iOS 26.3 Beta Reveals Two Unreleased Apple Silicon Chipsets from M5 Lineup, Notably Excluding One Version

In October 2025, Apple unveiled its M5 chipset, marking an exciting milestone. However, the tech giant is just scratching the surface, as plans are underway to introduce the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra in the early part of 2026. According to reports, the M5 Pro and M5 Max are anticipated to launch alongside the forthcoming macOS 26.3. Intriguingly, clues about these new silicon chips have emerged from the iOS 26.3 Beta, although the release candidate only confirms the existence of the M5 Max and M5 Ultra, leaving some uncertainties about the M5 Pro’s fate.

Unveiling the Future: M5 Pro’s Absence in the iOS 26.3 Beta

Currently, the M5 chip series has identified two unreleased components, T6051 and T6052. As reported by MacRumors and Nicolás Alvarez, these are linked to the respective platform identifiers H17C and H17D. The numeral ’17’ ties these chips to the M5 series, with the base version designated as H17G. From available information, the M5 Ultra correlates with ‘D, ’ and the M5 Max with ‘C, ’ while the M5 Pro, which has not surfaced in the current evidence, is thought to be labeled as H17S.

Current Breakdowns of M5 Chipsets:

M5 Pro – T6050, H17S (currently absent in iOS 26.3 Beta)
M5 Max – T6051, H17C (identified in iOS 26.3 Beta)
M5 Ultra – T6052, H17D (also identified in iOS 26.3 Beta)

This situation opens up two potential scenarios regarding the M5 Pro. It’s conceivable that Apple may decide to incorporate the M5 Pro into the iOS 26.3 codebase, as this chipset offers remarkable performance-to-cost benefits and holds a strong reputation among consumers, second only to the M5. For instance, current pricing for the 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro, featuring a 12-core GPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB unified RAM, and a 512GB SSD, has plummeted to $1, 749.99 on Amazon. Such valuable hardware at discounted rates is uncommon, particularly amidst the ongoing DRAM crisis.

The alternative scenario suggests that Apple might choose not to launch the M5 Pro and only present the M5 Max and M5 Ultra variants. However, our analysis leads us to dispute this claim. There have been whispers about a projected launch for the M5 Pro and M5 Max in March. Notably, the introduction of a new packaging method called Small Outline Integrated Circuit Molding-Horizontal (SoIC-MH) could enhance manufacturing efficiency while simultaneously improving thermal management.

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