Rumours are claiming that the upcoming MacBook Pro models could be arriving as soon as next week. After Apple released the M5 MacBook Pro in October 2025, many fans have been waiting for the more powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max versions. It looks like that wait might finally be coming to an end.
Before the official launch, let’s take a look at what we can expect from the upcoming MacBook Pro M5 Pro (this is not confusing at all, btw) and M5 Max models.
Design
Apple last redesigned the MacBook Pro in 2021, and the M5 model saw no significant changes to its chassis. For the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions, Apple is expected to retain the current design. While a new color option is possible, major changes seem unlikely at this stage.
There has been some speculation about a complete MacBook redesign to mark the 20th anniversary of the MacBook Pro—originally launched in January 2006 to replace the PowerBook. However, current rumours suggest we won’t see that until at least the M6 generation, possibly later this year.
Display
The display on the M5 MacBook Pro remains unchanged, so the M5 Pro and M5 Max models will likely feature the same screen. We could, however, see a slight improvement in brightness, potentially exceeding the current 1,600 nits peak. Display support is expected to expand: while the standard M5 supports two external displays, the M5 Pro might handle two 6K monitors, and the M5 Max could support up to four.
Camera
The M5 MacBook Pro carries over the 12MP front camera or FaceTime camera (as per Apple terminology) from its predecessor. It’s unlikely that the upcoming MacBook Pro M5 Pro or M5 Max models will see a major upgrade, though an 18MP update—similar to the iPhone 17—remains a possibility.
Processor and Chips
The M5 MacBook Pro released in October 2025 was essentially a chip refresh aimed at consumers. The Pro and Max variants, however, are tailored for professionals needing sustained high performance, surpassing the capabilities of the standard M5 or M4 chips.
The new chips are expected to be incredibly powerful, designed to handle heavy AI workloads and parallel processing. Performance improvements of 15–25% over the M4 chips are anticipated, according to early reports.
So far, the rumoured updates for the upcoming MacBook Pro models seem pretty routine rather than revolutionary. No groundbreaking features have surfaced yet, meaning Apple may be saving its big innovations for the M6 generation.
However, before pushing the next wave of performance innovations, they might want to spend a moment simplifying that confusing nomenclature.