Apple’s latest Mac Book Pro surges ahead for battery life — but with one disappointing surprise | Tech Radar

Overview

Apple’s latest Mac Book Pro surges ahead for battery life — but with one disappointing surprise

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Details

We tested Apple’s latest M5 Pro and M5 Max Mac Book Pros for battery life

While one device scored extremely well, the other fell a little behind

We’ve compared the results from our past reviews, with interesting results

Apple prides itself on the extensive battery life of its best Mac Books, and they’ve been going from strength to strength ever since the company switched to its own Apple silicon chips. With the recent release of new Mac Book Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, we thought we’d put the devices through their paces to see how well their batteries held up — and the results contain a few interesting surprises.

According to benchmark data gathered by our own labs (below) – which is all focused around web browsing longevity – the 16-inch Mac Book Pro with M5 Pro chip is the best-performing Apple laptop for battery life that we’ve reviewed in the M3, M4 and M5 generations. That includes any size and any chip tier (such as M3 Pro or M5 Max).

Its average battery life score of 21 hours, 10 minutes and 16 seconds easily exceeds Apple’s estimation of 14 hours of web browsing and pulls ahead of last year’s 16-inch Mac Book Pro with M4 Pro chip, which clocked in at 20 hours, 46 minutes and 29 seconds. That’s great news for anyone who is looking at the new Mac Book Pro laptops and considers battery life to be a key feature in their buying decision.

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The size of the laptop on test undoubtedly will have had an effect — simply put, a 16-inch Mac Book Pro has more internal space for larger batteries compared to a 14-inch equivalent. If battery life is a priority, a larger laptop will generally be a better option for you.

Battery test (web surfing in hours / mins, Future Labs)

Battery test (web surfing in hours / mins, Future Labs)

Official battery life (web surfing in hours / mins, Apple)

Official battery life (web surfing in hours / mins, Apple)

The improvements seen in the M5 Pro suggest that Apple is making efficiency improvements to its latest chips, as both the M5 Pro and M4 Pro scores were recorded in a 16-inch Mac Book Pro. That similarity ensures most of the focus can be placed on the chip rather than the space available for battery cells.

But there were some interesting discrepancies, and the latest chips are not always the most performant, according to our test results. For example, we also benchmarked the M5 Max chip, this time inside a 14-inch Mac Book Pro, and its performance was somewhat disappointing.

It achieved an average battery life of 17 hours, 58 minutes and 18 seconds. That’s still ahead of Apple’s web browsing figure of 13 hours, but compared to other 14-inch Mac Book Pros with similar battery capacity, the M5 Max fell behind both the M4 and the M5 chips. It did outdo the M3 Pro, however, which scored 17 hours, 23 minutes and nine seconds.

If you’re considering buying a new Mac Book Pro, then, it’s well worth researching the battery capabilities of the model you’re looking at. You can read our full thoughts on the new Mac Books in our updated Mac Book Pro 14-inch review.

Generally speaking, a larger laptop will get you more juice, and Apple has been making progress in terms of its chips’ efficiency. But as the M5 Max in the 14-inch Mac Book Pro suggests, latest doesn’t always mean best.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as Tech Radar, Alex writes for i More, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at Mac Format magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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Key Takeaways

• Apple’s latest Mac Book Pro surges ahead for battery life — but with one disappointing surprise

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• We tested Apple’s latest M5 Pro and M5 Max Mac Book Pros for battery life

• While one device scored extremely well, the other fell a little behind

• We’ve compared the results from our past reviews, with interesting results