These Real-World Tests Will Convince You to Switch to the M5 MacBook Pro
Whether you use an older MacBook or a PC laptop, the performance of the M5 MacBook Pro is impressive. Speed is the key feature for creative professionals—faster rendering, exporting, or running complex AI tasks can save significant time. For many creatives, a quicker workflow means increased income and less stress.
As a writer and photographer, I use a 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro daily, but now I’m considering an upgrade. Apple has been advancing rapidly, and the new M5 MacBook Pro is much faster. For AI tasks like large language model databases, Apple claims the M5 delivers about 3.5 times the speed of the M4 version and is six times faster than the original M1 from 2020.
The 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro is priced at $1,599/£1,599, which is a notable investment. To evaluate its performance, I ran tests using apps such as Blender and Adobe Lightroom, along with benchmarking tools like Geekbench AI and Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. While the speed gains weren't always dramatic, some results were surprisingly impressive.
Apple says for AI tasks like the large language model database, you can expect speed improvements on the order of 3.5 times faster than the M4 version.
The M5 is also 6 times faster than the original M1 model, released back in 2020.
Testing was done on macOS 26.
Summary
The M5 MacBook Pro offers significant speed boosts in creative and AI workflows, making it a strong upgrade choice despite its premium price.