Apple’s first Mac with 5G cellular might be coming sooner than we thought

Rumors have long indicated Apple intends to bring cellular connectivity to the Mac, but a new report indicates the first cellular Mac might be right around the corner: the M5 MacBook Pro.

M5 MacBook Pro with 5G cellular reportedly being tested

Earlier today, Filipe Esposito reported at Macworld that he’d uncovered code evidence of an M4 Ultra chip in a forthcoming Mac Pro model.

Now, Esposito has a follow-up report on another Mac model: the M5 MacBook Pro.

He writes:

Internal Apple code seen by Macworld now reveals that the company has indeed been testing an unreleased MacBook Pro model with an M5 Pro chip and Apple’s first 5G modem. […]

This Mac laptop found in the code is powered by the M5 Pro chip (codenamed t6050), which indicates the upcoming generation of MacBook Pro.

But the M5 Pro isn’t the most exciting thing about this discovery. The same code suggests that this could be the first Mac ever to include a “Centuari” chip, which is the codename for Apple’s 5G modem (also known as C1), introduced earlier this year with the iPhone 16e.

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has previously reported that Apple was likely to bring cellular to the Mac, but he indicated it might not happen until a next-generation C2 modem launches.

Though evidence of Apple testing the C1 with an M5 MacBook Pro doesn’t confirm it will ship, it’s exciting news nonetheless.

Until recently, the M5 MacBook Pro was expected to launch this fall, but now it’s reportedly coming in early 2026 instead.

If cellular truly does come to the MacBook Pro in early 2026, it could very well be included on the M5 MacBook Air too. Though Apple might always choose to keep it a Pro-exclusive feature for the time being.

Would you buy an M5 MacBook Pro with cellular? Let us know in the comments.

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