MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,9993last Apple UK store price | £1,5994launch price |
| Chip | M5chip | M4chip |
| CPU | 10-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 10-coreGPU | 10-coreGPU |
| Memory | 16GBunified memory, base | 16GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 1TB5storage, base | 512GBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to24 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 22 October 20256ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 15 October 2025. | 8 November 20244ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 30 October 2024. |
| Security updates | Not available7Security updates | Not available7Security 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 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 M51 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm |
| Weight | 1.55 kg | 1.55 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Space Black, Silver |
| 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.8 | No USB-A ports.9 |
| 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.10 | No Touch Bar.11 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | 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 nits12 | 1,000 nits13 |
| 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 M51 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 chip | Apple M4 chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 10 | 10 |
| Super cores | 412 | Not available14 |
| Performance cores | Not available15 | 4 |
| Efficiency cores | 612 | 6 |
| GPU cores | 10 | 10 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M5 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU16 | M4 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU17 |
| Memory (base) | 16GB | 16GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 32GB | 32GB |
| Memory options | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB | 16GB, 24GB or 32GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents18 | No, as Apple documents18 |
| Memory bandwidth | 153 GB/s | 120 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 1TB5 | 512GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 4TB | 2TB |
| Storage options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB | 512GB, 1TB or 2TB |
| 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 enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 72.4 Wh | 72.4 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles19 | 1,000 cycles19 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 24 h | 24 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 16 h | 16 h |
| Included power adapter | No power adapter in the box.10 | 70 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | MacBook Pro M42 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.10 | No Ethernet port.11 |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 2 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M51 | 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) - Tech Specs ·
↩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 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 ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024): 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, M4, 2024): No Touch Bar. No Ethernet port.
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 2024) - 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) — 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) - 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) — Identify your MacBook Pro 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.
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 (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.