Apple continues to develop its own chips at a steady pace. After the successful M1 to M4 series comes the Apple M5 , which has already appeared in the first unofficial tests. Although this is not an official unveiling, the available information gives us a clear picture of what we can expect from the new generation.
What is the Apple M5?
Apple M5 is the latest system-on-chip (SoC), the next step in the evolution of Apple’s hardware, which combines a processor, graphics chip, neural unit and other specialised circuitry into a single unit. Unlike traditional PCs, where the processor resides on the motherboard and a separate graphics card plugs in as an additional component, Apple has for years built on the philosophy that all the important components belong on a single chip that can operate more efficiently, consume less power, and allow devices to remain thin yet powerful.
Simply put, the Apple M5 is not just a CPU or a standalone graphics card, but a comprehensive solution that combines the computing power of a CPU, the graphics power of a GPU, a dedicated Neural Engine for AI and machine learning tasks, a memory controller, multimedia blocks, and image processors in a single chip. As a result, Apple is able to make all these parts communicate with each other faster than in a traditional PC, where they would have to be connected via separate buses and memory.
Where Apple M5 is used
Apple M5 appears in several of the brand’s key products. The first to get it is the iPad Pro, which is always a sort of test bed for the next generation of chips. This will be followed by the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, which, depending on the model, will use different versions of the chip – from the basic M5 to the more powerful M5 Pro or M5 Max, which have a higher number of graphics cores and can offer professional performance for more demanding users.
The Mac mini will eventually be added to the lineup, where more cooling space will allow for sustained high performance over the long term, and there’s even speculation that variants of the M5 chip could power other devices, such as Apple’s Vision Pro augmented reality headset, where the combination of graphics power and efficiency is absolutely key.
Why Apple is combining CPU and GPU
Combining the CPU and GPU in a single chip has a number of major advantages for Apple. Because the CPU and graphics share the same memory and data paths, they can work together without unnecessary performance loss and with minimal downtime. It also means lower power consumption, less heating, and therefore quieter operation, which is especially important for notebooks where long endurance and quiet, overheat-free operation are key.
While this also means that MacBooks don’t have a separate graphics card like traditional gaming laptops with Nvidia or AMD, Apple balances this difference with software optimization and a custom approach to performance. In practice, this works so that users can choose a device with a chip that suits them when they buy – the basic M5 will do for the average user, while professionals working with video, 3D graphics or demanding applications will reach for models with the M5 Pro, M5 Max or even M5 Ultra, which offer many times the number of graphics cores and therefore performance comparable to high-performance graphics cards.
Apple M5 technical specifications and performance
The new Apple M5 delivers incremental but noticeable improvements in all key areas. The processor part of the chip is built on 9 cores, with a configuration that combines 3 Performance cores for demanding tasks and 6 Efficiency cores for normal work and optimizing power consumption. Compared to the M4 chip, this translates into an increase in single-core performance of approximately 12% and multi-core performance of 15%, which in practice translates into faster application launches, faster response times and greater stability when multitasking.
But the biggest shift comes on the graphics side. The integrated GPU in Apple M5 delivers up to 35% more performance than the previous generation. This means a noticeable difference in games, which now run at higher detail and more stable frames per second, as well as in professional applications where it’s about accelerated rendering of 3D models, faster video exports or demanding visual effects. Apple is continuing a trend here that started with the A-series chips in iPhones – GPU performance is no longer just an add-on, but a full-fledged pillar of the entire architecture. All of the data mentioned above is just leaked information and is not yet officially confirmed.
In the tests, an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage appeared. This is a significant shift from last year’s base configuration, which offered only 8 GB of RAM. More memory means better performance with more apps at once and better performance with tasks like video editing and working with large data files. With higher storage, Apple is also expected to again add more RAM – 16GB or even 24GB – so that the professional versions of the devices can handle even the most demanding workflows.
The power distribution between the CPU and GPU has practical implications for different devices as well. iPad Pro will get the new chip first, and thanks to its low power consumption, it will offer top performance in a slim body.
The MacBook Air in particular will benefit from the M5’s combination of longer battery life and enough power for everyday work. MacBook Pro will go further and get more powerful versions of the M5 Pro and M5 Max with more graphics cores, which will maintain peak performance over the long term thanks to active cooling. Finally, the Mac mini, which has more room for cooling, will be able to get the most out of the M5 chip, with speculation of use in devices like Apple’s Vision Pro where a combination of strong GPU performance and high efficiency is required.
Conclusion
Apple’s M5 , according to early leaks, delivers minor processor improvements, but a significant jump in graphics performance and more memory already in the base models. Although this is just anecdotal information for now, it’s clear that the M5 will become the foundation of the next generation of iPads and Macs, and will show where Apple is pushing the performance and efficiency of its chips. Apple’s most powerful chip so far remains the Apple M4.
