Planning the next MacBook Pro upgrade just got more complicated. Apple’s highly anticipated M5-powered MacBook Pro won’t arrive before 2026, according to trusted analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman—pushing the timeline back from initial late-2025 expectations. Consumers considering Apple’s chip upgrade cycles face another extended wait.
Mac Mini Gets the M5 Treatment First
Smaller desktop will showcase Apple’s next-gen silicon months before the flagship laptop.
The Mac mini tells a different story entirely. Apple plans to launch both M5 and M5 Pro versions of its compact desktop by late 2025 or early 2026, effectively making it the M5 family’s debut vehicle. Leaked product identifiers (J873s and J873g) confirm two configurations in testing.
This strategy mirrors Netflix’s approach of soft-launching features in smaller markets before global rollouts—except Apple’s testing ground is its most affordable Mac. Desktop users get an earlier taste of next-generation performance while laptop buyers wait.
Manufacturing Reality Shapes the Delay
Complex chip packaging keeps high-end processors on a different timeline than mobile silicon.
The delay stems from manufacturing complexity rather than performance issues. High-end M5 chips will continue using separate underfill and molding processes, unlike Apple’s upcoming A20 iPhone chip that integrates these stages through more efficient WMCM technology.
Think of it like the difference between hand-crafting a luxury watch versus mass-producing smartphone components. The M5’s TSMC N3P process promises 15-25% performance gains over M4 chips, but that precision comes with longer development cycles. These advances represent part of the broader wave of cutting-edge technologies transforming personal computing.
Upgrade Timeline Just Shifted
Current M4 MacBook Pros remain the performance ceiling until 2026’s silicon leap.
This timeline shift affects buying decisions immediately. Content creators eyeing 2025 upgrades now face a choice: grab current M4 MacBook Pros or wait another year for meaningful improvements. The M5 update focuses on internal performance rather than design changes—classic Apple move of perfecting the engine while keeping the chassis.
Desktop Mac buyers get an earlier taste of next-generation performance through the Mac mini’s accelerated launch. The staggered release reveals Apple’s confidence in its silicon roadmap, even when manufacturing realities force timeline adjustments.