Summary generated by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Apple’s next Mac Studio is expected to launch between March and June 2026, featuring the new M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, Macworld reported.
- The upcoming model will retain its current design but offer improved performance with standard RAM configurations of 36GB for the M5 Max and 96GB for the M5 Ultra variants.
- The price may rise from the current starting price of $1,999 due to potential US tariffs, while the modular design of the M5 chip allows the CPU and GPU to be customized separately.
Mac Studio was originally released in 2022 and has been updated twice since then. However, a report released in late 2025 claimed that Apple had “largely written off” the Mac Pro and considered Mac Studio to be its flagship desktop Mac. This means that there are big things that could be in store for the future of Mac Studio.
The current Mac Studio was released in March 2025, and reports of the next upgrade are already starting to emerge. This article tracks those reports, so for information on what the upgrade will include and when it might be released, see this page.
2026 Mac Studio: Release date
- Possible release in March 2026
Mac Studio comes with M-series Max and Ultra chips, and we can use the base M-series chip version to get an idea of when Mac Studio will be updated. Apple releases the base M-series chip first (usually in the MacBook Pro) and then follows it up with the M-series Max and Ultra Mac Studio a few months later.
The latest M-series chip is the M5, which was released in the MacBook Pro in October 2025. So this generation of chipset will likely appear in the new Mac Studio in the first half of 2026.
According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the M5 Max and M5 Ultra Mac Studio are on Apple’s release schedule for 2026. Two of the three Mac Studio versions have been released since its introduction in March, with the 2023 M2 Max/Ultra Mac Studio being released in June at WWDC. So look for the M5 Mac Studio release in the March to June time frame.
2026 Mac Studio: Wizard
- It is expected to feature M5 Max and M5 Ultra chipsets
The 2025 Mac Studio was a complete surprise. It was offered with an M4 Max chip, which was expected, but the top-end version shipped with the M3 Ultra instead of the M4 Ultra. The M3 Ultra is technically faster than the M4 Max, but it’s an older chip. Apple did not explain the reason behind this.
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According to reports, the next Mac Studio won’t have this tiered chip configuration. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that Apple will return to the same generation, the M5 Max and M5 Ultra, for the next Mac Studio. However, details about those chips have not been reported.
MacRumors reported in December 2025 that references to the M5 Max and M5 Ultra Mac Studio appeared in a set of leaked Apple files.
2026 Mac Studio: Specifications
- New separate CPU and GPU blocks for customization
- Standard configurations are 36GB and 96GB of RAM
- Thunderbolt 5
The main change in Mac Studio specifications will be with the chip itself. Apple is completely redesigning the way it does business, according to an October 2025 report from MaxTech’s Vadim Yuryev. The M5 Pro and M5 Max will house the CPU and GPU in separate blocks, giving customers more options for configuring these components. For example, one could set up a basic CPU configuration with a maxed-out GPU. While Yuryev didn’t mention the M5 Ultra specifically, it stands to reason that the Ultra chip will also feature this new cluster configuration.
The rest of the specifications are not expected to change. It will likely start with 36GB of RAM for the M5 Max, 96GB of RAM for the M5 Ultra, and up to 8TB or 16TB SSDs. The current Mac Studio ships with Thunderbolt 5, and that should continue with the new model.
2026 Mac Studio: Design
- No design changes are expected
Mac Studio debuted in 2022, so it’s only three years old. Apple is expected to stick with the same design, which is also reflected in the M4 Mac mini, as no reports have been made about the design.
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Port offerings are also expected to remain the same. Mac Studio contains:
- M-series Max: 2 front USB-C ports (supports USB 3 10Gbps)
- M-series Ultra model: 2 front Thunderbolt 5 ports
- Front SDHX card slot
- 3.5mm rear audio jack
- 4 rear Thunderbolt ports 5
- 2 rear USB-A ports
- HDMI port
- 10GbE Ethernet port (10GbE option available)
2026 Mac Studio: Price
Here are the current standard base configuration prices for 2025 Mac Studio for reference:
- $1,999 / £2,099 / CAD $2,699 / AU$3,499 M4 Max, 36GB unified memory, 512GB SSD
- $3,999/£4,199/CAD5,499/AUD6,999 M3 Ultra, 96GB unified memory and 1TB SSD
Pricing for the new Mac Studio has not been announced, although prices may rise due to the US tariff situation – as components are manufactured overseas. Prices can be adapted to more recent exchange rates elsewhere.