Apple is paving the way for its next big technological revolution with the long-awaited M5 chips, which will become the main engine of the next generation of Macs. In this context, the renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed what could be the production and release schedule of these devices, hinting at an exciting future for the brand’s followers.
According to Kuo, the M5 standard chip will enter mass production during the first half of 2025. This will be the first step of a phased strategy that will include the M5 Pro and M5 Max models in the second half of that same year, followed by the M5 Ultra in 2026. This schedule, Although predictable, it confirms that Apple will maintain its approach of launching products little by little.
Which models will be the first to receive the M5 chip?
If Apple follows the M4 update pattern, the MacBook Pros would be the first to incorporate the new M5 chips in October 2025. The MacBook Air, for its part, should receive its update in the first half of 2026. As for more powerful devices, such as the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, Kuo predicts that they will not receive the M5 until the end of 2026 or even 2027 .
The future of the iMac and Mac mini remains uncertain, as these models are not always updated annually. For now, users of these ranges will have to wait to find out if Apple decides to include the M5 chip at some point next year.
Manufactured using TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process (known as N3P), the M5 chips promise significant improvements in performance and energy efficiency compared to the current M4 series. Additionally, Kuo notes that Apple plans to use advanced versions of the M5 for its Apple Intelligence servers, optimized for artificial intelligence tasks. These high-performance chips will feature a separate CPU and GPU design, further improving their thermal performance.
The transition from the M4 to the M5
Apple’s strategy with the M4 chips may give us clues about the future of the M5. The MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini already incorporated M4 chips in October 2024, while the MacBook Air is expected to receive them before March 2025. The Mac Studio and Mac Pro with M4 Max and M4 Ultra will likely arrive in mid to late 2025leaving room for the next generation M5 in later years.
Current Apple Intelligence servers run on M2 Ultra chips, but will migrate to M4s next year and eventually to optimized versions of the M5. This underscores the company’s commitment to developing hardware capable of handling advanced artificial intelligence applications.
Therefore, we have that mass production of the M5 will begin in 2025, while the M5 Pro and M5 Max will arrive in the second half of 2026, while the M5 Ultra will do so in 2026. For its part, the MacBook Pro with M5 will be launched in October 2025; the MacBook Air with M5 in the first half of 2026 and the Mac Studio and Mac Pro in 2026 or 2027.
