While the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro was updated with an M5 chip in October, we are still waiting for higher-end MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and there are some signs that might point towards a late January launch this year.
First, Apple's new Creator Studio bundle of creative apps launches on Wednesday, January 28. Given that Creator Studio includes many professional Mac apps, such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro, Macworld speculated that the week of January 28 would be a fitting time for Apple to release new MacBook Pro models too.
Second, Apple's next quarterly earnings call is scheduled for Thursday, January 29, and the company has introduced new products shortly before these calls on numerous occasions over the years and touched on them in the opening remarks.
Third, there is precedent, as Apple unveiled MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips with a press release in January 2023.
Again, all of this is speculation, so do not set your expectations too high. But, sometimes where there is smoke there is fire.
Beyond the M5 chip, the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro received only one notable change last year: PCIe 5.0 storage. Apple says this results in up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model.
The higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are likewise expected to have few other changes.
Bigger changes to the MacBook Pro are expected with the two-generations-away models, in either late 2026 or at some point in 2027. Rumored upgrades include an OLED display with touchscreen capabilities, a thinner design, built-in cellular connectivity, and M6 chips manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, for even greater year-over-year performance gains. For that reason, it will probably be wise to skip the MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips unless you really need to upgrade.
