Updated 1 Nov 2026
Is the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro) worth it?
Yes — if your work needs the power; otherwise the Air is enough.
The M5 Pro has 15 CPU cores and 16 graphics cores against the plain M5's 10, and fans let it keep that speed through long exports and builds. The 14.2-inch Mini LED screen is bright enough for sunlight and smooth at 120Hz, with a matte nano-texture option. It comes with 24GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, an SD card slot and Wi-Fi 7, and battery life is long even under load. The design is the same as 2023's, the notch stays, and after Apple's 2026 price rise it starts at £2,499 and $2,499. Apple also sells a cheaper 14-inch with the plain M6 chip, which reviewers haven't tested yet.
100%of 21 owners give it 4 or 5 stars
- Much faster than the Air, and keeps its speed
- Bright 120Hz Mini LED screen
- HDMI, SD card slot and Thunderbolt 5
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What owners say
Owners love how fast it is and how long the battery lasts. No low ratings yet, from a small number of reviews.
Good to know
- The notch still cuts into the top of the screen.
- The design hasn't changed since 2023.
- Memory and storage can't be upgraded later, and Apple's upgrades are expensive.
- In the UK it comes without a power adapter, so you may need to buy one.
From 21 buyer ratings at Currys, Takealot (South Africa), Costco (Canada) and Harvey Norman (NZ, Australia), every complaint read by us, November 2026. How we do this
What they love
- FastMentioned a lot
- Long battery lifeMentioned often
- Well builtAlso mentioned
What they complain about
Hardly any: just 0 of 21 owners gave it 3 stars or fewer, and no complaint came up often enough to list.
Get it if…
- You edit video, photos or music, or build code, for hours at a time.
- You want HDMI and an SD card slot without adapters.
- You want a brighter, smoother screen than the Air's.
Skip it if…
- You mostly browse, write and video-call: the MacBook Air is silent and costs about half as much.
- You want the biggest screen and the longest battery: get the 16-inch.
More on the MacBook Pro 14 (M5 Pro)
How we reached this verdict
TechRadar, which tested both the M5 and M5 Pro models, calls it a superb workstation laptop with one of the best screens on a laptop, excellent battery life and full speed on battery, but marks it down for the unchanged design and the price rises. Pickr calls the M5 Pro model best in class, praising its performance, ports, keyboard and trackpad, with price its only real complaint; in heavy daily use its battery lasted 7 to 12 hours. Owners at Currys and Takealot mostly praise its speed and battery. Both reviews predate Apple's latest price rise.
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: TechRadar, Pickr, Apple, TechRadar, Expert Reviews, Expert Reviews: MacBook Pro 16, manufacturer specifications.
Updated 1 Nov 2026How we decide