Early OLED MacBook Pro tests show what Apple’s redesign changes

Independent reviews published November 5 put Apple’s redesigned OLED MacBook Pro through CPU, gaming and battery tests ahead of its retail debut. Apple says deliveries and store availability begin November 6. U.S. starting prices for the M5 Pro versions are $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch. Our announcement coverage details the display and configuration options.

Engadget’s 14-inch review unit, with an M5 Pro and 48GB of unified memory, scored 4,217 in Geekbench 6 single-core testing. The reviewer said that result was in line with the M5 family. The score measures one CPU workload and gives buyers a point of comparison for that configuration.

Gizmodo tested a different 14-inch model with an 18-core M5 Pro CPU, 20-core GPU and 64GB of unified memory, alongside a 16-inch M5 Max model with a 40-core GPU and 128GB. In its CPU render of Blender’s BMW scene, the smaller machine took about 66 seconds, seven seconds longer than the M5 Max system. The two machines differ in chip, memory and chassis, and the render measures CPU performance for that scene.

Gizmodo also reported roughly 60 frames per second for more than 30 minutes on its 16-inch M5 Max in Cyberpunk 2077 at the outlet’s reported 1448p resolution, with ultra ray tracing and MetalFX upscaling. That is a result for the tested settings and machine. Buyers comparing graphics performance should check the rendering resolution, upscaling and settings used in each review.

Engadget reported about 12.5 hours on the 14-inch model during the reviewer’s mixed workday and 10 hours and 15 minutes on the 16-inch model using a coding script. Those workloads differ from each other and from Apple’s advertised battery tests. The figures are useful as separate observations, and they do not establish which screen size lasts longer under the same load.

Editorial Opinion

The reviews give existing M5 Pro and M5 Max owners a reason to compare screens, weight and cooling before paying for the redesign. The processor names are familiar, and the early results show why a benchmark from one machine should carry its configuration and settings with it. For a purchase this expensive, the best comparison is the application you use every day running on the exact model you’re considering.

References

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