Apple’s New Power Duo: MacBook Pro 14” and Vision Pro Leap to M5 Chip with Major AI and Performance Gains

Apple has officially unveiled its next-generation performance leap: the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the Vision Pro headset, both now running on the new M5 chip. Following weeks of speculation and an early teaser, the announcement marks another decisive step in Apple’s ongoing quest to dominate the high-end computing and mixed reality markets. The M5 chip not only delivers major speed and efficiency gains but also signals Apple’s deepening integration of AI-focused hardware across its product line.

The M5 MacBook Pro 14” – A Portable AI Powerhouse

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the Apple M5 chip promises a transformative leap for both professionals and creators. Built around a 10-core CPU with 4 performance and 6 efficiency cores, alongside an all-new 10-core GPU featuring a Neural Accelerator in every core, the M5 chip sets a new benchmark for performance per watt. Apple says AI-driven workflows – like video rendering, data analysis, and machine learning tasks – are now up to 3.5 times faster than on last year’s M4 model, and six times faster than the early M1 generation.

The M5’s 16-core Neural Engine now reaches a new ceiling of capability, boosting multithreaded performance by 20%. Memory bandwidth has expanded to 153GB/s – a 30% increase over the previous generation. That means faster access to large datasets, smoother creative rendering, and more responsive multitasking for power users juggling complex workloads.

Battery endurance, one of Apple’s signature strengths, has also received an impressive improvement. Despite retaining the same 72.4Wh battery as the M4 model, optimizations from the M5 architecture extend battery life up to 24 hours on a single charge. The included 70W USB-C power adapter keeps recharging swift, while the power efficiency of the M5 allows users to go further between plug-ins.

Visually, the M5 MacBook Pro maintains Apple’s sleek, professional design. It sports the familiar 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, offering a sharp 3024 x 1964 resolution, a silky 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, and an impressive 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness. The 12MP Center Stage webcam continues to provide exceptional video quality for calls and streams.

The I/O setup remains robust – MagSafe charging, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, and a trusty 3.5mm headphone jack. Connectivity sticks to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, offering reliable modern standards even if Wi-Fi 7 remains absent for now. Available in Space Black and Silver, the M5 MacBook Pro 14” starts at $1,599 (or €1,799 / £1,599) for the 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD configuration. Pre-orders are live in major markets including the US, UK, Japan, and the UAE, with deliveries beginning October 22.

Vision Pro with M5 – Sharper, Smarter, and Still Heavier

Apple’s Vision Pro headset also joins the M5 family, gaining refined performance and subtle visual upgrades. The M5’s enhanced graphics capabilities allow the Vision Pro to render 10% more pixels on its micro-OLED displays, resulting in cleaner text and crisper imagery. The refresh rate now reaches 120Hz, up from 100Hz, making motion smoother and more natural during mixed reality experiences.

AI and app performance have seen dramatic leaps. Apple claims first-party applications run up to 50% faster, while third-party apps benefit from a doubling of processing speeds, empowering developers to push the boundaries of spatial computing. The M5’s neural optimizations enable faster real-time environment scanning and improved object tracking – key features for the headset’s immersive experiences.

Battery life has improved modestly, offering up to 2.5 hours of standard use or 3 hours of video playback. Yet, Apple couldn’t avoid adding extra grams – the new Vision Pro weighs between 750 and 800 grams, depending on the headband and Light Seal used, compared to 600–650 grams for the M2-based version. While heavier, the company hopes new balance and strap designs will improve comfort.

Apple also introduced the Dual Knit Band, a $99 accessory featuring a 3D-knitted dual-strap system for better weight distribution and comfort. It’s compatible with both the M5 and older M2 Vision Pro models. The headset keeps its $3,499 starting price (or €3,699 / £3,199 for 256GB) and will hit stores on October 22.

Apple’s Direction: Unified AI-Centric Future

With both the MacBook Pro and Vision Pro now leveraging the M5, Apple is clearly steering toward an AI-first ecosystem – one where hardware, software, and neural acceleration are tightly intertwined. From longer battery life to seamless machine learning integration, the M5 lineup marks a defining chapter in Apple’s transition from traditional performance benchmarks to intelligent computing.