Apple’s M5 chip launches this fall, and these new products get it first

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Earlier this year after the M4 MacBook Air’s arrival, Apple successfully transitioned all of its most popular M-series products to the latest generation chip. But a new M5 chip is right around the corner, expected to launch this fall in two new products first. Here’s what’s coming.

M5 is coming to the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro this fall

Apple’s M4 was the first M-series chip to debut on the iPad before the Mac.

The M4 iPad Pro launched in May 2024, and it was a long six months later before the first M4 Macs arrived.

This year, that delay is not going to happen again.

While the iPad Pro will still be one of the first products to get the M5, it will reportedly be joined this year by the MacBook Pro.

That’s right: the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro will be the first M5 products this fall.

Apple typically releases new MacBook Pros in October or November, and that’s when we’re expecting the standard three configurations:

MacBook Pro with M5
MacBook Pro with M5 Pro
MacBook Pro with M5 Max

Rumors about the M5 MacBook Pro have been minimal so far aside from the fall release date.

A new Apple Studio Display is reportedly in the works for a launch in roughly the same time frame. So it’s possible Apple plans to promote advanced external display capabilities with the M5 MacBook Pro.

Mostly though, a standard spec bump release is expected ahead of the more significant M6 MacBook Pro update next year, which brings a hardware redesign, OLED display, and more.

The M5 iPad Pro similarly sounds like it will be mostly a spec bump update following last year’s major M4 redesign.

Apple sometimes launches new iPads in September alongside the iPhone, but a release in October or November is just as likely. Expect the company to push iPadOS 26 heavily in the product’s marketing pitch.

Current expectations are that the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro will be the only new M5 products launched this year, with additional Macs gaining the M5 in early 2026 and beyond.

Do you plan to upgrade to an M5 MacBook Pro or iPad Pro? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.