The M5 Max is Apple's step-up silicon for professional computers, available since September in the Mac Studio and since October 28 in two MacBook Pro lines, including the new touchscreen PROLED XDR model (2, 6, 7). The Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499 in the US and ₹2,29,900 in India, while M5 Max MacBook Pro configurations range from roughly $3,899 at launch to as much as $14,549 fully loaded (2, 4, 10).
M5 Max price
The Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499 in the US and ₹2,29,900 in India, scaling up to $6,899 for configurations with more GPU cores, 128GB of RAM, and multi-terabyte SSDs; no UK or EU pricing was reported at launch (2). The 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro launched earlier this year at $3,899 before Apple raised prices in late June, pushing the list price to $4,399 (4). In the new touchscreen MacBook Pro line, stepping up to the M5 Max chip raises prices to $4,499 for the 14-inch model and $4,799 for the 16-inch, as reported (12). Apple's fully loaded 16-inch touchscreen configuration with the M5 Max chip, an 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 128GB of memory and 16TB of storage reaches $14,549, while the 14-inch version tops out at $14,249 (10).
M5 Max specs
| Spec | Detail |
|---|
| CPU | Up to 18-core (2, 10) |
| GPU | Up to 32-core (base Mac Studio configuration) or 40-core (top MacBook Pro configuration) (2, 10) |
| Base Mac Studio memory and storage | 36GB unified memory, 512GB SSD (3) |
| Top MacBook Pro memory and storage option | 128GB memory, 16TB storage (10) |
| M5 Ultra | Two M5 Max dies fused into one package, from $5,499 with 96GB RAM and 1TB storage (2) |
Commenters on a Micro Center deal thread described the M5 Max as carrying far more AI processing cores than the previous M4 Pro, with faster prompt speed and token generation for running large language models locally, though Hitechreports notes none of that comes from an independent benchmark (5).
M5 Max release date and availability
The Mac Studio with M5 Max shipped September 22 (3). Apple announced M5 Max versions of the new touchscreen MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display on October 28, alongside 14-inch and 16-inch non-touch Liquid Retina XDR models that also offer M5 Max, with the touchscreen models going on preorder immediately ahead of a November 6 release in the US, and a November 6 on-sale date in India as well (6, 7, 11). Apple also switched on a 512GB RAM option for the M5 Ultra Mac Studio on October 28, a tier it had promised in August and scheduled for October (9).
M5 Max deals
The M5 Max Mac Studio was discounted by $200 at Amazon over the weekend of October 11, alongside new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini models (1). By October 18, AppleInsider reported the base-spec M5 Max Mac Studio — 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 36GB unified memory, 512GB SSD — at $2,299 on Amazon, $200 off Apple's $2,499 launch price and the lowest verified price since it shipped (3). Higher-tier configurations with 1TB storage or a 40-core GPU remained discounted separately through Apple Premier Partner Expercom, though exact figures weren't given (3). As reported October 22, Amazon listed the 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro with 36GB of RAM and 2TB of storage at $3,499, a $900 cut from Apple's $4,399 price for that configuration and the lowest Amazon has tracked for that build, beating a previous floor of $3,649 (4). As reported October 24, Micro Center had the M5 Max Mac Studio with 36GB RAM and 512GB SSD at $1,999 with free in-store pickup; a higher-end 128GB RAM, 2TB SSD version from the same sale sold out almost immediately (5).
M5 Max vs rivals
Within Apple's own lineup, the M5 Max Mac Studio sits beneath the M5 Ultra, which fuses two M5 Max dies and starts at $5,499 with 96GB RAM and 1TB storage, scaling to $22,299 for a 512GB RAM, 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU configuration (2, 9). In the new touchscreen MacBook Pro line, the M5 Max is the step-up option above the M5 Pro, with the two touchscreen models carrying a roughly $400 premium over equivalent non-touch MacBook Pro models that run the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips (7, 11, 14). Separately, Apple's cheaper MacBook Pro, the $1,999 M6 model with a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, undercuts the touchscreen M5 Max MacBook Pro by up to $2,500, though Apple's chip hierarchy means the pricier M5 Max model should run faster (12).
Sources
- Mac Mini Price Drops by Up to $149 at Amazon This Weekend
- Apple Mac Studio M5 Max is here: $2,499, 18-core CPU, 32-core GPU, and no design change
- Mac Studio 2026 Price Drop: $2,299 on Amazon (M5 Max, 18-core CPU)
- 16-Inch M5 Max MacBook Pro Drops To $3,499 At Amazon
- Apple M5 Max Mac Studio Falls To $1,999 At Micro Center
- Apple's First Touchscreen MacBook Pro Arrives With OLED Screen
- Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Costs $400 More, Skips New M6 Chip
- Apple's Mac Studio With 512GB RAM Starts At $22,299
- Apple's Fully Loaded Touchscreen MacBook Pro Costs $14,549
- Apple Adds Touch to MacBook Pro But Keeps Classic Display With Same Chips
- Apple's Cheaper MacBook Pro Has the Weaker Chip
- Apple Keeps Selling Non-Touch MacBook Pro Next to New OLED Model
Last updated October 30, 2026. This guide is kept by Hitechreports' automated Guide Desk from the stories listed above and is refreshed as new reports come in. Prices and deals are as those reports gave them on the dates shown and change often; Hitechreports does not test products itself.
CDFiled by The Computing Desk
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