Mac Studio (M5 Max) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)
Quick look
| Figure | Mac Studio M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M52 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,4993Apple UK store | £1,9994last Apple UK store price |
| Chip | M5 Maxchip | M5chip |
| CPU | 18-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 32-coreGPU | 10-coreGPU |
| Memory | 36GBunified memory, base | 16GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 512GBstorage, base | 1TB5storage, base |
| Battery life | Not available6No battery | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 22 September 20267ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 25 August 2026. | 22 October 20258ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 15 October 2025. |
| Security updates | Not available9Security updates | Not available9Security updates |
- Price
- The Mac Studio M5 Max is £2,499 on Apple’s UK store; the MacBook Pro M5 is £1,999 as Apple’s last UK store price, per Apple UK Store (archived 5 October 2026).
- Kind of Mac
- The Mac Studio M5 Max is a desktop; the MacBook Pro M5 is a laptop. The MacBook Pro M5 has a built-in 14.2-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac Studio M5 Max has none of them.
True to scale
A desktop and a laptop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the footprint of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.
Body
| Specification | Mac Studio M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M52 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 95 x 197 x 197 mm | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm |
| Weight | 2.7 kg | 1.55 kg |
| Colours | Silver | Space Black, Silver |
| Ports | Four Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports, two USB 3 (USB-A) ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI 2.1 port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M5 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II) | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports10 | 4 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 5 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | 2 | No USB-A ports.11 |
| HDMI | HDMI 2.1 port | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | Not available12 | Yes |
| Keyboard | Not available13 | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID |
| Touch ID | Not available14 | Yes |
| Touch Bar | Not available15 | No Touch Bar.16 |
Display
| Specification | Mac Studio M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M52 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | Not available17 | 14.2 in |
| Resolution | Not available17 | 3024 x 1964 |
| Pixel density | Not available17 | 254 ppi |
| Display type | Not available17 | Liquid Retina XDR display |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | Not available17 | 1,000 nits18 |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | Not available17 | 1,600 nits |
| Refresh rate | Not available17 | 120 Hz |
| Wide colour (P3) | Not available17 | Yes |
| Nano-texture option | Not available17 | Yes |
Chip and memory
| Specification | Mac Studio M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M52 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 Max chip | Apple M5 chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 18 | 10 |
| Super cores | 619 | 418 |
| Performance cores | 1219 | Not available20 |
| Efficiency cores | Not available21 | 618 |
| GPU cores | 32 | 10 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M5 Max with 18-core CPU and 32-core GPU, or M5 Max with 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU19 | M5 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU22 |
| Memory (base) | 36GB | 16GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 128GB19 | 32GB |
| Memory options | 36GB; 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (40-core GPU)19 | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | Not available23 | No, as Apple documents24 |
| Memory bandwidth | 460 GB/s | 153 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 512GB | 1TB5 |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB19 | 4TB |
| Storage options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB19 | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | Mac Studio M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M52 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | Not available6 | 72.4 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | Not available6 | 1,000 cycles25 |
| Video playback (claimed) | Not available6 | 24 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | Not available6 | 16 h |
| Included power adapter | Not available26 | No power adapter in the box.16 |
| Fast charging | Not available6 | Yes |
| Maximum continuous power | 480 W | Not available27 |
Connectivity
| Specification | Mac Studio M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M52 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 6 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | 10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector) | No Ethernet port.16 |
| External displays (base) | 5 | 2 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | Mac Studio M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M52 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Not available28 | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View |
| Camera resolution | Not available28 | 12 MP |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker29 | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers |
| Microphones | Not available23 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming30 |
Sources
Apple UK — Mac Studio Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple UK store — Mac Studio M5 Max, 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB, 512GB — From £2,499 ·
↩- ↩
Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max ·
↩Doesn’t apply: no battery
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. Mac Studio M5 Max: Thunderbolt 5. MacBook Pro M5: Thunderbolt 4.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5): No USB-A ports.
↩Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port
↩Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard
↩Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard, and Touch ID is a keyboard feature
↩Doesn’t apply: the Touch Bar was only fitted to MacBook Pro
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5): No Touch Bar. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port.
↩Doesn’t apply: no built-in display
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple UK — Mac Studio Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple names this chip’s cores differently: 4 super cores, 6 efficiency cores
↩Apple lists this chip’s cores as 6 super cores, 12 performance cores, with no efficiency cores
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box
↩Doesn’t apply: a notebook lists its power adapter, not a maximum continuous power
↩Doesn’t apply: no built-in camera
↩Apple UK — Mac Studio Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model ·
↩
Not published by Apple
Mac Studio M5 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.
MacBook Pro M5. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.
If you own one of them
Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M5 Max? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M5 (14-inch)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.