Apple Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Apple just announced its latest M5 14-inch MacBook Pro. There are no major design changes, with Apple emphasizing improved performance numbers instead. While the numbers are impressive, older Macs are still viable for use cases they were designed for: everyday tasks and typical workflows. Apple just unveiled the first glimpses of its new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip, promising 3.5 times more AI performance, 24 hours of battery life, and faster, overall storage: up to 4TB. AI is at the forefront of the M5 MacBook Pro's feature set, with the latest-gen GPU bringing an enhanced neural engine and higher memory bandwidth to the table, translating to overall better performance running on-device LLMs. To compare, Apple says the M5's 10-core GPU delivers six times faster AI performance than the M1. Also: Apple just launched an M5 MacBook, iPad, and Vision Pro: Specs, prices, and availability With no design changes and the same 14.2-inch mini LED Retina XDR display, Apple is focusing on the numbers here, citing comparisons to previous generations in terms of efficiency and performance. The company also knows that many potential consumers are still using older, Intel-based Macs (I still have my 2017 MacBook Pro as a backup laptop) and producing a slew of impressive comparison metrics in hopes of inspiring an upgrade. But is it worth springing for a new MacBook now? Let's take a look at the numbers. How the M5 MacBook Pro compares to older models So far, we've only got the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro with the new M5 chip, starting at $1,599, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, with no announcements yet for the MacBook Air or higher-tier MacBooks until likely beginning of 2026. In terms of comparisons, Apple included an array of numbers to show off some pretty significant leaps forward: 1.6 times faster graphics performance in professional apps, along with 1.6x higher frame rates in games when compared to the M4. Also: 4 Apple devices you really shouldn't buy this month (and 9 that are safe for now) And not to pick on the M1, but the improvements of the M5 chip's graphical performance when compared to the MacBook Pro M1 show some substantial improvements: Up to 3.2 times higher frame rates while gaming compared to M1 (1.7 times faster than the M4) Up to 6.8 times faster 3D rendering in Blender compared to M1 (1.6 times faster than the M4) Up to 7.7 times faster AI video-enhancing performance in Topaz Video compared to M1 (1.2 times faster than M4) Another feature call-out for the M5 is its faster SSD performance when compared to previous generations, and the ability to add more -- up to 4TB -- onto the MacBook Pro. Apple says the M5 features two times faster SSDs than the M4, which correlates to faster performance with LLMs. MacBook Pro M1 Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET When it comes to Intel-based chips, Apple is showing off "staggering performance gains" that suggest a growing chasm of power between the older chips and the next generation of MacBook products. While the raw numbers don't lie, older chips are still perfectly competent for limited use cases and everyday tasks. It says the M5 chip has 86 times faster AI performance than the Intel chips, which is significant, but these older machines predate large-scale AI deployment; no one was running LLMs locally back in 2018, and these machines wouldn't be ideal candidates to run them today. Also: The new iPad Pro's biggest upgrade isn't the M5 chip - I'd buy it for this feature instead After all these numbers, there's one important metric: The M5 chip has up to 2 times faster CPU performance compared to M1 So, the M5 is twice as fast when it comes to overall computing as the M1, which is notable, but all things considered, is not an earth-shattering amount, especially when we're talking about five generations. I note this metric specifically because this reflects the actual use case consumers should care about when comparing the M1 MacBook (or its previous Intel versions). Most folks who still have these laptops use them for everyday tasks and work-related applications, not gaming, running LLMs locally, or 5K video editing. When it comes to those tasks, this metric stands out in comparison to the M1, but if you have an M2, M3, or M4, it's even less. Should I upgrade? If you have an older MacBook and it works well in the use cases it was designed for, I wouldn't recommend springing for a new MacBook Pro M5 just yet, as the biggest gains in performance revolve around AI, graphics modeling, and the bleeding edge of creative workflows. The M1 MacBook Pro is just as well-suited for these tasks as it was when it was released, especially running the same macOS as the newest MacBooks. MacOS Tahoe, with the Phone app, improvements to Spotlight and Quick Keys, and a personalized desktop, runs just as well on Macs from the last few years. Also: 5 things I love about MacOS 26 Tahoe after one week with it on my Mac If, however, you are still running an Intel Mac, you're likely dealing with decreased battery capacity and slower overall performance. Going straight to a brand-new MacBook Pro M5 isn't your only option, though. Many of the refurbished M1, M2, or M3 models are frequently on sale and will likely dip further as more M5 models are announced. That being said, the M5's hardware upgrades might be attractive enough to seal the deal. Starting with last year's M4, entry-level configurations of the new MacBooks come with 16GB of unified RAM (up from 8GB) and an additional Thunderbolt port (for a total of three). With an HDMI port and headphone jack, MacBook Pros are now significantly more port-equipped than some Windows machines, like the Dell XPS 13. The MacBook Pro M5 is currently on preorder, with general availability starting on October 22, 2025.