We’re about to have the next-generation Apple silicon chip, which will kick off a new wave of Mac refreshes. The M5 chip is expected to appear in some new products before the end of the year, but most Mac refreshes will occur in 2026.
We’ve rounded up current rumors on when we might see updates for Apple’s laptops and desktops.
MacBookPro
The MacBook Pro could be the first Mac to receive an M5 chip, and an unannounced MacBook Pro has already appeared in an accidental FCC leak. Stocks of the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 are also dwindling.
Since there was only one Mac model in the FCC leak, it’s possible that Apple will update the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro with an M5 chip this year, introducing the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models in early 2026.
It’s also entirely possible that the new M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max MacBook Pro models will all come out at the same time, either in 2025 around the end of October or in early 2026.
MacBook Air
New 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models equipped with M5 chips are expected in early 2026, around March or April. The M4 MacBook Air models were released in March 2025.
iMac
Apple added an M4 chip to the iMac in October 2024, so it can be updated alongside the 14-inch MacBook Pro models or alongside the M5 MacBook Air models. There have been no rumors about a specific timeline, but this is one of the Macs that will be released between late 2025 and early 2026.
Custom configurations of the iMac are being delayed and won’t ship to customers until later in October, as is the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which could be a sign of an imminent update.
Mac-mini
The Mac mini could get a refresh as early as early 2026. A purported ID for a Mac mini with an M5 chip was discovered in August, so it appears an upgrade is on the way.
Apple hasn’t always updated the Mac mini with new chips, and it didn’t end up getting the M3 and M3 Pro.
The timeline is unclear, but without any news on an update, it probably won’t happen this year. Last year, the Mac mini received an M4 and M4 Pro update in October.
Mac Studio
Apple updated the Mac Studio with the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips in March 2025, so no updates are expected in the near future.
The Mac Studio likely won’t be refreshed until the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips are ready, and it’s unclear when that might happen. We could wait until the end of 2026.
Mac Pro
The Mac Pro still uses the 2023 M2 Ultra chip, so it’s due for an update.
In November 2024, BloombergMark Gurman said the Mac Pro would get an M4 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU. He claimed that the Mac Pro would receive the new chip in mid to late 2025. We’re past mid-2025 at this point, but we haven’t heard much about the Mac Pro in recent weeks.
Earlier this year, Gurman returned to the M4 Ultra chip and said Apple wasn’t developing one. The M4 Max chip architecture lacks the UltraFusion functionality that the previous generation Ultra series chips enabled, so it’s unlikely there will be an M4 Ultra at all.
Apple could either update the Mac Pro with the M3 Ultra that it added to the Mac Studio this year, or use an M5 Ultra chip. If Apple were to update the Mac Pro with the M3 Ultra, it would have made sense to do so earlier this year with the Mac Studio refresh. Since that didn’t happen, it looks like Apple is waiting for the M5 chips.
It often takes Apple longer to develop Ultra versions of its M-series chips, so if the plan is an M5 Ultra chip, it probably won’t be ready this year. A timing between mid-to-late 2026 would make more sense for an M5 Ultra chip.
An event in October?
While most updates to the M5 Mac will occur in 2026, more M5 devices are expected to launch in 2025. A new iPad Pro and a refreshed Vision Pro are expected to feature the M5 chip, and rumors suggest they’ll be arriving soon.
Apple could hold an event to unveil the Apple M5 silicon chip and new products, or announce them through press releases.
Other products we’re expecting before the end of the year include a new HomePod mini, AirTag 2, and an updated Apple TV.
