M5 Ultra Mac Studio to Launch in 2026 with up to 768GB RAM
▼ Summary
– Apple plans to release a new Mac Studio with an M5 Ultra chip as soon as this year, despite price increases across the Mac line.
– The M5 Ultra chip is expected to have around 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, similar to the M3 Ultra.
– The Mac Studio refresh was postponed from early 2026 to around October 2026 due to memory chip supply issues and price increases.
– Apple has tested support for up to 768GB of unified memory, but supply constraints could prevent it from launching with that option.
– If released with 768GB RAM, the Mac Studio could be priced over $10,000, as the 96GB model recently jumped from $3,999 to $5,299.
Despite rising costs across the entire Mac lineup, Apple is still moving forward with a next-generation Mac Studio, which could arrive as soon as this year, according to Bloomberg.
The company is reportedly preparing to debut the M5 Ultra chip as the final processor in the M5 family before shifting focus to the M6, M7, M7 Pro, and M7 Max. This new chip will power a refreshed version of the Mac Studio, a device that has not seen an update since March 2025.
Originally, the Mac Studio refresh was scheduled for earlier in 2026, but Apple delayed the launch due to memory chip supply constraints and price hikes. In April, Bloomberg indicated the device would likely arrive around October 2026. Whether Apple hits that target remains uncertain, especially since the current M3 Ultra Mac Studio already shows delivery estimates stretching into October.
The M5 Ultra chip is expected to feature approximately 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, a configuration not far from the M3 Ultra, which tops out at 32 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores. Apple has tested support for up to 768GB of unified memory, though supply limitations could prevent this option from being available at launch.
Apple previously sold the M3 Ultra Mac Studio with up to 512GB of RAM, but that configuration was removed in March. Since then, the company has been scaling back higher-tier models, and the current M3 Ultra Mac Studio can only be ordered with 96GB of RAM.
Even if Apple does release a Mac Studio with an M5 Ultra chip and 768GB of RAM, the price tag would be astronomical. When Apple raised Mac prices recently, the 96GB Mac Studio jumped from $3,999 to $5,299 , an increase of $1,300. With eight times that RAM capacity and ongoing memory shortages, a fully loaded Mac Studio could easily exceed $10,000.
(Source: MacRumors)
