The new 14—and 16-inch MacBook Pros were announced via a low-key press release with all the fanfare of a damp squib. They now feature the shiny new M4 processors—the same M4 Pro chip that made its grand debut in the Mac Mini earlier this week and an even higher-end M4 Max chip. But other than that, they look the same as last year – even down to the screen saver.
The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro now sports an additional USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 port on the right-hand side and comes in a new space black option because, apparently, that's what makes it "Pro."
Despite these thrilling updates, the price remains just as eye-watering: $1,999 for the 14-inch and $2,499 for the 16-inch.
Both models now come with a bump from 18GB of base RAM to 24GB, because who doesn't need extra memory for cat videos?
Meanwhile, the basic 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro sticks to its $1,599 price tag and, thankfully, now starts with 16GB of RAM instead of a paltry 8GB.
The new MacBook Pros will be available from November 8, with open preorders. In addition to Thunderbolt 5 ports, the M4 Pro / Max models still include an SD card slot, HDMI-out, and MagSafe.
These MacBooks are the first to feature Thunderbolt 5 ports outside the chip bumps and RAM improvements.
They come with new 12-megapixel webcams featuring desk view, and they can be configured with a new nano-texture display capable of up to 1,000 nits of SDR brightness and 1,600 nits in HDR.
The headline changes are in the chips. Apple claims the M4 generation boasts “the world’s fastest CPU core” and “the industry’s best single-threaded performance.” Because who doesn’t love a good superlative?
Apple claims the M4 chips will deliver “dramatically faster-multithreaded performance.” The M4 Pro and Max also feature faster GPU cores and a twice-as-fast ray-tracing engine. It claims the neural engine is reportedly twice as fast as the M3 generation for improved machine learning and AI workloads.
This new silicon is supposed to help with Apple’s lacklustre and out-of-date Apple Intelligence, which is starting to roll out across supported Macs, iPhones, and iPads to cheers from the Tame Apple Press and yawns from those who have been using AI for years.
Yet, while Apple Intelligence runs on Macs dating back to the M1 chip from 2020, the big hurdle remains RAM. With today’s MacBook Pro announcements, Apple has bumped up the base configurations of M2 and M3 MacBook Air models from 8GB of RAM to 16GB, starting at $999 for the M2. It seems only a matter of time before older models with lesser specs are left behind as Apple continues its slow roll of updates.
The M3 generation of MacBook Pros saw a mix of the M3 Pro / Max models and an awkward middle child in the non-Pro M3 14-inch. The top-tier Mac laptops with Pro and Max chips have remained choices for creatives with performance-intensive workflows in apps like Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro.
Conversely, the entry-level 14-inch M3 model was a tough sell compared to the cheaper MacBook Air or its pricier siblings on a discount. The new 14-inch with M4 looks a bit more compelling now and a tad more deserving of the “Pro” branding. It's amazing what an extra USB port can do.
