Apple reportedly testing 5G MacBook Pro, could arrive this year

The next MacBook Pro might come with cellular thanks to the C1 modem

(Credit: Apple)

• 💻 Apple’s MacBook Pro might be its next device to gain 5G

• 📶 The next-generation MacBook Pro is reportedly being tested with a C1 modem

• 📱 This will allow your MacBook to connect to the same signals as your phone

• 🧪 The tests are being conducted on M5 MacBook Pros, which are rumored to arrive this year

• 🤷 So far, we have no word on whether the MacBook will officially gain 5G this year

One of the most requested features from MacBook owners (myself included) is 5G support, and it appears to be on the horizon. Apple is testing new MacBook Pros with its C1 modem built in, which enables sub-6GHz 5G, according to a report from Macworld. It’s the same modem we saw in the iPhone 16e earlier this year, and it’s the same one we expect to land in the iPhone 17 Air in the fall.

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📶 5G on a Mac could be real

The mysterious new MacBook Pro is reportedly part of the next generation, expected to arrive this fall powered by Apple’s M5 series of processors. The machine’s codename, “t6050,” is associated with the M5 Pro chip, in particular. It’s also associated with the codename “Centuari,” also known as C1.

This would be the first MacBook in Apple’s history to offer 5G support. Windows laptops have offered this functionality for years, and so has the iPad Pro. Bringing it to the Mac would make Apple’s laptops far more portable than ever before, since you’d be able to bring them virtually anywhere and get work done without having to worry about spotty, unprotected Wi-Fi.

Previous reports have hinted that Apple wants to bring 5G to the MacBook, although no one has suggested it would come before 2026. If it’s included on at least one of the new M5 models, the first cellular-enabled MacBook could arrive by the end of this year. For now, though, it seems that Apple is just running some tests.

It’s unclear if Apple plans to bring 5G to other MacBooks like the MacBook Air, or the mysterious budget-friendly MacBook we expect to land in early 2026.

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Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoopand Instagram @LegendaryScoop.