References to potential M5 Max and Ultra chips have been spotted in the iOS 26.3 beta software.
There is currently no sign of the M5 Pro chip, but it's thought the other two appearing is a good indication of new MacBook Pro models.
Apple’s MacBook Pro is the talk of the town this week. It was only the other day we reported that new models are due to arrive in the next month, with the option of more powerful processors, while a redesigned MacBook Pro is expected later this year.
Now, supporting the idea of more powerful MacBooks being on their way, is another report, this time from MacRumors. You need to brace yourself because there are a lot of numbers and letters going on, but the conclusion is that there is more evidence on new M5 chips coming soon.
What evidence is there for new M5 chips coming?
According to MacRumors, the iOS 26.3 beta includes references to a couple of chips in the M5 family that haven’t yet been released. We've only have the M5 so far, which was announced in October 2025 and can be found on the MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro.
But based on information found by Nicolás Alvarez and shared with the site, the beta software mentions T6051 and T6052 system on chip (SoC) variants, with associated H17C and H17D platform names. Apparently, the ’17’ refers to the M5 chip, with the regular M5 called H17G. It’s said the ‘C’ has previously referred to the Max chip, ‘D’ for the Ultra chip, and ’S’ for the Pro.
As you may have picked up, those references would suggest M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips are coming. MacRumors suggests there are three possible scenarios here in that either a M5 Pro is also coming but not added to the iOS 26.3 code yet; Apple is changing its numbering; or we might see the MacBook Pro with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips alone.
Nothing is confirmed by Apple for now, although there certainly does seem to be a strong case for some new, more powerful MacBooks on the horizon very soon.
