MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) vs MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)

Nothing on the outside changed. The M4 model was announced on 30 October 2024, with pre-orders that day and US stores from 8 November 2024, and the M5 model on 15 October 2025, in stores from 22 October 2025. Both measure 0.61 by 12.31 by 8.71 inches (1.55 by 31.26 by 22.12 centimeters) and weigh 3.4 pounds (1.55 kg), though Apple says the exact weight depends on configuration and manufacturing, and both come in Space Black or silver. What a year changed is the chip, and then, in March 2026, the storage and the price.

Side by side

Spec	MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)	MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
Announced	15 October 2025	30 October 2024
CPU	10-core: 4 super, 6 efficiency	10-core: 4 performance, 6 efficiency
GPU	10-core; Neural Accelerators, ray tracing	10-core; ray tracing
Memory bandwidth	153GB/s	120GB/s
Memory	16GB, 24GB or 32GB	16GB or 24GB; 32GB to order
Storage	512GB or 1TB at launch; 1TB standard from March 2026; up to 4TB	512GB or 1TB; up to 2TB
Display	14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 3024 × 1964, 254 ppi, ProMotion up to 120Hz	Same
Brightness	1,000 nits sustained, 1,600 nits peak HDR, 1,000 nits SDR outdoors	Same
Ports	MagSafe 3, SDXC, HDMI, headphone jack, three Thunderbolt 4	Same
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3	Same
Battery	72.4 Wh; up to 24 hours video streaming, 16 hours web	Same
Charger in the box	70W; 96W to order	Same
Fast charging	About 50% in 30 minutes with 96W or higher	Fast-charge capable with the 96W adapter
Weight	3.4 lb (1.55 kg)	Same
Recycled content	45%	More than 35%
US price	$1,599 at launch (512GB); $1,699 with 1TB from March 2026; $1,599 education	$1,599 at launch; $1,499 education

A faster memory path and Neural Accelerators

The CPU is 10-core on both, with six efficiency cores and four fast cores that Apple renamed from performance cores on the M4 to super cores on the M5. Both have a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and a 16-core Neural Engine. What the M5 changes is memory bandwidth, 153GB/s against 120GB/s, or about a quarter more, and the Neural Accelerators Apple added to its GPU. Apple doesn’t give a benchmark for either, so those are the two improvements you can point to.

Neither laptop here has an M4 Pro, M4 Max, M5 Pro or M5 Max. Apple announced the M5 Pro and M5 Max on 3 March 2026, and if a configuration you’re looking at names one of those chips, it has different core counts and a different price.

Storage and price changed in March 2026

At launch the M5 model came with 512GB or 1TB, configurable to 1TB, 2TB or 4TB, and started at $1,599 with 512GB. In March 2026 Apple made 1TB standard and moved the starting price to $1,699, or $1,599 with education pricing, so an M5 model sold before then may have 512GB.

The M4 model comes with 512GB or 1TB and tops out at 2TB, so 4TB is M5-only. Neither lets you add memory later, so order what you’ll need. The M5 comes with 16GB, 24GB or 32GB. Apple’s M4 announcement said it starts with 16GB, and the M4 lists 16GB or 24GB, configurable to 24GB or 32GB. Neither has an 8GB option.

Same screen, ports and camera

The XDR screen didn’t change. Both are 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR panels at 3024 by 1964 and 254 pixels per inch, with a million-to-one contrast ratio, 1 billion colors, wide P3 and True Tone. Apple rates both at 1,000 nits sustained full-screen, 1,600 nits peak for HDR when the panel is under 25°C, and up to 1,000 nits for SDR outdoors. ProMotion tops out at 120Hz and can lock to 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94 or 60Hz. Nano-texture glass is an option on both, and only that option comes with a polishing cloth.

Ports match too: MagSafe 3, an SDXC slot, HDMI, a headphone jack and three Thunderbolt 4 ports, with Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 at up to 40Gb/s. The M5’s HDMI port carries multichannel audio. Each supports two external displays alongside its own screen, and the M5 lists a 5K at 120Hz mode as well. Wireless is Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3 on both; Apple’s N1 chip and Wi-Fi 7 aren’t in either base model.

The 12MP Center Stage camera and the six speakers with force-cancelling woofers are the same, and so is the cooling: both have fans. Apple publishes their sound levels for idle and web browsing, not a single decibel number. If you want a silent MacBook, look at the Air.

Battery and charging

Both have a 72.4-watt-hour battery rated for up to 24 hours of video streaming and 16 hours of wireless web. Apple measured both on 24GB, 1TB machines with the 10-core CPU and GPU rather than the cheapest configuration: a preproduction M5 in September 2025 and M4 units between August and October 2024, browsing 25 sites with the brightness eight clicks up. Treat 24 hours as the figure for that configuration, not for every one.

Both come with a 70W USB-C Power Adapter and a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable, and a 96W adapter is an option. Apple says a 96W or higher adapter gets the M5 to about 50 percent in 30 minutes; for the M4, it says only that it’s fast-charge capable with the 96W adapter.

Apple says the M5 model is made with 45 percent recycled content and the M4 with more than 35 percent, both including recycled aluminum in the enclosure. On software, the M5 model shipped with macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence, while the M4 model came out when macOS Sequoia was current.

What they cost

Both launched at $1,599: the M4 in October 2024 ($1,499 for education) and the M5 in October 2025 with 512GB. Since March 2026 the M5 has started at $1,699 with 1TB, or $1,599 for education. An M4 at or below its old $1,599 is the better buy unless you need the extra bandwidth or 4TB, because the screen and ports are the ones you’d be paying the M5 for. Apple’s prices move, so compare a remaining M4 with the current M5 on apple.com before you buy.

If what you want is an M5 Mac rather than the XDR screen or the extra ports, the 13-inch MacBook Air with the same base M5 is fanless and costs $999 with education pricing, against $1,599 for the 14-inch Pro with M5. MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) covers that choice.