Apple’s First Mac with 5G Is On Its Way Sooner Than We Thought

It’s 2025, and we’ve all gotten used to the idea that our phones, watches, and even our fridges are constantly online. But Macs? They’ve stubbornly stayed Wi-Fi-only, forcing us to hotspot off our phones when we want to work on the move. That might be about to change.

According to Macworld’s Filipe Esposito, Apple has been quietly testing its first ever MacBook with built-in 5G – and it could arrive with the M5 MacBook Pro.

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“Internal Apple code seen by Macworld now reveals that the company has indeed been testing an unreleased MacBook Pro model with an M5 Pro chip and Apple’s first 5G modem,” Esposito reports. The M5 Pro chip (codenamed t6050) will power the next-gen MacBook Pro, but the real headline here is connectivity.

The 5G modem in question is codenamed “Centuari” (aka C1), the same chip introduced with the iPhone 16e earlier this year. If true, this would mark the first time Apple laptops can get online without tethering or begging coffee shops for Wi-Fi passwords.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had previously suggested cellular Macs wouldn’t happen until a second-gen modem, the C2, was ready. So spotting Apple testing the C1 inside an upcoming MacBook Pro is a pleasant surprise – even if it doesn’t guarantee the feature will actually ship, as Ryan Christoffel from 9to5mac explains.

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The timing is also interesting. The M5 MacBook Pro was once expected this autumn, but the new whispers point to early 2026 instead. That gives Apple plenty of time to fine-tune its modem integration – and, let’s be honest, spin a glossy ad campaign about how “your office is wherever you are.”

So what does this mean for everyday Mac users? In theory, no more scrambling for hotspots on trains, no more juggling dodgy airport Wi-Fi, and no more “your connection is unstable” during Zoom calls. It could also open up new possibilities for creators who rely on always-on cloud workflows, or professionals who want seamless security without connecting to public Wi-Fi.

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Of course, there’s still the question of whether Apple will make 5G a Pro-only luxury at first, or roll it out to the M5 MacBook Air too. Knowing Apple, it might start with the Pro crowd before filtering down.

For now, nothing’s confirmed – it’s all hidden in the code. But given the way our lives already revolve around constant connectivity, it feels like a no-brainer for Macs to finally catch up.

So, would you splash out on an M5 MacBook Pro with built-in 5G, or are you happy tethering to your phone?