, or photographers making extensive edits to photos.
While the previous generation of MacBook Pros started with 512 GB of storage, the M5 Pro starts with 1 TB, and the M5 Max starts with 2 TB. Apple claims the new SSD storage on the MacBook Pro is twice as fast as the previous iteration. Plus, the new battery allows the MacBook Pro to last for up to 24 hours with no change in performance, whether it’s plugged in or not.
Apple has put a lot of emphasis on AI with the new MacBook Pro. It's a device that is clearly designed for power users who need the extra processing speeds offered by the new M5 Pro and Max chips. If you're an industry professional and find yourself multitasking across a wide variety of projects, the new MacBook Pro might be right for you. You may also want to consider upgrading if your current MacBook is still using an Intel chip. Apple's M-series chips offer improved performance, and MacBooks as old as the M1 are still great options today. Otherwise, you may want to hold onto your current MacBook a little longer or consider the new MacBook Air.
MacBook Air: Everything You Need to Know
Image Credit: Apple
Availability
- Pre-order March 4
- Available March 11
Size & Pricing
- 13-inch M5 starts at $1,099
- 15-inch M5 starts at $1,299
The new MacBook Air with M5 comes in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver colors.
What’s New With MacBook Air
The new MacBook Air comes equipped with the M5 chip, which was previously only available on the MacBook Pro. Now, the MacBook Air’s performance is comparable to the previous iteration of the Pro. Apple claims these slim and light notebooks are four times faster when performing AI tasks than the previous MacBook Air’s M4 chip. The improved performance makes it a great choice as an all-purpose laptop.
Like the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air has a new SSD that is twice as fast. The standard storage size starts at 512 GB, up from 256 GB on the previous generation. The MacBook Air’s new and improved battery allows it to last up to 18 hours, meaning it will last you all day.
The M5 chip packs the power of last year's MacBook Pro into the body of a MacBook Air, but if your current MacBook is still meeting your needs just fine, there's no real need to upgrade just yet, especially if your MacBook has an M-series chip. As we said above, even the oldest M chip, the M1, performs just fine for most users. The biggest advantage this MacBook offers is its battery life. It's great for portability since you can leave home in the morning knowing you won't be desperate for a charger by midday. If the battery is a deal breaker for you or if you plan on utilizing AI for everyday tasks, you may want to consider the upgrade.
Studio Displays: What’s New
Image Credit: Apple
Alongside its new MacBook lineup, Apple also unveiled the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR. Both 5K displays measure 27 inches, with the Studio Display XDR boasting a mini-LED backlight, allowing for brighter, more accurate colors. The XDR also supports a 120Hz refresh rate. Both displays offer Thunderbolt 5 connectivity and are equipped with a new 12 MP Center Stage camera. The new displays will be available for preorder and purchase at the same time as the new MacBooks.
