M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro Models Likely to Feature Thunderbolt 5

Apple dropped a surprise today with the announcement of the new redesigned Mac mini when it revealed that the M4 Pro model comes with three Thunderbolt 5 ports, making it the first Mac to support the next-generation connectivity standard.

thunderbolt 5
The newest specification of Thunderbolt offers 80 Gb/s of bi-directional bandwidth, and with Bandwidth Boost it will provide up to 120 Gb/s, enabling triple the maximum bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 for an optimal display experience.

Given that the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips only support the older protocol, you can almost consider it a given that Apple's upcoming MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max will support Thunderbolt 5.

Thunderbolt 5 is fully compatible with USB4, and supports advanced protocols such as PCIe 4.0, allowing faster data access speeds for storage devices and peripherals. In addition, the new standard features support for native DisplayPort 2.1 output over USB‑C. Thanks to Thunderbolt 5, the Mac mini with M4 Pro can also support up to three 6K external displays at 60Hz, so expect similar enhancements to come to the new high-end MacBook Pro models.

Apple is expected to announce the new M4 MacBook Pro models on Wednesday. The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro will be equipped with an M4 chip, while the higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models will offer M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...

Top Rated Comments

northernmunky Avatar
13 months ago
I dont think 'likely' is the right word, its part of the M4 chip design, so its a 100% cert that it will.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adamw Avatar
13 months ago
OWC has available for Pre-Order the first Thunderbolt 5 external portable SSD drives with over 6,000MB/second speeds now: https://www.owc.com/solutions/envoy-ultra



Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
13 months ago
Pro Motion displays incoming? Don't tease me boy.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adamw Avatar
13 months ago
Yes! Up to 120 Gbs speeds with Thunderbolt 5! I need external Thunderbolt 5 SSD drives that fly fast!



Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chiromac81 Avatar
13 months ago
No wifi 7 on the new mini??
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
atonaldenim Avatar
13 months ago
yes! yesterday I posted “wake me up when we get Thunderbolt 5”… I am awake!!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)