GoKawiilApple’s flagship 16-inch MacBook Pro has reigned supreme in the world of creator-focused laptops since its M-series processor overhaul in 2021. Since then, we’ve mostly seen the same design with year-over-year chip bumps and small refinements. “If it ain’t broke,” right?
If you want to know everything about this machine, you can read our review of the last-gen M4 Pro / M4 Max models — it pretty much all holds up with the M5 models that replace them. But this time around, in addition to the usual testing and use of the new M5 Max model, it’s worth asking a specific new question: whether you should consider a new MacBook Pro if you’re currently using an M1 Pro or M1 Max model.
I see you in the comments section, 2021 MacBook owners, wondering when an upgrade is worth it. And I’m here for you. We got our hands on some four-and-a-half-year-old MacBook Pros to test them against Apple’s latest and greatest, and it’s safe to say it’s worth upgrading — for some of you, at least.
For 2026, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has faster processors, Wi-Fi 7 support, and twice-as-fast storage that now starts at higher capacities. The Pro costs $2,699 for an M5 Pro chip with an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU, “just” 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. At a starting price of $3,899, the M5 Max has an 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage — along with double-capacity memory bandwidth over the M5 Pro (for faster data transfer between the CPU and RAM). Our M5 Max test unit is souped up with a 40-core GPU, 128GB of RAM, 4TB of storage, and a Nano-texture anti-glare display, all costing an exorbitant $6,149.
Component report card Screen: A
Webcam: A
Keyboard: B
Trackpad: A
Port selection: B
Speakers: A
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