MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) vs Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M51 | Mac Studio M4 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,9993last Apple UK store price | £2,0994launch price |
| Chip | M5chip | M4 Maxchip |
| CPU | 10-coreCPU | 14-coreCPU |
| GPU | 10-coreGPU | 32-coreGPU |
| Memory | 16GBunified memory, base | 36GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 1TB5storage, base | 512GBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Not available6No battery |
| Released | 22 October 20257ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 15 October 2025. | 12 March 20254ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 5 March 2025. |
| Security updates | Not available8Security updates | Not available8Security updates |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro M5 is £1,999 as Apple’s last UK store price, per Apple UK Store (archived 5 October 2026); the Mac Studio M4 Max is £2,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
- Kind of Mac
- The MacBook Pro M5 is a laptop; the Mac Studio M4 Max is a desktop. The MacBook Pro M5 has a built-in 14.2-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac Studio M4 Max has none of them.
True to scale
A laptop and a desktop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the footprint of one and the front face 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 | MacBook Pro M51 | Mac Studio M4 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm | 95 x 197 x 197 mm |
| Weight | 1.55 kg | 2.74 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver |
| Ports | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack | 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 (M4 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II) |
| Thunderbolt ports9 | 3 | 4 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 5 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.10 | 2 |
| HDMI | HDMI port | HDMI 2.1 port |
| SD card slot | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | Yes | Not available11 |
| Keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID | Not available12 |
| Touch ID | Yes | Not available13 |
| Touch Bar | No Touch Bar.14 | Not available15 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | Mac Studio M4 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 14.2 in | Not available16 |
| Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | Not available16 |
| Pixel density | 254 ppi | Not available16 |
| Display type | Liquid Retina XDR display | Not available16 |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | 1,000 nits17 | Not available16 |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | 1,600 nits | Not available16 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | Not available16 |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Not available16 |
| Nano-texture option | Yes | Not available16 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | Mac Studio M4 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 chip | Apple M4 Max chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 10 | 14 |
| Super cores | 417 | Not available18 |
| Performance cores | Not available19 | 10 |
| Efficiency cores | 617 | 4 |
| GPU cores | 10 | 32 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M5 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU20 | M4 Max with 14-core CPU and 32-core GPU, or M4 Max with 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU21 |
| Memory (base) | 16GB | 36GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 32GB | 128GB21 |
| Memory options | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB | 36GB; 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (16-core CPU and 40-core GPU)21 |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents22 | Not available23 |
| Memory bandwidth | 153 GB/s | 410 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 1TB5 | 512GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 4TB | 8TB21 |
| Storage options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB21 |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | Mac Studio M4 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 72.4 Wh | Not available6 |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles24 | Not available6 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 24 h | Not available6 |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 16 h | Not available6 |
| Included power adapter | No power adapter in the box.14 | Not available25 |
| Fast charging | Yes | Not available6 |
| Maximum continuous power | Not available26 | 480 W |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | Mac Studio M4 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.14 | 10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector) |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 5 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | Mac Studio M4 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View | Not available27 |
| Camera resolution | 12 MP | Not available27 |
| Speakers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers | Built-in speaker28 |
| Microphones | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming29 | Not available23 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs ·
↩- ↩
Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max ·
↩Doesn’t apply: no battery
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M5: Thunderbolt 4. Mac Studio M4 Max: Thunderbolt 5.
↩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
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5): No Touch Bar. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port.
↩Doesn’t apply: the Touch Bar was only fitted to MacBook Pro
↩Doesn’t apply: no built-in display
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Doesn’t apply: this chip has no super cores
↩Apple names this chip’s cores differently: 4 super cores, 6 efficiency cores
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩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 Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs ·
↩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 MacBook Pro model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
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.
Mac Studio M4 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2025) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio 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 (14-inch)? · Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M4 Max (2025)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.