According to leaked sources, the M5 chip line will be manufactured on TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, more advanced than the second-generation 3nm process currently used on the M4 chip. This promises to bring improvements in performance. Some devices expected to be equipped with this chip line:
iPad Pro
After a major upgrade in 2024 with OLED displays and a significantly thinner design, this year's iPad Pro is expected to have only the most notable change, the addition of the M5 chip.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPad Pro with the M5 chip will start mass production in the second half of 2025. Currently, the iPad Pro model using the M4 chip was just launched in May 2024, so an update in September or October is completely feasible according to the 18-month cycle that Apple usually applies.
In addition to chip upgrades, some rumors also mentioned ultra-thin display borders, but it is unclear whether this change will appear this year.
Vision Pro
According to Kuo, the Vision Pro mixed reality show will be upgraded with the M5 chip this year, with mass production starting in the third quarter, starting in July 2025.
In addition to the new chip, other technical specifications are expected to remain the same, meaning that Vision Pro will only change the processor. The current version runs on the M2 chip, launched in February 2024.
MacBook Pro
Apple is expected to launch a new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro series with M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chip versions in October.
However, if not too urgent, users can consider waiting until next year. Many rumors say that the 2026 MacBook Pro will be completely redesigned, for the first time since 2021, including an OLED screen and a thinner body with an M6 chip.
Mac mini
Apple may continue last year's roadmap, launching MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac at the same time.
A recent report reveals a list of identification codes for upcoming Mac models, including code believed to belong to the M5 Pro-powered Mac mini. It is also expected that there will be a version using the standard M5 chip.
Since the Mac mini was redesigned last year, for the first time since 2010, this year's version is unlikely to change its form.
iMac
iMac using the M5 chip is also mentioned in the list of newly leaked product codes. Apple is likely to launch this model along with the new Mac mini and MacBook Pro later this year.
There is currently no information about the design changes, but the iMac is always one of the most anticipated products with synchronization in both performance and appearance.
