MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,9993last Apple UK store price | Not available4Price |
| Chip | M5chip | M1 Maxchip |
| CPU | 10-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 10-coreGPU | 24-coreGPU |
| Memory | 16GBunified memory, base | Not available5memory, base |
| Storage | 1TB6storage, base | Not available5storage, base |
| Battery life | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to17 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 22 October 20257ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 15 October 2025. | 26 October 20218ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 18 October 2021. |
| Security updates | Not available9Security updates | Not available10Security updates |
- Price
- We hold no UK price for the MacBook Pro M1 Max. The MacBook Pro M5 is £1,999 as Apple’s last UK store price, per Apple UK Store (archived 5 October 2026).
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 M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm |
| Weight | 1.55 kg | 1.6 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Gray |
| Ports | Three Thunderbolt 4 (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, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.11 | No USB-A ports.12 |
| 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.13 | No Touch Bar.14 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not available15 | 500 nits |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | 1,000 nits16 | Not available17 |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | 1,600 nits | 1,600 nits |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Yes |
| Nano-texture option | Yes | No nano-texture display option.14 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 chip | Apple M1 Max chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 10 | 10 |
| Super cores | 416 | Not available18 |
| Performance cores | Not available19 | 820 |
| Efficiency cores | 616 | 220 |
| GPU cores | 10 | 24 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 1621 |
| Chip options | M5 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU22 | M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU, or M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 16GB | Not available5 |
| Memory (maximum) | 32GB | 64GB |
| Memory options | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB | 32GB or 64GB23 |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents24 | No, as Apple documents24 |
| Memory bandwidth | 153 GB/s | 400 GB/s25 |
| Storage (base) | 1TB6 | Not available5 |
| Storage (maximum) | 4TB | 8TB |
| Storage options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB | Not available5 |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode | Enhanced media engine with two ProRes accelerators25 |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 72.4 Wh | 70 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles26 | 1,000 cycles26 |
| Video playback (claimed)27 | 24 h | 17 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 16 h | 11 h |
| Included power adapter | No power adapter in the box.13 | 96 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.0 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.13 | No Ethernet port.14 |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 4 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Camera resolution | 12 MP | Not available28 |
| 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 beamforming29 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming30 |
Platform
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipped with | Not available31 | macOS Monterey25 |
| Newest macOS | macOS 27 Golden Gate32 | macOS 27 Golden Gate33 |
| Model identifier | Mac17,234 | MacBookPro18,3, MacBookPro18,435 |
| Model year | 2025 | 2021 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩- ↩
No UK price on file.
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5): No Touch Bar. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple’s one SDR brightness figure is the outdoor one
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple lists no outdoor brightness for this display
↩Doesn’t apply: this chip has no super cores
↩Apple names this chip’s cores differently: 4 super cores, 6 efficiency cores
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Two different Apple tests. MacBook Pro M5: Video streaming. MacBook Pro M1 Max: Apple TV app movie playback.
↩Not published by Apple (Apple states resolution: 1080p FaceTime HD camera)
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩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) ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro M5. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. 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.
MacBook Pro M1 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart row for this Mac does not state its GPU core count, so no Metal score is shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro; 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 (14-inch)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M1 Max (14-inch, 2021)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.