MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Max) vs MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,3993Apple UK store | £3,2994launch price |
| Chip | M5 Maxchip | M1 Max5chip |
| CPU | 18-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 32-coreGPU | 32-core5GPU |
| Memory | 36GBunified memory, base | 32GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 2TBstorage, base | 1TBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to21 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 11 March 20266ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026. | 26 October 20217ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 18 October 2021. |
| Security updates | Not available8Security updates | Not available8Security updates |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro M5 Max is £4,399 on Apple’s UK store; the MacBook Pro M1 Max is £3,299 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 20 October 2021).
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 M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm |
| Weight | 2.15 kg | 2.2 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Gray |
| 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, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports9 | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 5 | 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 M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 16.2 in | 16.2 in |
| Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | 3456 x 2234 |
| 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 M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 Max chip | Apple M1 Max chip5 |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 18 | 10 |
| Super cores | 615 | Not available17 |
| Performance cores | 1215 | 8 |
| Efficiency cores | Not available18 | 2 |
| GPU cores | 32 | 325 |
| 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 | M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU, or M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 36GB | 32GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 128GB | 64GB |
| Memory options | 36GB; 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (M5 Max with 40-core GPU) | 32GB or 64GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents19 | No, as Apple documents19 |
| Memory bandwidth | 460 GB/s | 400 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 2TB | 1TB |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 8TB |
| Storage options | 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB |
| 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 enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode engines |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 100 Wh | 100 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles20 | 1,000 cycles20 |
| Video playback (claimed)21 | 22 h | 21 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 16 h | 14 h |
| Included power adapter | No power adapter in the box.12 | 140 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 6 | 5.0 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.12 | No Ethernet port.13 |
| External displays (base) | 4 | 4 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Camera resolution | 12 MP | Not available22 |
| 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 beamforming23 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming24 |
Platform
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipped with | Not available25 | macOS Monterey26 |
| Newest macOS | macOS 27 Golden Gate27 | macOS 27 Golden Gate27 |
| Model identifier | Mac17,6, Mac17,828 | MacBookPro18,1, MacBookPro18,228 |
| Model year | 2026 | 2021 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple UK store — 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max, 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB, 2TB — From £4,399 ·
↩- ↩
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M5 Max: Thunderbolt 5. MacBook Pro M1 Max: Thunderbolt 4.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Max): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Max): No Touch Bar. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (16-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 (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple lists no outdoor brightness for this display
↩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: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Two different Apple tests. MacBook Pro M5 Max: 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 (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — MacBook Pro (16-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. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max, 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 (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications, 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 (16-inch)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M1 Max (16-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.