MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Max) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,0993Apple UK store | £1,5994launch price |
| Chip | M5 Maxchip | M4chip |
| CPU | 18-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 32-coreGPU | 10-coreGPU |
| Memory | 36GBunified memory, base | 16GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 2TBstorage, base | 512GBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to20 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 11 March 20265ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026. | 8 November 20244ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 30 October 2024. |
| Security updates | Not available6Security updates | Not available7Security updates |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro M5 Max is £4,099 on Apple’s UK store; the MacBook Pro M4 is £1,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
True to scale
Footprints from above, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. 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 | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm |
| Weight | 1.62 kg | 1.55 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Space Black, Silver |
| Ports | Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports8 | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 5 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.9 | No USB-A ports.10 |
| HDMI | HDMI port | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID |
| Touch ID | Yes | Yes |
| Touch Bar | No Touch Bar.11 | No Touch Bar.12 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 14.2 in | 14.2 in |
| Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | 3024 x 1964 |
| Pixel density | 254 ppi | 254 ppi |
| Display type | Liquid Retina XDR display | Liquid Retina XDR display |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | 1,000 nits13 | 1,000 nits14 |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | 1,600 nits | 1,600 nits |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Yes |
| Nano-texture option | Yes | Yes |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 Max chip | Apple M4 chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 18 | 10 |
| Super cores | 613 | Not available15 |
| Performance cores | 1213 | 4 |
| Efficiency cores | Not available16 | 6 |
| 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 GPU | M4 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU17 |
| Memory (base) | 36GB | 16GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 128GB | 32GB |
| Memory options | 36GB; 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (M5 Max with 40-core GPU) | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents18 | No, as Apple documents18 |
| Memory bandwidth | 460 GB/s | 120 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 2TB | 512GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 2TB |
| Storage options | 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | 512GB, 1TB or 2TB |
| 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 | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 72.4 Wh | 72.4 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles19 | 1,000 cycles19 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 20 h | 24 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 13 h | 16 h |
| Included power adapter | No power adapter in the box.11 | 70 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 6 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.11 | No Ethernet port.12 |
| External displays (base) | 4 | 2 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View |
| Camera resolution | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Speakers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers |
| Microphones | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming20 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming21 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple UK store — 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max, 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB, 2TB — From £4,099 ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Pro features M4 family of chips and Apple Intelligence ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M5 Max: Thunderbolt 5. MacBook Pro M4: Thunderbolt 4.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Max): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Max): No Touch Bar. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024): No Touch Bar. No Ethernet port.
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Doesn’t apply: this chip has no super 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, M4, 2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Max) ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro M5 Max. 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 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.
MacBook Pro M4. 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, M4, 2024) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Pro features M4 family of chips and Apple Intelligence; 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 MacBook Pro M5 Max (14-inch)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M4 (14-inch, 2024)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.