Don’t set your heart on a MacBook Pro with a speedy new Apple M5 processor under the Christmas tree this year. A growing body of evidence indicates the next version of Apple’s premier laptop won’t arrive until 2026.
But the M5 processor should be available before then.
M5 MacBook Pro release date coming in 2026
Autumn is the traditional time to introduce new MacBook Pro models. Fall 2020, 2021 and 2023 all brought new MBP variants, and the M4-powered MacBook Pro reached customers in November 2024. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, though. The first MacBook Pro with an M2 chip launched in June 2022.
And 2025 is shaping up to be a year without a new top-of-the-line macOS laptop, now that a second reliable source says the next-generation model will come later than hoped. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned “the high-end M5 processors in the 2026 MacBooks,” in a research note published Tuesday.
Previous word that the M5 MacBook Pro release date wouldn’t fall in 2025 came from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in July.
Apple “had been planning to release new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros — code-named J714 and J716 — later this year with M5 chips,” Gurman said. “But Apple is now internally targeting a launch early next year.”
This can’t be called a delay, as Apple never promised to introduce a new MBP model in 2025. Nevertheless, plenty of Apple customers expected exactly that.
Neither source gave a reason why the M5 MacBook Pro release date wouldn’t land at the usual time. It’s especially curious considering that an M5-powered iPad Pro is reportedly still on track to launch this fall, replacing the M4 version from spring 2024. So the M5 chip is coming out, just not in a MacBook.
The M5 chip is expected to feature enhanced AI performance when compared to its predecessors. That’s critical at a time when artificial intelligence is hot, hot, hot. Apple emphasizes its computers’ ability to run AI models locally, and therefore more securely.
Two 2026 MacBook Pro models
The M5 MacBook Pro apparently coming in early 2026 will supposedly be a “chip-and-ship” upgrade. The only significant hardware change expected is the faster processor. The notebook will retain the same design used by Apple since 2021.
A MacBook Pro redesign is reportedly coming, but not until the M6 version, currently expected in late 2026. The chassis will get a facelift, but the standout improvement will be an OLED display, a shift numerous sources have predicted for months.
