The base model of the MacBook Pro 16 with the M5 Pro and 1 TB SSD is an excellent multimedia laptop

Apple refreshed its MacBook Pro models and the MacBook Pro 16 with the M5 Pro once again left an excellent impression during our review. However, you do not have to check every box like on our review unit (64 GB RAM, 4 TB SSD storage) and pay ~$4500, because the base model with the same M5 Pro, now a 1 TB SSD drive, and 24 GB RAM offers pretty much the same performance. The RRP is $2699 and since these models are available pretty much everywhere, the prices will drop rather quickly. We have already seen some discounts right after launch.

The performance of the new M5 Pro is very good overall (+ 20-30% compared to M4 Pro), even though you must use High Power mode to utilize the maximum CPU multi-core performance. However, you will also hear the fans in this mode. This not necessary for everyday tasks though, but it is nice to have it if necessary. The GPU performance is already fully available in Automatic mode and the MacBook also stays much quieter.

Additional improvements include Wi-Fi 7, but limited to 160 MHz, and we will check the effects on the performance soon. Apple now also uses much faster PCIe 5.0 SSDs and the base model now gets 1 TB storage. Our review unit with the 4 TB SSD managed transfer rates of up to 17 GB/s.

Other advantages and disadvantages of the MacBook Pro 16 are still the same. This includes the excellent chassis quality including Thunderbolt 5 ports, the excellent Mini-LED panel with a very good matte option, long battery runtimes as well as the excellent sound system. On the other hand, there are no upgrade options since both the memory as well as the storage are onboard. The card reader does not support the SD Express standard, and the hardware upgrades are still expensive, even though Windows systems are not far off anymore considering increasing memory and SSD prices.

Please see our review for more information on the new MacBook Pro 16 M5 Pro.