Why doesn't the MacBook Pro M5 have Wi-Fi 7 or Thunderbolt 5?

Watch This Product

Watch products with ShopSavvy for price drops, stock alerts, deals and more.

Ask Agent About This Product

The Issue: The MacBook Pro M5 includes Wi-Fi 6E and Thunderbolt 4, omitting Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 5 despite Apple having these technologies available for other devices.

What's Included vs. Missing

| Standard | M5 | M5 Pro/Max | Latest Available | |----------|-----|-----------|------------------| | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 (in iPhone 17) | | Thunderbolt | TB4 (40Gb/s) | TB5 (80Gb/s) | Thunderbolt 5 |

Wi-Fi 6E vs Wi-Fi 7

What you get (Wi-Fi 6E):

• Up to 2.4Gbps speeds
• 6GHz band access
• Excellent current performance

What you miss (Wi-Fi 7):

• Up to 5.8Gbps theoretical speeds
• Multi-link operation
• Lower latency

Practical impact: Minimal unless you have Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure and 2+ Gbps internet.

Thunderbolt 4 vs Thunderbolt 5

What you get (TB4):

• 40Gb/s bandwidth
• Current external SSD support
• Dual 4K @ 144Hz displays

What you miss (TB5):

• 80Gb/s (2x bandwidth)
• Future high-speed storage support

Practical impact: Current hardware rarely exceeds TB4 limits.

Apple's Apparent Reasoning

• Feature differentiation: TB5 reserved for Pro/Max tiers
• Chip timeline: M5 development may have preceded N1 Wi-Fi integration
• Cost management: Premium connectivity adds component cost

Bottom Line

These omissions are disappointing for a $1,599+ "Pro" machine but won't impact most users' daily experience. Consider the M5 Pro MacBook Pro if Thunderbolt 5 and future-proof connectivity are priorities.