Touchscreen MacBook Pro details missing from the October 28 announcement include a 70W base adapter that cannot fast-charge, 8K external display support and a camera that stays steady when you touch the screen. The details below cover the 14-inch and 16-inch models, which start at $2,899 and $3,399.
Fast charging on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display needs a 96W or higher adapter, so the 70W unit in the base box charges it at the normal rate. The 16-inch model needs 140W or higher.
Touchscreen MacBook Pro details start with adapter prices
The 70W, 96W and 140W adapters cost $59, $79 and $99 separately, so adding fast charging to the base 14-inch model means buying a $79 96W adapter. The 14-inch configurations with the 18-core M5 Pro or M5 Max include 96W in the box, and the 16-inch model ships with a 140W adapter.
The 70W adapter meets the minimum wattage Apple recommends for charging the 14-inch model at all, which makes 96W the fast-charge threshold rather than the starting point. The base box also holds a 2 meter USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable.
M5 Max drives up to four external displays
M5 Max supports up to four external displays over any mix of Thunderbolt and HDMI ports, including two at up to 8K and 60Hz. M5 Pro supports up to three, with one at up to 8K and 60Hz plus a second at up to 5K and 120Hz or 4K and 200Hz.
The built-in display keeps its full native resolution while the external displays run. Thunderbolt 5 ports on both chips support native DisplayPort 2.1 speeds and run at up to 120Gb/s. Three displays at up to 6K and 60Hz also work on M5 Pro, and four on M5 Max.
Memory and storage upgrades run $400 to $7,000
On the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max, storage costs $1,000 more for 4TB than the base 2TB, $3,000 more for 8TB and $7,000 more for 16TB. A 16-inch M5 Max with 36GB of memory and 16TB of storage comes to $11,799.
On the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro, 48GB of memory costs $600 more than the base 24GB. M5 Max with the 40-core GPU starts at 48GB, and 64GB adds $400 while 128GB adds $2,000.
The 16TB option is limited to M5 Max, while M5 Pro storage runs from 1TB to 4TB. The 16TB configuration lists shipping in 7 to 10 business days, and the base models deliver November 6.
The camera stays steady when you touch the screen
Advanced video stabilization on the 12MP Center Stage camera lets you touch the screen without making the camera feed shake. The camera also supports Desk View for sharing your workspace and records 1080p video. The redesigned hinge, which keeps the screen steadier when you tap or swipe, is the other half of that.
Glass resists fingerprints and sets fixed refresh rates
The display glass has an antireflective coating and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, which suits a screen you will be tapping all day. The nano-texture option is etched into the cover glass and adds a polishing cloth to the box.
Fixed refresh rates of 47.95Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 59.94Hz and 60Hz are also available beside the 10Hz to 120Hz adaptive range. Touch works alongside the keyboard and Force Touch trackpad, which also handles pressure-sensitive drawing.
Web battery ratings run below video ratings
Wireless web battery ratings are up to 14 hours on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display with M5 Pro and 17 hours on the 16-inch model. M5 Max versions are rated for 13 and 16 hours of web use.
Video streaming ratings are higher, at 22 and 24 hours on M5 Pro and 20 and 22 hours on M5 Max. The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro has the longest ratings of any configuration, with 24 hours of video and 17 hours of web use. The first units arrive Friday, November 6.
