Apple Unveils M5 Chip
Apple officially launched its latest M5 chip on October 15, 2025, debuting it in three new devices: the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. Manufactured using TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, this new chip features a 10-core GPU with third-generation ray tracing support. Each core incorporates a neural engine accelerator, significantly boosting performance for GPU-based AI workloads. The M5 delivers nearly four times the AI compute performance of its predecessor, the M4, while overall graphics performance improves by up to 45%.
Unified memory bandwidth also sees a nearly 30% increase, rising from 120GB/s on the M4 to 153GB/s. Apple states the upgraded MacBook Pro handles AI tasks 3.5 times faster than the M4 model, with graphics performance and gaming frame rates improving by up to 1.6x and multithreading capabilities increasing by 20%. The new MacBook Pro starts at 12,999 RMB and supports up to 4TB of SSD storage.
The new iPad Pro sees more significant upgrades, with storage read/write speeds up to twice as fast. The 256GB and 512GB models now come standard with 12GB of unified memory, a 50% increase over the previous generation. Additionally, the iPad Pro supports fast charging, reaching 50% battery in about 30 minutes. The device also incorporates Apple's custom N1 wireless chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread protocols. The China-specific model starts at RMB 8,999.
The Vision Pro has also been upgraded, with a 10% increase in renderable pixels, a refresh rate boosted to up to 120Hz, and battery life extended by 30 minutes. It now supports up to 2.5 hours of regular use or 3 hours of video playback. The new Vision Pro starts at RMB 29,999. Despite increased weight, Apple states the redesigned headband improves comfort, with optional dual-tone knit straps available for enhanced wearability.
All three products open for pre-orders on October 17 and launch on October 22.