We put the Apple Macbook Pro 14″ (M5,2025) through our rigorous DXOMARK Laptop test suite to measure its performance in sound, camera and display. In this review, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Scoring
Use-case and feature subscores included in the calculations of the global score
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025)
110
camera
62
Microsoft Surface Pro 13-inch
Best: Microsoft Surface Pro 13-inch (93)
28
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura
Best: Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura (56)
86
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch
77
Apple MacBook Pro 14" (M5; 2025)
Best: Apple MacBook Pro 14" (M5; 2025) (85)
78
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch
Best: Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (146)
100
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch
Best: Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (146)
Pros
- Accurate face exposure with extended dynamic range across tested conditions
- Well-controlled noise with reasonable detail preservation
- Reliable focus performance in most conditions
Cons
- Occasional white balance and color rendering inaccuracies
- Limited detail preservation, particularly in shots taken from longer distances (80 cm)
In our comprehensive evaluation of the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025), the camera delivers a strong and consistent performance, particularly in terms of face exposure and dynamic range across the tested conditions.
One of the key aspects delivered by the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch is its generally accurate face exposure, combined with an extended dynamic range that allows the camera to preserve a good balance between highlights and shadows. This results in a natural rendering across a wide range of lighting conditions, particularly during standard video conferencing scenarios. Noise is also well controlled while preserving a reasonable level of detail, allowing the image to remain clean without excessively compromising texture rendering.
Subjects remain in focus in most situations, contributing to a stable and consistent video conferencing experience. However, some inaccuracies in white balance and color rendering can be observed in certain cases, affecting the quality of the image under more complex lighting conditions. The level of detail can also become somewhat limited when the subject is positioned at a longer distance, with shots taken around 80 cm showing a more noticeable reduction in fine detail.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) provides a well-balanced camera performance, with accurate face exposure, extended dynamic range, controlled noise and stable focus being among its strongest aspects. Its main limitations are related to occasional color rendering inaccuracies.
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025)
HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 14” Aura Edition
Test summary
About DXOMARK Laptop tests: For scoring and analysis in our laptop reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluations under controlled lab conditions and real-life scenarios. (For more details about the Laptop protocol, click here.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Camera
110
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025)
146
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch
About DXOMARK Camera Laptop tests
DXOMARK evaluates the image quality of the built in camera during video calls, whether with a single person or with multiple people, in a variety of lighting conditions. Our camera evaluation particularly assesses the ability of the built-in camera to clearly render human faces during video calls. Other intrinsic camera quality aspects are also evaluated, like color reproduction, texture and noise, as well as artefacts.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Eugene)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels (Diana)
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Eugene)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Eugene)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Eugene)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Eugene)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Diana)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Diana)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Diana)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions (Diana)
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
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