TheM4 chipcomes at an authoritative time . The competition from Qualcomm , Intel , and AMD has never been stronger on the Windows side , and peril to disrupt Apple ’s comfortable lead in the past few years .
We review the M4 Pro and M4 Max configurations of the 16 - inch MacBook Pro . It ’s a expectant laptop with one of two very powerful chips in spite of appearance , one that claims to have it all : fantastic battery liveliness , impressive GPU public presentation , world - stratum AI , and the “ immobile core ” on the mainframe side . It ’s grueling to sound off when Apple has only contract the cost of these machine and amped up nearly every aspect , including the ports , exhibit , performance , camera , and battery life sentence . This is n’t just thebest MacBookyou can buy , it ’s also one of the verybest laptopsthat money can buy .
Updated on 3/20/2025 to contain the M4 Max MacBook Pro 16 .
Specs and configurations
As with the M3 , the M4 MacBook Pro starts at $ 1,599 . For the first time , it now comes with 16 GB of RAM rather of 8 GB , which was formerly a $ 200 upgrade . The bump is significant for that entry - level 14 - inch manakin and outcome in a $ 200 discount throughout the lineup .
Like before , the 16 - inch MacBook Pro M4 starts at $ 2,499 , but has a jolly satisfying radix configuration of the M4 Pro , 24 GB of RAM , and 512 GB of storage . My critical review configuration costed $ 3,649 , issue forth with the 14 - core CPU , 20 - gist GPU , 48 GB of RAM , a 2 TB SSD , and the optional nano - texture exhibit . Interestingly , the M4 Pro conformation only has the 48 GB option for memory — no more , no less . you’re able to , of course , always max out by take the M4 Max , which can be configure with up to 128 GB of RAM and 8 TB of storage .
While the starting toll of the MacBook Pro are sensible , add computer storage gets out of hand quick . It costs $ 600 to get 2 TB of reposition , and the price get astronomical from there on out . It ’s another $ 600 for 4 TB , and at that point , you ’re paying over $ 4,000 for your laptop . Just to put thing in perspective , you canbuy the Asus ProArt P16with an RTX 4070 with 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of store for $ 2,300 .
Design
It ’s been three and a half years of the MacBook Pro using this influential design , both the 14 - column inch and 16 - inch sizes . These are thick laptop computer , built like tanks , and yes , miss some of the finesse of a MacBook Air . But they ’re beautiful , yet . The introduction of the Space Black colour option last year is the only physical change that ’s been bring in since 2021 , and this time around , the darker subtlety has altogether replace Space Gray in all configuration . Personally , I ’ll lack Space Gray , and I like it had traded out Silver alternatively . Oh well .
My mannequin was the 16 - column inch size of it , which I ’ll acknowledge is too crowing for me . It does n’t give you much in the path of more performance or extra features , and at 4.7 pound , it ’s no jest to lug around . Some will appreciate the supererogatory CRT screen veridical estate , no doubt , but there ’s by all odds a trade - off in mobility . One of the best MacBook Pro alternatives , theAsus ProArt P16 , is both wakeful and thinner , despite tamp down in a powerful discrete GPU .
But the 14 - inch MacBook Pro really is the everlasting compact laptop . I ’ve get last year ’s 14 - column inch M3 Max role model sitting next to it , and it carry on to be the laptop I opt using .
It goes without saying that disregarding of which size you prefer , you ’re getting a keyboard that ’s orotund , comfortable , and precise . It ’s among the honest laptop keyboards you ’ll typecast on — and that locomote for the trackpad too . I continue to appreciate the full - sizing function keys and the smooth glass open of the trackpad . three-fold - clicks are smooth and not too loud , something some other haptic feedback trackpads struggle with .
The one eyesore in the whole experience to me is still the notch in the display . I notice it quite ugly and intrusive , and the way it cuts into the fare measure can be inept , especially on the 14 - inch example . I eff we ’ll move beyond this aim finally , so here ’s to trust it take place in the 2026 redesign at least .
Ports and connectivity
The ports on the MacBook Pro have n’t change since 2021 , and that ’s a good thing .
The one self-aggrandising upgrade this twelvemonth is the inclusion of Thunderbolt 5 . It ’s only available in the M4 Pro and M4 Max models , while the M4 is hold fast on Thunderbolt 4 . TheThunderbolt 5increases bandwidth from 40Gb / s to 120Gb / s. That means much faster file transferral and broader external show funding . The system can support up to two 6 grand 60Hz external video display , and if you elevate to the M4 Max , that bumps up to four external display .
There are no rise to wireless connectivity with the M4 . For time to come - proofing function , it ’s too bad we did n’t get the bump to Wi - Fi 7 , but Wi - Fi 6E here is certainly still current , as is Bluetooth 5.3 .
Display
I ’ve already hash out how the size options for these screen bear upon the overall experience , but let ’s blab out about the exhibit itself .
Apple has been resisting OLED on the MacBook Pro for years now , and it ’s start to show . Do n’t get me incorrect — I love this MacBook Pro ’s mini - LED presentation . It ’s incredibly bright , and the nano - grain display is the perfect balance of delivering clarity while bend glower . regrettably , Apple is charging $ 150 for the nano - texture raise , but it really is a beautiful addition . It ’s creates a elusive mat event that really does attend fantastic .
But no , the mini - LED control panel will just never extend to the highs of organic light-emitting diode , especially in terms of colouration impregnation , accuracy , and direct contrast . When you consider the brightness of the tandem bicycle OLED panel on the iPad Pro This screen hits 100 % sRGB , 99 % Display - P3 , and 87 % AdobeRGB , while OLED typically gets close to 100 % across the board . For color accuracy , I mensurate a Delta - E of 1.18 , which is n’t bad , but a minute behind many of thebest OLED laptopsI’ve tested .
Like the iPad Pro , however , the MacBook Pro sieve does now go up to 1,000 nits of brightness in SDR . The taking into custody is that you ’ll ask to turn on adaptative brightness in mise en scene to reach that utmost . When test with that setting off , I measured max brightness of 585 nit , which is still lustrous than many OLED laptop computer screens .
To test the full brightness , though , I brought the MacBook Pro outside . But under the midday cloudy skies of Portland , I could tell I was n’t hitting the full 1,000 nits . I had to polish a flashlight the right way into the light detector to really see that max brightness shine . And though I was n’t able to get a reading from my colorimeter at this brightness , I could definitely see the difference of opinion . I do wish Apple had made it potential to manually reach that full brightness , even if hidden in setting . However , when you might actually need the special brightness , the MacBook Pro does have more to pop the question than any other laptop .
Speaking of excess brightness , HDR is handled really well too , mostly thanks to the unseamed consolidation with macOS . When you hit HDR content , you ’ll know it . And when you do n’t , you ’ll forget it even exists . That ’s precisely how HDR should be handle .
Webcam and speakers
The front - face FaceTime camera receive quite a blow this fourth dimension around , go from 1080p to 12 - megapixel . That makes it the most high - resolution webcam on a laptop computer , and it really does look great . It handles low light better , introduce much less noise into the image .
It ’s not only about more pixels though . Apple has two tricks up its sleeve when it comes to the tv camera : Desk View and Center Stage . Both are neat additions , if a little gimmicky . Center Stage proceed you centre in the frame , which can be helpful during presentations .
Desk View , meanwhile , adds a second photographic camera provender of the desk in front of you . There ’s a disjoined new app scream Desk View , which avail you lay out up the angle correctly . I quiz this out in a FaceTime call , and while I could see specific instances where it would be utile , it ’s a minute too fuzzy to make me enticed to judge it out more .
The verbalizer are fantastic , as you might expect . They ’re loud , bolder , and bassier than many Bluetooth speakers , fill up even large suite with great deal of volume . The 16 - in theoretical account in finical , which I prove out , still has the rank honest speakers of any laptop . That ’s not changing anytime soon .
Performance
“ Fastest gist . flow . ” That was in reality a inverted comma from Intel ’s marketing about its most recent Core Ultra Series 2 splintering . That may have been true for a couple of weeks , but the M4 has quick arrived to spoil Intel ’s fun . And son , it certainly does run traffic circle around just about every other mobile chip on the market .
The 14 - sum part has eight functioning and six Efficiency cores while the 16 - core M4 Max has 12 Performance and four Efficiency cores , but that arrangement has n’t change in this generation . Instead , it ’s all about pushing those gist as hard as they can go , resulting in the fastest single - nub score in Cinebench R24 and Geekbench 6 we ’ve ever see . And it ’s not even close . Its score of 179 is 18 % high-pitched than the the M3 Max and 29 % higher than the fast Core Ultra 7 258V in our database , theAsus Zenbook S 14 . The comparison is n’t front any brighter for Qualcomm or AMD ’s late efforts .
The multi - core gains are more small over the former generation , but they still show Apple style out in the lead over its verbatim contender . Take one of my favourite laptops from this year for example , theSurface Laptop 7th Edition . Even the “ dense ” M4 Pro in the MacBook Pro is a shocking 53 % forwards of the Snapdragon X elect check inside the Surface Laptop . That ’s no joke . Interestingly , while the M4 Max is definitely fast than the M4 Pro , for instance by 18 % in Cinebench R24 multi - nucleus , it ’s not in a completely different populace in regards to CPU - intensive tasks . The M4 Pro is plausibly fast enough for most user , and it ’s quicker than the M3 Max .
Having such a overlooking lead in both unmarried - core and multi - core public presentation means the MacBook Pro 16 with either chipset is just run to feel faster in just about every task you throw at it . You might not remark the public presentation remainder when browsing the WWW , but if you drop most of your day in front of an redaction timeline , you sure will .
These MacBook Pros hold their crown as the ultimate creator workstation . TheAsus ProArt P16is a wondrous Windows option , and it ’s telling how much Asus has been able-bodied to emulate the success of the MacBook Pro , but there ’s a intellect they remain the go - to option . Looking at the Pugetbench Premiere Pro bench mark , which runs in a live version of Adobe ’s Premiere Pro video recording editing program , the MacBook Pro 16 is either as fast as the ProArt P16 at 6797 versus 6541 with the M4 Pro , or considerably quicker a 9347 . That does make the M4 Max the secure alternative for creators .
Part of the fib with the M4 is also the AI performance . Apple Intelligencelaunches in earnest on these laptops , and Apple says its new Neural Engine is double as debauched as in the former multiplication at 38 Pidlimdi functioning per second ( top side ) versus 18 TOPS . As test in Geekbench AI , that ’s exactly what I see .
Graphics
Upon the announcement , Apple stated that there were graphic betterment in the M4 serial . Although the previous - gen M3 would still lay out the larger architectural upgrade , introducing features such as mesh blending andDynamic Caching , the M4 builds on that change with higher frequencies and fast memory . Impressively , the M4 Pro scored a 9182 in the GPU test in Cinebench R24 and the M4 Max was even more impressive at 16463 .
Making a one - to - one comparison with a distinct GPU is hard , particularly since performance varies so wildly in laptop computer . But the M4 Pro lands somewhere in the ballpark of between a roving RTX 4060 and 4070 . For example , the RTX 4070 in theROG Zephyrus G16scored 10395 in this same test , while the RTX 4070 in theDell XPS 16scored 9721 . The M4 Max is inch up closer to the RTX 4090 , such as the Asus ROG Strix 18 that score 22067 in the test .
But the comparisons with old Macs are particularly interesting . The M4 Pro ’s GPU is 16 % faster than the M2 Ultra ’s GPU in the Mac Studio . That ’s right — the 20 - magnetic core GPU in the M4 Pro overreach the 60 - gist GPU we examine in the $ 4,000Mac Studio . And the M4 Max is over twice as fast . That ’s intellect - boggling .
So , what ’s all that GPU performance good for ? Well , certainly not web browsing and news processing . But as it turns out , the MacBook Pro is a pretty great play gimmick , so long as you’re able to find something to play . We loaded upBaldur ’s Gate 3,Shadow of the Tomb Raider , Rocket League , andMyst .
In examination so far . The first two games , which are a act more graphically intense , played swimmingly on the M4 Pro at the gamy graphics preset — so long as I dropped the resolution to 1200p . Neither could deal play smoothly in native resolution , of course of instruction , but that was n’t too surprising . The M4 Max was smooth at 1440p or even 4 KB , depending on the title .
HDR looks incredible in both of these game on this display , something no gaming laptop can deliver in quite the same way . And the MacBook Pro remain amazingly quiet and cool during game , an underrated reward this has over a received gaming laptop .
The GPU in the M3 Max in the MacBook Pro is still more or less faster than the M4 professional , average out 88 fps inShadow of the Tomb Raiderversus 81 Federal Protective Service in the M4 Pro . The M4 max was again a band quicker at 144 Federal Protective Service . That urinate the M4 Max the clear favourite for gamers , but the M4 Pro is still telling at its scurvy price .
Battery life
Apple claims the M4 Pro MacBook Pro gets up to 24 hour of shelling life , two time of day more than in the previous contemporaries . The M4 Max title is 21 minute .
Of course , the claimed 24 hours is only video streaming , while vane browse is up to 14 hours . extra testing is need to get a respectable horse sense of how long the battery last in different scenarios . For exercise , the M4 Pro lasted over 20 hours in our wanton internet browsing test , which is the longest we ’ve ever hear . That set about me excited , peculiarly with all the insistency come from Qualcomm and Intel on reach young heights in term of barrage life . And then , the M4 Max reading — very weirdly — hit almost 30 hours in examination , which was done doubly because that issue just seemed way too high .
The other trial we ran was running the multi - core test in Cinebench on battery until the scheme expire . The MacBook Pro M4 pro died after only an minute and a one-half while the M4 Max lasted for a little over two hours . TheMacBook Air 15 ( M4)lasted for almost 4.5 minute . Compared to some of the competition , the M4 Pro and Max are more closely align in this test , but here ’s the whoremonger — the MacBook Pro 16 isa lotfaster than those machine . If you dangle down to Apple ’s assault and battery - saving musical mode , you ’ll get longer battery life and tantamount carrying out . What that think is that like all laptop computer , the MacBook Pro will not last as long as when performing less demanding tasks , but it will be a lot quicker while away from power .
Overall , the MacBook Pro 16 has remarkable battery aliveness for such a knock-down laptop . There ’s really nothing like it .
MacBook Pro M4 vs. MacBook Pro M3
Whenever a new M - series chip comes out , you ’ll have multitude wonder why they should n’t get a push aside old - gen modelling instead . That ’s fairish . But this class , there ’s an extra wrinkle with the changes to the default memory setup . Since the 14 - inch M4 role model now starts at 16 GB , you ’ll need to keep that in consideration when frequent for the M3 model , which started at 8 GB . It was previously a $ 200 ascent , and that is n’t always reflected in the discounts at third - party retailer .
Aside from that , going with the M4 gets you a big melioration in exclusive - core and GPU carrying out , as well as the promising screen , dissolute ports , and gamey - solving webcam . Making the decisiveness between the two will always come down to monetary value , which is a constantly move objective . But consider the Aries question , the discount on the M3 model will need to be significant to make it worth it compare to the M4 .
MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 vs. MacBook Air 15-inch
While I reviewed the 16 - in M4 Pro good example , the 14 - in M4 model got a vainglorious bump thanks to the increased RAM in the bulge out constellation . However , it makes it very difficult to take between the14 - inch MacBook Pro and the 15 - inch MacBook Air . The MacBook Air is thinner , and also make out in a chintzy starting constellation with just 256 GB of store .
But wait — most hoi polloi should corrupt the MacBook Pro at this point . It ’s $ 100 more when configure similarly , and for that money , you get much more premium laptop computer . You get a far better screen , a high-pitched resolution webcam , much better external display support , and more ports in general . And , of course , as long as the MacBook Air is still stick to on the M3 , you get all the functioning benefit of the M4 . That ’s worth a mickle more than just $ 100 in my playscript .
Is it worth it?
Absolutely . The $ 1,599 14 - column inch MacBook Pro went from being a confutable proposal in the former generation to a solid value . The M4 Pro and Max , meanwhile , are a immense footprint onward in just about every carrying out indicator : the CPU , GPU , and Neural Engine .
Meanwhile , the other quality of life upgrade , such as the improved webcam , Thunderbolt 5 , even long battery life , and smart screen , all dulcify the deal and cement the MacBook Pro as the absolute highest - tier up laptop you’re able to buy that ’s still somehow deserving the money despite how expensive it is .
just put , the MacBook Pro 16 is the good laptop you’re able to buy unless you ’re pendent on native Windows or you ’re a hard - core gamer .
