Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M3 Pro / M3 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″ (M3 Pro / M3 Max)
AppleMacBook Pro 14″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max)AppleMacBook Pro 16″ (M3 Pro / M3 Max)
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2026November 2023
Display
Screen size14.2″16.2″
Resolution3024 × 19643456 × 2234 (better)
PanelMini-LEDMini-LED
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Brightness1,000 nits (better)600 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 M3 Pro or Apple M3 Max
CPU cores15 or 1812, 14 or 16
Graphics16-core GPU, 20-core GPU, 32-core GPU or 40-core GPU18-core GPU, 30-core GPU or 40-core GPU
Memory24 GB, 36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB18 GB, 36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB, 96 GB or 128 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 coresM3 Pro: 12-core CPU (6 performance, 6 efficiency); M3 Max: 14-core CPU (10 performance, 4 efficiency) or 16-core CPU (12 performance, 4 efficiency)
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 MaxM3 Pro: 18-core GPU; M3 Max: 30-core or 40-core GPU; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW media engine with AV1 decode; M3 Max has two video encode and two ProRes encode/decode engines
AI engine16-core Neural Engine16-core Neural Engine
Memory typeUnified memoryUnified memory; M3 Pro supports 18 GB or 36 GB; 14-core M3 Max supports 36 GB or 96 GB; 16-core M3 Max supports 48 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB
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)150 GB/s (M3 Pro); 300 GB/s (14-core M3 Max) or 400 GB/s (16-core M3 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; M3 Pro starts at 512 GB and supports up to 4 TB; M3 Max starts at 1 TB and supports up to 8 TB
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 22 hoursUp to 22 hours
Battery capacity72.4 Wh99.6 Wh (better)
Weight1.6 kg (better)2.14 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 15 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
Fast chargingWith a 96 W or higher USB PD power sourceWith the included 140 W USB-C Power Adapter
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 45% recycled content overall100% recycled aluminium enclosure
ColoursSpace Black, SilverSilver, Space Black
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 6E
Bluetooth65.3
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 displayM3 Pro supports two at 6K 60 Hz over Thunderbolt or one at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 4K 144 Hz over HDMI; M3 Max supports three at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 4K 144 Hz, or two at 6K 60 Hz plus one at 8K 60 Hz or 4K 240 Hz; HDMI alone supports 8K 60 Hz or 4K 240 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 Power Adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2 m)

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