Hartley Charlton
Apple refreshed the MacBook Pro this week with Apple's latest silicon chips, but what exactly do the latest machines offer and is it worth upgrading from previous generations?
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip starts at $1,599, replacing the previous M3 model as the entry-level machine in Apple's pro notebook lineup. Featuring the more advanced M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, the 14-inch MacBook Pro Prices start at $1,999, with the 16-inch model starting at $2,499.
After the launch of the latest models, the previous-generation MacBook Pro models were discontinued and are no longer available at Apple's main store. However, units of slightly older machines, such as the 2023 models, may still be available at Apple's refurbished store and third-party retailers at significantly reduced prices. Buying a used model is also an option.
First-time MacBook Pro customers or those upgrading from a much older device may be wondering whether to buy the 2021 or 2023, so it will be important to weigh exactly what has been added in the latest version. Likewise, existing 2021 or 2023 MacBook Pro users may be wondering whether to upgrade to the latest model or stick with their current device.
Here's a detailed breakdown of every new feature, change, and improvement that's been added to the late 2024 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models compared to their predecessors:
| MacBook Pro (14- and 16-inch, 2021) | MacBook Pro (14 and 16 inches, early 2023) |
MacBook Pro&wnzj; (late 2023) |
&zwnj ;MacBook Pro (late 2024) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 Pro M1 Max |
M2 Pro M2 Max |
M3 M3 Pro M3 Max |
M4 M4 Pro M4 Max |
|
| 5nm node (N5) Based on the A14 Bionic chip from the iPhone 12 (2020) |
Advanced 5nm node (N5P) Based on the A15 chip Bionic from iPhone 13 (2021) |
3nm node (N3B) Based on the A17 Pro chip from the iPhone 15 Pro (2023) |
Improved 3nm node (N3E ) Based on the A18 chip from iPhone 16 (2024) |
|
| CPU clock speed 3.20 GHz | CPU clock speed 3.49 GHz | CPU Clock Speed 4.05 GHz | M4: CPU Clock Speed 4.4 GHz M4 Pro and M4 Max: CPU Clock Speed 4.5 GHz |
|
| M1 Pro: Up to 10 CPU cores with 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores M1 Max: 10 CPU cores with 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores |
M2 Pro: Up to 12 CPU cores with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores M2 Max: 12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores |
M3: 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores M3 Pro: Up to 12-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores M3 Max: Up to 16-core CPU with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores |
M4: 10 CPU cores with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores M4 Pro: Up to 14 CPU cores with 10 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores M4 Max: Up to 16 CPU cores with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores |
|
| M1 Pro: Up to 16 GPU cores M1 Max: Up to 32 GPU Cores |
M2 Pro: Up to 19 GPU Cores M2 Max: Up to 38 GPU Cores |
M3: 10 GPU Cores M3 Pro: Up to 18 GPU Cores M3 Max: Up to 40 GPU Cores |
M4: 10-Core GPU M4 Pro: Up to 20-Core GPU M4 Max: Up to 40-Core GPU |
|
| Upgraded GPU Architecture | Upgraded GPU Architecture with improved efficiency | |||
| Dynamic Caching | Dynamic Caching | |||
| Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | |||
| Hardware-accelerated Mesh Shading | Hardware-accelerated Mesh Shading | |||
| Neural Engine | 40% faster Neural Engine | 15% faster Neural engine | Neural Engine | |
| Video Decoding Engine | Higher Bandwidth Video Decoding Engine | Same Video Decoding Engine as M2 Generation | Same Video Decoding Engine as M2 Generation | |
| AV1 Decoding Support | AV1 Decoding Support | |||
| LPDDR4X Memory | LPDDR5 Memory | LPDDR5 Memory | LPDDR5X Memory | |
| M1 Pro: 200GB/s memory bandwidth M1 Max: 400GB/s memory bandwidth |
M2 Pro: 200GB/s memory bandwidth M2 Max: 400GB/s memory bandwidth |
M3: 100GB/s memory bandwidth M3 Pro: 150GB/s memory bandwidth M3 Max: 300GB/s or 400GB/s memory bandwidth |
M4: 120GB/s memory bandwidth M4 Pro: 273GB/s memory bandwidth M4 Max: 546GB/s memory bandwidth |
|
| M1 Pro: 16GB or 32GB of unified memory M1 Max: 32GB or 64GB of unified memory |
M2 Pro: 16GB or 32GB of unified memory M2 Max: 32GB, 64GB, or 96GB of unified memory |
M3: 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB of unified memory M3 Pro: 18 GB or 36 GB of unified memory M3 Max: 36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB, 96 GB, 128 GB of unified memory |
M4: 16 GB, 24 GB, or 32 GB of unified memory M4 Pro: 24 GB or 48 GB of unified memory M4 Max: 36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB of unified memory |
|
| 16-core Neural Engine, 11 trillion operations per second | 16-core Neural Engine, 15.8 trillion operations per second | 16-core Neural Engine, 18 trillion operations per second | 16-core Neural Engine, 38 trillion operations per second | |
| M1 Pro: Support for up to two external displays M1 Max: Support for up to four external displays |
M2 Pro: Support for up to two external displays M2 Max: Support for up to four external displays |
M3: Support for one external display M3 Pro: Support for up to two external displays M3 Max: Support for up to four external displays |
M4 or M4 Pro: Support for two external displays M4 Max: Support for up to four external displays |
|
| High Power Mode is available on the 16-inch model only with the M1 Max | High Power Mode is available on the 16-inch model only with the M2 Max | High Power Mode available on any model with M3 Max | High Power Mode available on any model with M4 Max | |
| 500 nits SDR Max Brightness | 500 nits SDR Max Brightness | 600 nits SDR Max Brightness | 1000 nits SDR Max Brightness | |
| Nano Texture Display Option | ||||
| Dedicated Display Processor | ||||
| 1080p FaceTime HD Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD Camera | 12MP Center Stage Camera with Desk View | |
| Image Signal Processor (ISP) | Advanced Image Signal Processor (ISP) with computational video | Advanced Image Signal Processor (ISP) with Computational Video | Advanced Image Signal Processor (ISP) with Computational Video | |
| Wi‑Fi 6 | Wi‑Fi 6E | Wi‑Fi 6E | Wi‑Fi 6E | |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 | |
| Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports | M3: Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports M3 Pro or M3 Max: Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports |
M4: Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports M4 Pro or M4 Max: Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports |
|
| HDMI 2.0 port | HDMI 2.1 port | HDMI 2.1 port | HDMI 2.1 port | HDMI 2.1 port |
| 14-inch: Built-in 70Wh Li-Po battery 16 inches: Built-in 100Wh lithium-polymer battery |
14-inch: Built-in 70Wh lithium-polymer battery 16-inch: Built-in 100Wh lithium-polymer battery |
M3 14-inch: Built-in 70Wh lithium-polymer battery M3 Pro or M3 Max 14-inch: Built-in 72.4Wh lithium-polymer battery 16-inch: Built-in 100Wh lithium-polymer battery |
14-inch: Built-in 72.4Wh lithium-polymer battery 16 inch: Built-in 100Wh Li-polymer battery |
|
| 14 inch: 17 hours battery life 16 inch: 21 hours battery life |
14 inch: 18 hours battery life 16 inch: 22 hours battery life |
M3 14-inch: 22 hours of battery life M3 Pro or M3 Max 14-inch: 18 hours of battery life 16-inch: 22 hours of battery life |
M4 14-inch or M3 Pro 16-inch: 24 hours of battery life M3 Pro 14-inch: 22 hours of battery life M3 Max 14-inch: 18 hours of battery life M3 Max 16-inch: 21 hours of battery life | Fast charging on 14-inch (MagSafe 3 and USB-C) and 16-inch (MagSafe only) models 3) | Fast charging on 14-inch (MagSafe 3 and USB-C) and 16-inch model (MagSafe 3 only) | Fast charging on 14-inch (MagSafe 3 and USB-C) and 16-inch model (MagSafe 3 or USB-C via 240W cable) | Fast charging on 14-inch (MagSafe 3 and USB-C) and 16-inch (MagSafe 3 or USB-C via 240W cable) |
| Available in space gray and silver | Available in space gray and silver | M3: Available in space gray and silver M3 Pro or M3 Max: Available in space black and silver |
Available in space black and silver |
The latest MacBook Pro models are a relatively significant upgrade over their predecessors, offering more new features and capabilities than any of the 2023 updates, including Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, a 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage and Desk View features, and a nano-texture display option.
The late 2023 MacBook Pro models are relatively minor improvements over their direct predecessors, which primarily focused on boosting performance. In addition to their chips, the early 2023 MacBook Pros added Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and HDMI 2.1 support, and added an extra hour of battery life. The late 2023 MacBook Pros added an extra 100 nits of SDR brightness, AV1 decoding, and a Space Black color option. All in all, this was a fairly minor upgrade for existing 2021 MacBook Pro users.
Whether you choose the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro ultimately comes down to what level of performance you need. For example, the M4-series chips feature a significantly more powerful Neural Engine, which may be an attractive upgrade for some users, but it’s far from necessary for the vast majority. As a general rule, unless you need peak performance for demanding professional workflows, there’s no reason to upgrade from a 2023 MacBook Pro to a 2024 model, or from an early 2023 machine to a late 2023 model. Only those who need the absolute peak performance of the M4 Max chip will see real benefit.
For those who haven’t yet upgraded to Apple’s silicon, the 2023 MacBook Pro models are still very good options if you can get them for a significantly lower price. It’s only worth paying more for the latest model if you want a future-proof device for years to come, where the faster performance, Thunderbolt 5, battery life, and AI capabilities will likely be more valuable through incremental software updates and as your needs for connecting to other devices evolve. Even then, it’s hard to recommend buying a late 2024 MacBook Pro at full price over an equivalent 2023 model at a significant discount.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip effectively replaces the previous 13- and 14-inch MacBook Pros, which came with the M1 chip in 2020 and the M3 chip in 2023, adding 16GB of storage as standard, longer battery life, and an extra Thunderbolt port. For users of older MacBook Pro models, the new, lower-cost 14-inch model represents a relatively significant upgrade. Given the improvements in Apple's silicon in recent years, with redesigned GPUs, improved connectivity and external display support, and more, some M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro users may want to consider upgrading. While the M1 MacBook Pro models are still high-performance machines, there are now enough cumulative updates with the latest models that some users may find the upgrade worth it. Related Review: MacBook ProBuyer's Guide: 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro (Buy Now)Related Forum: MacBook Pro166 comments
