MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M2 Max, 2023)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,9993last Apple UK store price | £3,3494launch price |
| Chip | M5chip | M2 Maxchip |
| CPU | 10-coreCPU | 12-coreCPU |
| GPU | 10-coreGPU | 30-coreGPU |
| Memory | 16GBunified memory, base | 32GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 1TB5storage, base | 1TBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 22 October 20256ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 15 October 2025. | 24 January 20237ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023. |
| Security updates | Not available8Security updates | Not available9Security 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 MacBook Pro M2 Max is £3,349 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 28 January 2023).
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 M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm |
| Weight | 1.55 kg | 1.63 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Grey |
| 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, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.10 | No USB-A ports.11 |
| 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.12 | No Touch Bar.13 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M2 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 available14 | 500 nits |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | 1,000 nits15 | Not available16 |
| 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.13 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 chip | Apple M2 Max chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 10 | 12 |
| Super cores | 415 | Not available17 |
| Performance cores | Not available18 | 8 |
| Efficiency cores | 615 | 4 |
| GPU cores | 10 | 30 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M5 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU19 | M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 16GB | 32GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 32GB | 96GB |
| Memory options | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB | 32GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU) |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents20 | No, as Apple documents20 |
| Memory bandwidth | 153 GB/s | 400 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 1TB5 | 1TB |
| Storage (maximum) | 4TB | 8TB |
| Storage options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB |
| 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 engines |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 72.4 Wh | 70 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles21 | 1,000 cycles21 |
| Video playback (claimed)22 | 24 h | 18 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 16 h | 12 h |
| Included power adapter | No power adapter in the box.12 | 96 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.12 | No Ethernet port.13 |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 4 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Camera resolution | 12 MP | Not available23 |
| 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 beamforming24 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming25 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩- ↩
- ↩
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 MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max ·
↩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, M2 Max, 2023): 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, M2 Max, 2023): 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 Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Two different Apple tests. MacBook Pro M5: Video streaming. MacBook Pro M2 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, 2023) - 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 ·
↩
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.
MacBook Pro M2 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) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max; 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 M2 Max (14-inch, 2023)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.