Apple M5
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| Apple M5 | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Type | System on a chip |
| Developer | Apple |
| Operating System | macOS, iPadOS, visionOS |
| Devices | 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, MacBook Air, Apple Vision Pro M5 |
| Release Date | Announced October 15, 2025 |
The Apple M5 is a system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple. Apple announced it on October 15, 2025, as a chip built using third-generation 3-nanometer technology, with a 10-core GPU that has a Neural Accelerator in each core, a CPU of up to 10 cores and a 16-core Neural Engine.[1] It first shipped on October 22, 2025, in the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the iPad Pro and an updated Apple Vision Pro, and Apple added it to the MacBook Air in March 2026.[2][3]
For VR and AR, the M5 is the main processor of the second Apple Vision Pro model, covered in Apple Vision Pro M5. It replaced the Apple M2 of the original headset and works alongside the Apple R1, which processes camera, sensor and microphone input.[4] Apple says the M5 lets the headset render 10 percent more pixels on its micro-OLED displays, raise the refresh rate to 120Hz and run AI-powered system features up to 50 percent faster than the M2 model.[4] As of September 2026, Apple's Vision Pro specification page lists only the M5 configuration.[5]
History
Announcement
Apple announced the M5 on October 15, 2025, together with the three devices that would use it first, all of which went on pre-order that day.[1] Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, said in the announcement that "M5 ushers in the next big leap in AI performance for Apple silicon."[1] Apple compared the chip mainly with its predecessor, the M4, and with the first-generation M1.[1] UploadVR's report on the Vision Pro update noted that the headset moved from the M2, built on a 5nm process in 2022, to a chip built on a 3nm process.[6] The 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Vision Pro with M5 went on sale on October 22, 2025.[2]
MacBook Air and the "super core" name
On March 3, 2026, Apple announced a 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with the M5, with a 10-core CPU and a GPU of up to 10 cores. Pre-orders opened on March 4, 2026, and the laptops became available on March 11, 2026, at US starting prices of US$1,099 (13-inch) and US$1,299 (15-inch).[3][7]
The same day, Apple announced the M5 Pro and M5 Max. Their CPUs combine "super cores" with a new type of performance core designed for power-efficient multithreaded work. Apple said the super core "was first introduced as performance cores in M5", and that the base M5 now also uses the super core name in all of its products: the MacBook Air, the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the iPad Pro and Apple Vision Pro.[8] Apple's current Vision Pro specifications accordingly describe the headset's CPU as "10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores".[5]
M5 Pro, M5 Max and M5 Ultra
The M5 Pro and M5 Max use what Apple calls its Fusion Architecture, which connects two third-generation 3-nanometer dies into a single SoC.[8] On August 25, 2026, Apple announced the M5 Ultra, which joins two M5 Max chips with UltraFusion to form a four-die design, for the Mac Studio.[9] None of these larger chips is used in the Vision Pro, which uses the base M5.[5]
| Chip | Announced | CPU | GPU | Unified memory | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5 | October 15, 2025[1] | Up to 10 cores (up to 4 super cores, 6 efficiency cores)[1][8] | 10 cores, Neural Accelerator in each core[1] | 32GB memory capacity cited by Apple at launch (16GB in Vision Pro); 153GB/s[1][5] | 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Apple Vision Pro, MacBook Air[1][3] |
| M5 Pro | March 3, 2026[8] | 18-core CPU architecture (6 super cores, 12 performance cores)[8] | Up to 20 cores[8] | Up to 64GB; up to 307GB/s[8] | MacBook Pro[8]; Mac mini[10] |
| M5 Max | March 3, 2026[8] | 18-core CPU architecture (6 super cores, 12 performance cores)[8] | Up to 40 cores[8] | Up to 128GB; up to 614GB/s[8] | MacBook Pro[8]; Mac Studio[10] |
| M5 Ultra | August 25, 2026[9] | Up to 36 cores[9] | Up to 80 cores[9] | Up to 512GB; 1.2TB/s[9] | Mac Studio[9] |
Successor
Apple announced the M6 on August 25, 2026, describing it as its first 2-nanometer chip, with a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU. Apple claimed up to 1.2 times the multithreaded performance of the M5. The M6 first shipped in the Mac mini, which became available on September 22, 2026.[9][10] Apple's Vision Pro specification page still listed the M5 at the end of September 2026.[5]
Architecture
Apple's launch announcement describes the chip's main blocks as follows. The comparisons are Apple's own claims.[1]
| Block | Apple's description at announcement |
|---|---|
| Process | Third-generation 3-nanometer technology[1] |
| CPU | Up to 10 cores: six efficiency cores and up to four performance cores (later renamed super cores); up to 15 percent faster multithreaded performance than the M4[1][8] |
| GPU | 10 cores with a Neural Accelerator in each core; over 4x the peak GPU compute for AI of the M4 and over 6x that of the M1; enhanced shader cores; up to 30 percent faster graphics than the M4[1] |
| Ray tracing | Third-generation ray-tracing engine; up to 45 percent graphics uplift in apps that use ray tracing[1] |
| GPU memory management | Rearchitected second-generation dynamic caching[1] |
| Neural Engine | Improved 16-core Neural Engine[1] |
| Memory | Unified memory bandwidth of 153GB/s, nearly 30 percent more than the M4 and more than 2x the M1; Apple cited a memory capacity of 32GB[1] |
Apple says applications that use its frameworks, such as Core ML, Metal Performance Shaders and Metal 4, see the performance gains automatically, and that developers can program the GPU's Neural Accelerators directly through Tensor APIs in Metal 4.[1] In a November 2025 post, Apple's machine learning research group reported that its open-source MLX framework uses these Metal 4 tensor operations. On a MacBook Pro with the M5 and 24GB of memory, it measured up to a 4x speedup in time to first token over a similarly configured M4 MacBook Pro for some large language model workloads. It measured a 19 to 27 percent gain in subsequent token generation, which it attributed to the higher memory bandwidth (153GB/s against 120GB/s on the M4).[11]
Use in Apple Vision Pro
Configuration in the headset
Apple's specification page for the current Vision Pro lists the following processing hardware.[5]
| Component | Apple Vision Pro with M5 |
|---|---|
| CPU | 10-core, 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores[5] |
| GPU | 10-core, with Neural Accelerators and hardware-accelerated ray tracing[5] |
| Neural Engine | 16-core[5] |
| Memory | 16GB unified memory; 153GB/s memory bandwidth[5] |
| Companion chip | Apple R1: 12-millisecond photon-to-photon latency, 256GB/s memory bandwidth[5] |
| Display | Micro-OLED, 23 million pixels; refresh rates of 90Hz, 96Hz, 100Hz and 120Hz[12] |
| Battery life | Up to 2.5 hours of general use; up to 3 hours of video playback[12] |
Rendering and display
Apple says the M5 renders 10 percent more pixels on the headset's micro-OLED displays than the previous generation, which gives a sharper image and crisper text.[4] According to 9to5Mac, the displays themselves are the same as before, and the gain comes mainly from enlarging the in-focus area of the headset's eye-tracked foveated rendering.[13] The headset can also raise its refresh rate to 120Hz, up from a previous maximum of 100Hz. Apple says this reduces motion blur when the user looks at the physical surroundings through passthrough, and makes Mac Virtual Display smoother.[4][13]
Apple says the 10-core GPU brings support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading to Vision Pro, so developers can add more detail to lighting, shadows and reflections in games such as Control.[4] Road to VR's report on the announcement listed the 10-core CPU and GPU with ray tracing and mesh shading among the main changes.[14]
On-device AI
According to Apple, the 16-core Neural Engine runs AI-powered system features, such as capturing a Persona or turning photos into spatial scenes, up to 50 percent faster than the previous generation, and third-party apps up to 2x faster. Apple named JigSpace as a developer using the on-device model at the core of Apple Intelligence, through its Foundation Models framework, in a Vision Pro app for enterprise.[4] The M5 announcement said the higher unified memory bandwidth lets MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Apple Vision Pro run larger AI models completely on the device.[1]
With visionOS 27, some features became exclusive to the M5 model. In June 2026, 9to5Mac and heise online reported that the M2 Vision Pro would not get the new customizable Siri voices or support for Apple's "AFM 3 Core Advanced" on-device model, both of which are limited to the M5 model; heise cited the fine print on Apple's website.[15][16] Heise noted that both models have 16GB of memory and that the hardware reason for the restriction had not been definitively clarified.[16] When visionOS 27 was released for both models in September 2026, UploadVR reported that on the M5 model Siri has a more realistic and expressive voice that users can customize.[17]
Battery life
Apple links the M5 to longer battery life: the upgraded headset is rated for up to two and a half hours of general use and up to three hours of video playback,[4] compared with two hours and two and a half hours for the M2 model.[18] UploadVR noted that the gain of 30 minutes came with the same battery as the original model.[6]
Reception
In its review of the M5 Vision Pro, 9to5Mac wrote that the M2 model "regularly struggled to keep up" when many windows were open, with dropping frame rates and fans spinning up. With the M5, the reviewer found that "In situations where the M2 Vision Pro would start to lag and stutter, the M5 Vision Pro keeps up", although the fans still ran.[18] MacRumors' roundup of launch reviews reported that reviewers found the extra rendered pixels and 120Hz support made content look crisper and smoother, while CNET's Scott Stein wrote that the changes "aren't dramatic".[19]
Supported devices
| Device | Announced | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 14-inch MacBook Pro | October 15, 2025[1] | October 22, 2025[2] |
| iPad Pro (11-inch and 13-inch) | October 15, 2025[1] | October 22, 2025[2] |
| Apple Vision Pro M5 | October 15, 2025[4] | October 22, 2025[2] |
| MacBook Air (13-inch and 15-inch) | March 3, 2026[3] | March 11, 2026[3] |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 "Apple unleashes M5, the next big leap in AI performance for Apple silicon". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2025-10-15. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-unleashes-m5-the-next-big-leap-in-ai-performance-for-apple-silicon/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "New iPad Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and Apple Vision Pro, all powered by M5, are now available". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2025-10-22. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/new-ipad-pro-14-inch-macbook-pro-and-apple-vision-pro-now-available/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2026-03-03. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apple-introduces-the-new-macbook-air-with-m5/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "Apple Vision Pro upgraded with the powerful M5 chip and comfortable Dual Knit Band". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2025-10-15. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-vision-pro-upgraded-with-the-m5-chip-and-dual-knit-band/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 "Apple Vision Pro - Technical Specifications". Apple. Apple. https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/specs/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 David Heaney (2025-10-15). "Apple Officially Announces M5 Vision Pro & Dual Knit Band". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/m5-apple-vision-pro-officially-announced-preorders/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Hartley Charlton (2026-03-03). "Apple Announces MacBook Air With M5 Chip and 512GB Base Storage". MacRumors. https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/03/apple-announces-macbook-air-with-m5/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 "Apple debuts M5 Pro and M5 Max to supercharge the most demanding pro workflows". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2026-03-03. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apple-debuts-m5-pro-and-m5-max-to-supercharge-the-most-demanding-pro-workflows/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 "Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra for a big leap in performance and AI compute". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2026-08-25. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/08/apple-introduces-m6-and-m5-ultra-for-a-big-leap-in-performance-and-ai-compute/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "The new Mac mini and Mac Studio are available today". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2026-09-22. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/09/the-new-mac-mini-and-mac-studio-are-available-today/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Exploring LLMs with MLX and the Neural Accelerators in the M5 GPU". Apple Machine Learning Research. Apple. 2025-11-19. https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/exploring-llms-mlx-m5. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Apple Vision Pro (M5) - Tech Specs". Apple Support. Apple. https://support.apple.com/en-us/125436. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Dylan McDonald (2025-10-16). "Here's everything new with the latest Apple Vision Pro". 9to5Mac. https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/16/heres-everything-new-with-apple-vision-pro-m5/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2025-10-15). "Apple's Next Vision Pro with New M5 Chip Launches on October 22nd, Starting at $3,500". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/apple-vision-pro-m5-chip-october-22-launch/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Ryan Christoffel (2026-06-19). "visionOS 27 gives the M5 Vision Pro two unique new advantages". 9to5Mac. https://9to5mac.com/2026/06/19/visionos-27-gives-the-m5-vision-pro-two-unique-new-advantages/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ben Schwan (2026-06-23). "Vision Pro: Two features from visionOS 27 only for the M5 model". heise online. https://www.heise.de/en/news/Vision-Pro-Two-features-from-visionOS-27-only-for-the-M5-model-11341261.html. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ David Heaney (2026-09-17). "visionOS 27 Launched For Apple Vision Pro Headsets, Bringing Siri AI & More". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/visionos-27-launched-for-apple-vision-pro-headsets/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Chance Miller (2025-10-21). "Apple Vision Pro (M5) review: More than just a spec bump". 9to5Mac. https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/21/apple-vision-pro-m5-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Joe Rossignol (2025-10-21). "2025 Vision Pro Reviews: How Comfortable is Apple's Dual Knit Band?". MacRumors. https://www.macrumors.com/review/vision-pro-m5-chip/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.