Mac Studio: Here’s what Apple has in store for this fall and beyond
Later this fall, Apple will be updating the Mac Studio for the first time since early 2025. That may be just over a year ago, but it’s significant for one main reason: the highest end Mac Studio is still M3 based, as Apple never made an Ultra version of the M4 chipset. Here’s what to expect with the next generation Mac Studio, as well as in the future.
Apple plans to refresh the Mac Studio this fall, marking the first update since early 2025. The new model will feature M5-based chips, replacing the M3 architecture. This refresh was initially scheduled for mid-2026, but a memory shortage delayed its release to October. The M5 Mac Studio will offer the M5 Max and M5 Ultra options, with the latter potentially supporting up to 768GB of RAM.
The M5 Ultra will feature up to 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, delivering significant performance improvements over the existing M3 Ultra. Prices for the current Mac Studio models, which started at $1999 and $3999, are likely to increase further with the M5 versions.
Moving forward, Apple will introduce the M7-based Mac Studio in 2028. Rumors suggest that the M7 family of chips will deliver substantial AI performance enhancements, making the M7 Ultra an exceptionally powerful option for running on-device large language models (LLMs). The M7 Ultra could also benefit from a redesigned heatsink for improved sustained performance and the potential to support up to 1.5TB of RAM, aligning it with the memory capacity of the 2019 Mac Pro.
However, the feasibility of this memory capacity is contingent upon supply availability. Upgrading memory from 128GB to 1.5TB could cost around $35,000, not considering necessary CPU upgrades.
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