Apple has made a meaningful change to its MacBook Pro lineup with the launch of the new M5 Pro and M5 Max models. While most of the spotlight is understandably on the performance gains delivered by the more powerful chips, the company has also updated the base storage across the range.
The higher-end M5 Pro and M5 Max configurations now ship with more internal storage, with the M5 Pro models starting at 1TB and the M5 Max models beginning at 2TB. More notably, the company has quietly extended that same shift to the standard M5 model, raising its base storage configuration and adjusting its price in the process.
A new baseline for MacBook Pro storage
When Apple first introduced the M5 MacBook Pro last year, the base configuration included 512GB of storage and was priced at $1,599. That entry tier has now been phased out. In its announcement, Apple notes that the base M5 model now comes with 1TB of storage and carries a new starting price of $1,699, effectively doubling the storage capacity for an additional $100.
For many buyers, that trade-off is likely to feel more reasonable than paying Apple’s usual upgrade premiums. By including 1TB as standard, Apple reduces the need for costly storage upgrades and makes the entry-level configuration more practical from day one. And by eliminating the 512GB option, the company has effectively reset expectations for what “base” means in the MacBook Pro lineup.
As it now stands, the M5 MacBook Pro starts at $1,699 for 1TB of storage with 16GB unified memory, while configurations with 24GB and 32GB of unified memory are priced at $1,899 and $2,099, respectively. The 512GB variant is no longer listed on Apple’s website, though it may still be available through third-party retailers while stocks last.
