Apple M5 Max Chip Surfaces in Early Geekbench Test Ahead of MacBook Pro Launch

Early benchmark results for Apple M5 Max have appeared online ahead of the official release of Apple’s next-generation MacBook Pro models, offering a first look at the potential performance improvements of the new chip.

The benchmark listing, published on Geekbench, shows promising gains in both single-core and multi-core CPU performance compared with previous Apple silicon chips.

Apple’s M5 Max Chip Surfaces in Early Geekbench Test Ahead of MacBook Pro Launch

According to the leaked test results, the 18-core M5 Max chip achieved:

• Single-core score: 4,268
• Multi-core score: 29,233

The benchmark reportedly ran on a Mac17,7 model, which is believed to correspond to the upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro expected to launch soon.

While early benchmark leaks should be treated cautiously until devices ship and broader testing becomes available, the initial numbers suggest noticeable performance gains over the previous generation.

Performance Gains Over M4 Max

If the results are accurate, the new chip could deliver roughly a 9% improvement in single-core performance and about 13.7% higher multi-core performance compared with the 16-core Apple M4 Max found in the 2024 16-inch MacBook Pro.

For comparison:

The new chip also outperforms both configurations of the M4 Max used in the 2025 Mac Studio, including:

• 14-core M4 Max: 4,015 single-core, 23,560 multi-core
• 16-core M4 Max: 4,028 single-core, 26,166 multi-core

If additional testing confirms these numbers once the devices reach consumers, the M5 Max could become the fastest Mac chip on Geekbench for CPU performance.

Strong Graphics Performance

The early benchmark also revealed a Metal graphics score of 232,718, placing the M5 Max near the top of Geekbench’s GPU rankings.

However, it still falls slightly behind the powerful Apple M3 Ultra configuration with a 32-core CPU and 80-core GPU used in the latest Mac Studio models.

Additional Benchmark: A18 Chip in MacBook Neo

Alongside the M5 Max results, early benchmarks also surfaced for the Apple A18 chip reportedly used in the new MacBook Neo.

The A18 posted:

• Single-core score: 3,461
• Multi-core score: 8,668

These numbers represent only about a 0.5% improvement compared with the A18 chip powering the iPhone 16 Pro.

What Comes Next

The new M5-powered MacBook Pro lineup to become available on March 11, after which real-world benchmarks from users and reviewers will provide a clearer picture of the chip’s performance.

If the early Geekbench results hold up, the M5 Max could set new performance records for Apple laptops, further strengthening Apple’s position in high-performance ARM-based computing.