Apple has unveiled its new 16-inch MacBook Pro, promising a design and performance improvement. Next week, silver and space gray models will be offered, with a starting price of $2,499.
The new Pro may be configured with Apple’s new 10-core processors, the M1 Pro and M1 Max, which have eight “high-performance” cores and two “high-efficiency” cores. The M1 Max has twice as many GPU cores as the Pro (16 vs. 32), twice the memory bandwidth, and 64GB of unified memory (the Pro has 32GB).
The chassis has also been redesigned to be more modern. With a 16.2-inch display, the device weighs 4.7 pounds and is 16.8mm thick. Physical keys have replaced the Touch Bar, and the right side includes an HDMI port, as well as a Thunderbolt 4 port and an SDXC slot, while the left side has a headphone jack and two Thunderbolt 4 connections. According to Apple, the M1 Pro model supports up to two Pro Display XDRs, while the M1 Max configuration can handle up to three in addition to a 4K TV, making it the most connectivity we’ve ever seen from a Mac notebook.
The first MacBook Pro 16 was released in November of this year. It was powered by Intel’s 9th Gen CPUs and had a design that was remarkably similar to the previous 15-inch MacBook Pros (which are now two generations old). Reviewers appreciated the laptop’s excellent keyboard and speakers, as well as its power, but bemoaned the lack of connectivity, with only two Thunderbolt ports on each side.
There’s a new 1080p camera, which Apple claims performs twice as well in low light as prior MacBook cameras. Spatial Audio is supported by a new six-speaker sound system, and a Liquid Retina XDR display with up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness is touted. The new cooling system can flow “50 percent more air” than prior MacBooks with lower (and thus quieter) fan speeds, according to Apple.
According to Apple, the 16-inch Pro will provide 21 hours of video playing on batteries, making it the “longest battery life ever on a Mac notebook.” Because battery results vary by workload, we don’t expect most people to get that result — but anything close would undoubtedly be category-topping. For simple juicing, the MacBook also supports MagSafe 3 and rapid charge.
The M1 Pro and M1 Max have a lot of ground to cover. When it comes to processing power, efficiency, and integrated graphics, Apple’s M1 CPU (which now powers the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Mac Mini, the iPad Pro, and the 2021 iMac) has blasted competitors out of the water.
Customers, on the other hand, have been anticipating Apple’s release of processor workstation devices, such as the 16-inch MacBook Pro and a possible replacement to the 27-inch iMac. It’s reasonable to assume that many people are looking forward to the new MacBook Pro — not just to buy one for themselves, but also to see if the M1 Max will succeed where its predecessor failed.