Apple’s M5 lands in a refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro and the latest iPad Pro, promising up to 3.5x faster AI performance than M4, higher GPU throughput, and quicker storage. Here is what is actually new, how it stacks up against last year’s iPad Pro M4 generation we covered, and where these machines fit into real production workflows.
Apple just updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro and both sizes of iPad Pro with the new M5 chip. There is no design overhaul, which puts the focus squarely on compute: a next-gen 10-core GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core, a faster 16-core Neural Engine, higher unified-memory bandwidth, and faster SSDs. Preorders are open now, with availability starting October 22.
What M5 actually brings
M5 is built on Apple’s third-generation 3-nanometer process, adds Neural Accelerators per GPU core, and raises unified-memory bandwidth to 153 GB/s. Apple cites over 4x peak GPU compute for AI vs M4, plus third-generation ray tracing and the company’s “world’s fastest” performance CPU core. Developers tapping Core ML and Metal APIs should see gains without code changes, while low-level Tensor APIs in Metal 4 target custom AI pipelines.
MacBook Pro M5: faster AI and storage for mobile finishing
The 14-inch MacBook Pro keeps its $1,599 starting price, Liquid Retina XDR with optional nano-texture, ports, and quoted battery life up to 24 hours. Apple’s figures highlight up to 1.6x faster graphics vs. M4, higher game frame rates, faster Blender renders, quicker Xcode builds, and meaningfully faster third-party AI video enhancement. Storage performance gets a bump, with configurations up to 4 TB and improved SSD throughput for importing RAWs and exporting large edits. macOS Tahoe ships with Apple Intelligence features on device.
From a production perspective, the relevant shift is local AI headroom. Tasks like diffusion-look previews, high-quality speech-to-text, first-pass cleanup, or running small LLMs for set-side assistance can stay offline more often, which is useful on secured shoots or during travel. Independent reporting around today’s launch underscores that M5 is a step aimed squarely at on-device AI competitiveness rather than a cosmetic update.
iPad Pro M5: the same excellent OLED, more speed where it counts
The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro retain the Ultra Retina XDR tandem-OLED displays and ultra-thin chassis from 2024. The M5 update focuses on throughput: higher memory bandwidth, faster read/write, and quoted gains in Final Cut Pro for iPad transcode and DaVinci Resolve for iPad AI upscaling. Cellular models gain Apple’s C1X modem, and the new N1 wireless chip enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. External-display supports up to 120 Hz with Adaptive Sync. iPadOS 26 adds a more capable windowing system, Files improvements, and workflow niceties.
This directly builds on CineD’s iPad Pro M4 coverage last year, where we tested Apple’s push toward mobile editing with Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 and the Live Multicam feature. Then, the question was “can iPad replace a laptop for certain jobs.” Now, M5’s speed and storage upgrades aim to reduce waiting and make those same iPad workflows snappier, not to redefine them.
Practical takeaways for filmmakers
- Local AI matters more now. On the MacBook Pro M5, diffusion and on-device LLM tasks should complete faster, which helps with protected media and poor connectivity.
- Throughput is the quiet win. Faster SSDs and higher memory bandwidth reduce bottlenecks when generating proxies, conforming, or moving large RAW stills and video caches.
- iPad Pro remains a strong companion. With M5, Final Cut Pro for iPad and DaVinci Resolve for iPad get more headroom. The OLED panel plus Adaptive Sync over external displays make the tablet more versatile for review, trimming, and quick deliverables.
Where this sits in Apple’s wider push
Apple also refreshed Vision Pro with M5 today, and continues to thread Apple Intelligence across macOS and iPadOS. For teams experimenting with immersive review and spatial content, that broader M5 platform context is worth tracking, even if the day-to-day wins for most crews will come from the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro.
Pricing and availability
MacBook Pro M5 starts at $1,599. iPad Pro M5 starts at $999. Both are available to preorder now, with general availability on October 22.
Related past CineD coverage for context:
Bottom line: if you skipped M4, the MacBook Pro M5 looks like the bigger upgrade for heavy lifting and on-device AI. iPad Pro M5 is a speed-focused refinement that strengthens tablet-first dailies and mobile edits. How would you split work between laptop and tablet on your next show?
