Apple has introduced its long-awaited MacBook Pro series with the M4 chip, bringing significant improvements geared towards advanced creative tasks, along with Apple Intelligence.
The previously leaked 14-inch and 16-inch models retain a design similar to the previous versions, but the new M4 chip delivers substantial advancements over the M3. According to Apple, the base 14-inch M4 model is 1.8 times faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 in visual editing, and 3D modeling performance with Blender is up to 3.4 times better. This model includes 16 GB of RAM by default and adds a third Thunderbolt 4 port, previously exclusive to higher-end versions.
The M4 Pro and M4 Max versions offer even more notable improvements. Apple claims the 14-core M4 Pro is up to three times faster than its predecessor, while the M4 Max features a 16-core CPU and a GPU with up to 40 cores, delivering up to 3.5 times the speed of the M1 Max in high-intensity creative tasks. Additionally, two ProRes accelerators enable faster processing of 4K video at 120 fps. Although the neural engine is three times faster than in the M1 Max, this is not the primary reason for choosing one of these new laptops.
The M4 Pro and M4 Max versions also feature Thunderbolt 5 ports, like the new Mac mini, supporting up to 120 Gbps for connecting high-speed devices such as SSDs.
The MacBook Pro M4 series displays are now brighter, reaching up to 1000 nits for standard dynamic range content and a maximum of 1600 nits in HDR. Additionally, there is an option for a nanotexture display to reduce reflections and an improved 12-megapixel Center Stage webcam.
Apple is already accepting pre-orders for this new line, which will be available starting November 8. The starting price is $1,599 for the 14-inch model with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The 14-inch version with M4 Pro costs at least $1,999, with 24 GB of RAM, while the 16-inch M4 Pro model is available for $2,499. Versions with the M4 Max start at $3,199 for the 14-inch model and $3,499 for the 16-inch model.
While the external design doesn’t change drastically, these launches come at a key moment for Apple. Intel is facing issues with its Arrow Lake chips for laptops, and AMD’s Ryzen AI line is more focused on fast, lightweight systems, while Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite has had mixed results compared to Apple’s M3. If the MacBook Pro M4 performs well in real-world tests, it could establish itself as the benchmark laptop in general computing.
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director