Apple’s Big March Drop with new M5 devices and Studio Displays
Apple kicked off March 2026 with a flurry of new hardware, touching nearly every product line in a single week. From new M5 variants, more capable budget iPhone to a jaw-dropping new pro monitor, here’s a breakdown of everything announced and what it means for you.
iPhone 17e
Apple just dropped the iPhone 17e, and the biggest news is about getting more value for your money. For the same starting price of $599, they’ve doubled the base storage to 256GB, giving you way more room for photos and 4K videos without paying extra. It also packs the new A19 processor and — most significantly — adds full MagSafe support for the first time on an “e” model. That means not just faster 15W wireless charging (up from 7.5W on the iPhone 16e, which had wireless charging but no magnetic alignment), but also the magnetic ring that lets you snap on MagSafe accessories like wallets, cases, and chargers. Qi2 compatibility is included as well.
M4 iPad Air
The new iPad Air might look familiar on the outside, but it just got a serious speed boost inside thanks to the M4 processor. This upgrade makes the tablet up to 30% faster than the previous M3 version, which is great news if you edit videos or play games on the go. Apple also added the N1 networking chip bringing Wi-Fi 7 support for much faster internet connectivity, all while keeping the starting price at a very reasonable $599.
M5 MacBook Air
The wildly popular MacBook Air has been updated with the brand-new M5 chip and the N1 networking chip, which brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 to the lineup. The real headline though is storage: Apple has finally ditched the 256GB base tier, meaning every new MacBook Air now starts with a roomy 512GB right out of the box. While this comes with a $100 price increase bringing the starting cost to $1,099, getting double the storage — and faster SSD speeds — is a very welcome trade-off.
M5 Pro & Max MacBook Pros
The new high-end MacBook Pros are absolute beasts this year, highlighted by heavily upgraded internal storage drives reaching speeds up to 14.5 GB/s — double the previous generation. Apple also took the opportunity to introduce a new CPU core naming system with these chips. Previously, Apple silicon used two core types: performance and efficiency.
With the M5 Pro and Max, there’s now a three-tier hierarchy: six “Super Cores” at the top for peak single-threaded speed, 12 “Performance Cores” for multithreaded workloads, and efficiency cores rounding out the design. Notably, the existing M5 (in the MacBook Air, iPad Pro, etc.) has had its high-performance cores retroactively renamed to Super Cores as well.
Together, the new chips deliver up to 30% faster pro performance and 2.5x higher multithreaded performance than M1 Pro/Max. Apple bumped base storage to a minimum of 1TB, added the N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the M5 Max tops out with an 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified memory. You will see a slight price bump across the lineup to reflect those upgrades.
Studio Display (Updated)
Alongside the new XDR model, Apple also quietly refreshed the standard Studio Display, keeping the price at $1,599. The update brings Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, an upgraded 12MP Center Stage camera that now supports Desk View, and improved speakers with 30% deeper bass. Note that this model retains a 60Hz refresh rate.
Studio Display XDR
The standout release of the week is the all-new Studio Display XDR, which replaces the discontinued Pro Display XDR at a much more accessible $3,299. The 27-inch 5K display features a Mini-LED panel with over 2,000 local dimming zones, up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, and a 120Hz ProMotion screen with Adaptive Sync, so scrolling, animations, and video all look incredibly smooth. Thunderbolt 5 is on board, and — unlike the old Pro Display XDR — the highly adjustable tilt-and-height stand is included in the box.
What’s Still Missing: The MacBook Neo
Updated: Announced the next day on Wednesday March 4th.
One highly anticipated product didn’t make the cut this week — the rumored MacBook Neo, Apple’s first shot at a Chromebook-style budget laptop. The device even accidentally leaked early when Apple briefly posted a regulatory filing for a “MacBook Neo” (Model A3404) on its own EU compliance site before quickly pulling the link. Rumored specs include a 12.9-inch display, an A18 Pro chip (the first time an iPhone-class processor would power a Mac), MagSafe charging, two USB-C ports, Wi-Fi 7, and fun color options — all at a starting price expected to land between $599 and $799. It would be the most affordable Mac in years and Apple’s clearest play yet for students and switchers from Windows or Chromebook. There’s no official word on when it will actually arrive, so stay tuned.
Another missing product that could show up in the next few months are M5 powered Mac minis and Mac Studios. Perhaps we’ll see the M5 Ultra in the studio. And also will the Mac minis benefit from the across board storage bumps that would make it an even better deal.