Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)

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

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MacBook Pro 16″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max) compared with MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
AppleMacBook Pro 16″ (M5 Pro or M5 Max)AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2026July 2014
Display
Screen size16.2″15.4″
Resolution3456 × 2234 (better)2880 × 1800
PanelMini-LEDIPS LCD
Refresh rate120 Hz–
Brightness1,000 nits–
HDR peak brightness1,600 nits–
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayRetina LED-backlit IPS display, millions of colours; native 2880 × 1800, with scaled modes of 1920 × 1200, 1680 × 1050, 1280 × 800 and 1024 × 640. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Pixel density254 ppi220 ppi
Colour rangeWide 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 Tone–
Performance
ProcessorApple M5 Pro or Apple M5 MaxIntel Core i7-4770HQ, Intel Core i7-4870HQ or Intel Core i7-4980HQ
CPU cores184
CPU threads–8
Graphics20-core GPU, 32-core GPU or 40-core GPUIntel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 or NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory24 GB, 36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better)16 GB
Storage1 TB to 8 TB (better)256 GB to 1 TB
CPU18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance coresQuad-core Intel Core i7-4770HQ at 2.2 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz), i7-4870HQ at 2.5 GHz (up to 3.7 GHz), or i7-4980HQ at 2.8 GHz (up to 4.0 GHz); all with 6 MB shared L3 cache. Exact identities documented by Primate Labs. Lower base offers either faster processor; higher base offers the 2.8 GHz upgrade.
GPU20-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 MaxIntel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 on all configurations; the higher base adds NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2 GB GDDR5 and automatic graphics switching. Upgrading the lower base processor does not add the NVIDIA GPU, as distinguished in Macworld's exact-model review.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory typeUnified memory16 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory
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)–
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 M5 Max and 8 TB)PCIe-based flash storage; Iris Pro-only base has 256 GB, configurable to 512 GB or 1 TB, with any of its three processor choices. NVIDIA-equipped base has 512 GB, configurable to 1 TB, with the 2.5 GHz or 2.8 GHz processor.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 24 hoursUp to 8 hours
Battery capacity99.6 Wh (better)95 Wh
Weight2.14 kg2.02 kg (better)
Thickness16.8 mm (better)18 mm
Width × depth355.7 × 248.1 mm358.9 × 247.1 mm
Battery life detailM5 Pro up to 24 hours video streaming and 17 hours wireless web; M5 Max up to 22 hours video streaming and 16 hours wireless web; 100-watt-hour (actual rating 99.6 Wh) lithium-polymer batteryBuilt-in 95 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 8 hours wireless web, 8 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
ChargerSold separately in the UK; needs at least 140 W over USB PD85 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management
Fast chargingWith a 140 W or higher USB PD power source–
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 45% recycled content overallAluminium enclosure
ColoursSpace Black, SilverSilver
Connections
Ports3 × Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3, headphone jack2 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt 2, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot, HDMI
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7802.11ac (draft specification); compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth64.0
Webcam12MP Center Stage720p 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 supportTwo USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, two Thunderbolt 2 ports up to 20 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 2 and headphone jack; support for digital/analogue audio line output and Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. Ethernet and FireWire require separate Thunderbolt adapters.
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 displayBuilt-in screen plus up to two external displays at 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; HDMI supports 1080p at up to 60 Hz, 3840 × 2160 at 30 Hz or 4096 × 2160 at 24 Hz. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI adapters sold separately.
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keysFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor
TrackpadForce Touch trackpadMulti-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; Spatial Audio with Dolby AtmosStereo speakers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modesDual microphones
BiometricsTouch ID–
In the box16-inch MacBook Pro, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m), polishing cloth (nano-texture display only); power adapter sold separatelyMacBook Pro with Retina display, MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mavericks, iLife apps and qualifying free iWork apps

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