MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Max) vs MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,3993Apple UK store | £2,5994launch price |
| Chip | M5 Maxchip | M3 Prochip |
| CPU | 18-coreCPU | 12-coreCPU |
| GPU | 32-coreGPU | 18-coreGPU |
| Memory | 36GBunified memory, base | 18GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 2TBstorage, base | 512GBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 11 March 20265ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026. | 7 November 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023. |
| Security updates | Not available6Security updates | Not available7Security updates |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro M5 Max is £4,399 on Apple’s UK store; the MacBook Pro M3 Pro is £2,599 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 M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm |
| Weight | 2.15 kg | 2.14 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Space Black, Silver |
| 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, MagSafe 3 port, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports8 | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 5 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.9 | No USB-A ports.10 |
| 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.11 | No Touch Bar.12 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 available13 | 600 nits |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | 1,000 nits14 | Not available15 |
| 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.12 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M5 Max chip | Apple M3 Pro chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 18 | 12 |
| Super cores | 614 | Not available16 |
| Performance cores | 1214 | 6 |
| Efficiency cores | Not available17 | 6 |
| GPU cores | 32 | 18 |
| 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 | M3 Pro with 12-core CPU and 18-core GPU18 |
| Memory (base) | 36GB | 18GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 128GB | 36GB18 |
| Memory options | 36GB; 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (M5 Max with 40-core GPU) | 18GB or 36GB18 |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents19 | No, as Apple documents19 |
| Memory bandwidth | 460 GB/s | 150 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 2TB | 512GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 4TB18 |
| Storage options | 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB18 |
| 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 enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 100 Wh | 100 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles20 | 1,000 cycles20 |
| Video playback (claimed)21 | 22 h | 22 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 16 h | 15 h |
| Included power adapter | No power adapter in the box.11 | 140 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 6 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.11 | No Ethernet port.12 |
| External displays (base) | 4 | 2 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M5 Max1 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 beamforming |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Pro or M5 Max) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple UK store — 16-inch MacBook Pro M5 Max, 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB, 2TB — From £4,399 ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M5 Max: Thunderbolt 5. MacBook Pro M3 Pro: Thunderbolt 4.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M5 Max): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023): 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, M3 Pro, Nov 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 (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 (16-inch, Nov 2023) - 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 Max: Video streaming. MacBook Pro M3 Pro: 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) — 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) — 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, the macOS it shipped with. 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 M3 Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips, 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 M3 Pro (16-inch, Nov 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.