GoKawiilWe've loved Apple's 2021-era MacBook Pro design from the start, and the M5 Max edition is once again the professional notebook to beat. But it's hard to deny that the star of Apple's recent laptop rollout wasn't its most powerful Pro systems — all eyes were on the $599 MacBook Neo. The MacBook Pro's next time to shine is likely this fall, when Apple is expected to finally deliver OLED models and a dynamic touchscreen interface. (I’ve argued before that, at this point, Apple has no excuse not to give us touchscreen Macs.)
This generation of MacBook Pro might just be the last gasp of the 2021 remodel. It's still an incredibly powerful machine that's been honed to near-perfection, but if you're looking for something that feels truly new, it may be worth waiting several months.
Apple 90 100 Expert Score MacBook Pro 16-inch (2026) Apple’s MacBook Pro remains the pinnacle of professional laptops, and it’s faster than ever with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Pros Sleek and sturdy design
Tons of power
Excellent screen
Useful port selection
Excellent keyboard and trackpad Cons Expensive
May feel out of date when OLED models arrive $2,699 at Apple
It's not too surprising to see the M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pros be relatively low-key efforts. Apple launched the M5 14-inch MacBook last fall with a mere press release. But at least that model delivered a noticeable leap in graphics performance. The new M5 Pro and Max chips are a bit faster than before, but they don't really have any major features to call out. (Unless you're super excited about Neural Accelerators for AI work.)
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