Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) compared with MacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)
AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max)AppleMacBook Pro 16″ (M1 Pro / M1 Max)
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2026October 2021
Display
Screen size14.2″16.2″
Resolution3024 × 19643456 × 2234 (better)
PanelMini-LEDMini-LED
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Brightness1,000 nits (better)500 nits
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits1,600 nits
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayLiquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlighting
Pixel density254 ppi254 ppi
Colour rangeWide colour (P3); 1 billion coloursWide colour (P3); 1 billion colours
Screen finishStandard, or nano-texture as an option–
Display features1,000,000:1 contrast; 1,000 nits sustained full-screen XDR brightness; ProMotion up to 120 Hz, with fixed 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94 and 60 Hz rates; True Tone1,000,000:1 contrast; 1,000 nits sustained full-screen HDR brightness; ProMotion adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz; fixed 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94 and 60 Hz rates; True Tone
Performance
ProcessorApple M5 Pro or Apple M5 MaxApple M1 Pro or Apple M1 Max
CPU cores15 or 1810
Graphics16-core GPU, 20-core GPU, 32-core GPU or 40-core GPU16-core GPU, 24-core GPU or 32-core GPU
Memory24 GB, 36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better)16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB
Storage1 TB to 8 TB512 GB to 8 TB
CPU15-core CPU with 5 super cores and 10 performance cores (entry M5 Pro), or 18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance coresM1 Pro or M1 Max with 10-core CPU, comprising 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores
GPU16-core or 20-core (M5 Pro), 32-core or 40-core (M5 Max) GPU with Neural Accelerators and hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decode, with two video encode and two ProRes engines on M5 MaxM1 Pro with 16-core GPU; M1 Max with 24-core or 32-core GPU; hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW with video decode and encode engines and ProRes acceleration; M1 Max has two ProRes accelerators
AI engine16-core Neural Engine16-core Neural Engine
Memory typeUnified memoryUnified memory; 16 GB or 32 GB with M1 Pro, 32 GB or 64 GB with M1 Max
Memory bandwidth307 GB/s (M5 Pro), 460 GB/s (M5 Max with 32-core GPU) or 614 GB/s (M5 Max with 40-core GPU)200 GB/s (M1 Pro); 400 GB/s (M1 Max)
Storage typeSSD, configurable up to 4 TB (M5 Pro) or 8 TB (M5 Max); Apple quotes up to 14.5 GB/s read and write (tested with a 16-inch M5 Max with 8 TB)SSD; M1 Pro starts at 512 GB with 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB options; Apple lists M1 Max starting at 1 TB with 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB options
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 22 hoursUp to 21 hours
Battery capacity72.4 Wh99.6 Wh (better)
Weight1.6 kg (better)2.1 kg
Thickness15.5 mm (better)16.8 mm
Width × depth312.6 × 221.2 mm355.7 × 248.1 mm
Battery life detailM5 Pro up to 22 hours video streaming and 14 hours wireless web; M5 Max up to 20 hours video streaming and 13 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer batteryUp to 21 hours Apple TV app movie playback or 14 hours wireless web; marketed as 100 Wh, with actual rating 99.6 Wh in Apple's footnote
ChargerSold separately in the UK (70 W or 96 W Apple USB-C adapters offered); needs at least 70 W over USB PD140 W USB-C power adapter included
Fast chargingWith a 96 W or higher USB PD power sourceWith the included 140 W USB-C adapter and USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 45% recycled content overall100% recycled aluminium enclosure
ColoursSpace Black, SilverSilver, Space Grey
Connections
Ports3 × Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack3 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth65.0
Webcam12MP Center Stage1080p FaceTime HD
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detail3 × Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 5 and USB 4 (up to 120 Gb/s); HDMI (up to 8K) with multichannel audio output; SDXC card slot; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone supportThree Thunderbolt 4 ports with charging, DisplayPort and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s; HDMI; SDXC slot; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm jack with high-impedance headphone support
External displaysM5 Pro up to three at 6K 60 Hz or 4K 144 Hz, or one at 8K 60 Hz, 5K 120 Hz or 4K 240 Hz plus one at 5K 120 Hz or 4K 200 Hz; M5 Max up to four at 6K 60 Hz or 4K 144 Hz, or two at 8K 60 Hz, 5K 120 Hz or 4K 240 Hz; all alongside the built-in displayM1 Pro supports up to two external displays at 6K 60 Hz; M1 Max up to three at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 4K 60 Hz; HDMI supports one at 4K 60 Hz
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keysBacklit Magic Keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, including 12 full-height function keys
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadForce Touch trackpad
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; Spatial Audio with Dolby AtmosSix-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming
BiometricsTouch IDTouch ID
In the box14-inch MacBook Pro, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m), polishing cloth (nano-texture display only); power adapter sold separately16-inch MacBook Pro, 140 W USB-C adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)

More comparisons