Battery life on M1X PRO vs M1X MAX?

[Sowelu]

Mobile Tech Review is also indicating a 2 hr difference between 16" Max and Pro Chips - seems like it's a real thing to consider.

Love Lisa - she does great reviews that go beyond the usual 'omg, it exports video so quickly!'. Not all MacBook Pro owners are content creators or videographers who edit gigantic video files. Anyone who can afford them, and who wants more power to do just about anything will buy a MacBook Pro.

So her battery testing sounds a bit more thorough, measured and consistent (versus The Verge), and she is saying that the Pro gets an additional 2 hours. That seems a bit more realistic (and reasonable) than the 6 hours that The Verge cited. I am eager to see more battery life comparisons between the two CPUs.

YouTuber 'TheJuan&Only' usually does great, extensive battery life comparison videos, so I am hoping he does the same for the new MacBook Pros soon.

 

[agent mac]

This is what the Verge actually says. Note they say Apple confirmed the Max chip is a bigger power drain…capitalisation as per the article.

”All that performance is excellent, but here’s what’s really impressive: the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro ran for 16 hours on its battery during continuous use, making it the longest-lasting laptop we’ve ever tested.

To test battery life, we just use the machines during the work day, without plugging in, and without letting the display go to sleep. So that 16 hours involved jumping between a dozen-ish Chrome tabs, using apps like Slack and Spotify, and often running Zoom calls and YouTube videos over that. At one point we were worried we’d fall asleep before the MacBook Pro did.

THERE IS A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE IN BATTERY LIFE BETWEEN MODELS WITH THE M1 PRO AND THOSE WITH THE M1 MAX
The other two MacBook Pro models didn’t last quite this long in similar testing — but their results are still exceptional. The 14-inch model with the M1 Pro lasted just over 10 and a half hours during normal use, and the 16-inch M1 Max model ran for just over 10 hours. A lot of you asked about battery life with an external display plugged in; when I worked for a day with the TV I use for Zoom intermittently plugged into the HDMI port on that M1 Max machine, battery life fell to seven hours.

These results make sense when you look at what’s inside these devices: the two 16-inch models both have a 100-watt-hour battery, which is the biggest laptop battery you’re allowed to bring on an airplane, while the 14-incher has a smaller 70-watt-hour battery. But the M1 Max has a whole bunch of extra GPU cores to power, and that drains the battery faster. I asked Apple, and the company confirmed the M1 Max uses more power both when idle and when active, but it noted that the M1 Max might potentially be more efficient if you run specific multi-core GPU workloads all day.

A lot of you asked whether the extra money for the M1 Max is worth it, and after all that, we think the answer is: no, not for most people. Carrying around all those extra GPUs has an impact on battery life whether you’re using them or not. Unless you can identify a specific part of your workflow that would benefit from serious multithreaded GPU acceleration, the reality is that you’re probably not going to use them. I recommend really thinking about whether the battery penalty of the M1 Max is worth it for what you need to do.”

Source: The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/22751921/apple-macbook-pro-14-16-inch-2021-m1-pro-max-review Accessed 23:20 GMT 31 October 2021

 

[Sanpete]

Mobile Tech Review is also indicating a 2 hr difference between 16" Max and Pro Chips - seems like it's a real thing to consider.

Her testing procedure seems pretty casual, much like that of The Verge. Hard to know what to make of it. The better tests are automated to be the same for each machine, or controlled in some other way, such as many repetitions with random use.

 

[Sowelu]

The Verge didn't make it clear that they performed the same exact tasks on each - so it's still a bit vague. I think MobileTechReview's 2 hour estimate is probably closer to reality. A difference of 6 hours doesn't sound realistic for idle GPU cores, and it seems that The Verge didn't want to do a proper battery drain test using identical power drain tasks on each machine simultaneously.

 

[Sanpete]

The Verge didn't make it clear that they performed the same exact tasks on each - so it's still a bit vague. I think MobileTechReview's 2 hour estimate is probably closer to reality. A difference of 6 hours doesn't sound realistic for idle GPU cores, and it seems that The Verge didn't want to do a proper battery drain test using identical power drain tasks on each machine simultaneously.

She doesn't make it clear she's doing exactly the same stuff with both either. Both she and The Verge just used them for whatever until the batteries died. Not strong tests in either case.

 

[Sowelu]

She doesn't make it clear she's doing exactly the same stuff with both either. Both she and The Verge just used them for whatever until the batteries died. Not strong tests in either case.

True, but she did both tests herself, said it took a while, so it sounds more thorough, and you'd think she used the same method/apps, but yeah, I agree, you just don't know. It sounds like The Verge used feedback from two different reviewers.

 

[adamk77]

Both tests leave a lot to be desired, but I do I like her tests more than The Verge's tests. It's enough for me to move forward with my M1 Max 64GB order.

She said she got around 11 hours on the Max and 13 hours on the Pro. The Verge said 10 hours on the Max and 16 hours on the Pro. What is consistent between both testers is that the Max is getting around 10 hours in mix world usage. I'm fine with that. What I wouldn't have been fine with is if she also saw the similar 6 hours of difference.

Thanks for posting the video.

 

[Natzoo]

So that 16 hours

I can't reach this on my 16" m1 Pro, wondering if anyone else is getting less than that. My tasks arent intense and get 9 hours before it is time to charge. This is very light usage on my part, so I bet it will be less if I actually run some intense apps or keep windows open for a prolonged period.

 

[AFK]

I can't reach this on my 16" m1 Pro, wondering if anyone else is getting less than that. My tasks arent intense and get 9 hours before it is time to charge. This is very light usage on my part, so I bet it will be less if I actually run some intense apps or keep windows open for a prolonged period.

LOL it's possible that the verge's tester who tested the pro just stared at the screen w/ brightness turned way down. Which I think is the point lot of ppl are making about the verge's tests.

And if you take the verge's battery test at face value, then your battery life would mean the max would get 4 hours haha

What kind of stuff do you do on your computer?

 

[Natzoo]

What kind of stuff do you do on your computer?

A couple of safari tabs, a couple of brave browser tabs, notes app open, and Spotify. My brightness is around 65% and my Bluetooth is off.

 

[AFK]

A couple of safari tabs, a couple of brave browser tabs, notes app open, and Spotify. My brightness is around 65% and my Bluetooth is off.

maybe spotlight is indexing or you have a rogue process? have you checked your activity monitor?

 

[Natzoo]

maybe spotlight is indexing or you have a rogue process? have you checked your activity monitor?

I am starting to think safari is the problem, I have two extensions. Wipr and Grammarly, do you think I should disable them? I know they are popular on this forum so I am not sure if they are causing issues.

Right now safari has one tab open and it is Mac rumours.

 

[AFK]

I am starting to think safari is the problem, I have two extensions. Wipr and Grammarly, do you think I should disable them? I know they are popular on this forum so I am not sure if they are causing issues.

Right now safari has one tab open and it is Mac rumours.

im unsure if it's the extensions, tho it wouldn't hurt to disable and test if you are trying to get to the bottom of it.

safari doesn't seem to be using lot of cpu when you took the screenshot. and the high energy impact could just be because it's the app you've been using the most.

it also says your brave brower is preventing sleep?

 

[Natzoo]

it also says your brave brower is preventing sleep?

Oh, I guess it does say that. But I notice the drain while the laptop is powered on and it is charging when it is in sleep mode. I am not sure what to do.

There is a location service called NetworkFramework that is using my location frequently but I am not sure what it is and how to disable it. But yea any advice on the slow but present battery drain.

 

[Natzoo]

Anyone know what this is? Google isnt helpful.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

Both tests leave a lot to be desired, but I do I like her tests more than The Verge's tests. It's enough for me to move forward with my M1 Max 64GB order.

She said she got around 11 hours on the Max and 13 hours on the Pro. The Verge said 10 hours on the Max and 16 hours on the Pro. What is consistent between both testers is that the Max is getting around 10 hours in mix world usage. I'm fine with that. What I wouldn't have been fine with is if she also saw the similar 6 hours of difference.

Thanks for posting the video.

If it's 11 hours on the Max with the 16", then it might be 8-9 hours with the Pro. 9 *might* be enough for me. 8 would give me some battery anxiety.

I have the 14" 10-core Pro 16 GB right now. Only very light use today, so can't say anything with certainty, but as a rough estimate it doesn't feel that different than my M1 Air. Tomorrow will be a full work day so I will put it through its paces.

On Wednesday I get my 14" Max 32 GB, and I can compare.

 

[Fomalhaut]

If it's 11 hours on the Max with the 16", then it might be 8-9 hours with the Pro. 9 *might* be enough for me. 8 would give me some battery anxiety.

I have the 14" 10-core Pro 16 GB right now. Only very light use today, so can't say anything with certainty, but as a rough estimate it doesn't feel that different than my M1 Air. Tomorrow will be a full work day so I will put it through its paces.

On Wednesday I get my 14" Max 32 GB, and I can compare.

"If it's 11 hours on the Max with the 16", then it might be 8-9 hours with the Pro" - I think you mean the other way round don't you? The Max seems to have consistently less (or sometime equal) battery life than the Pro in reviews.

I will be interested to see you 14" Max battery results. I expect a lot of people are looking at this configuration. I'm also really interested in seeing if there is any difference between 24 and 32 GPU cores.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

"If it's 11 hours on the Max with the 16", then it might be 8-9 hours with the Pro" - I think you mean the other way round don't you? The Max seems to have consistently less (or sometime equal) battery life than the Pro in reviews.

I will be interested to see you 14" Max battery results. I expect a lot of people are looking at this configuration. I'm also really interested in seeing if there is any difference between 24 and 32 GPU cores.

Oops, yes, I wrote it backward.

I just watched this review comparing the performance of the M1 Max vs. Pro.

The Max is barely faster. Like 2-3 seconds on FCP export of the same file, Davinci Resolve, etc.

The GPU tests showed a much bigger advantage for the Max, but that is pretty specific work or gaming—those folks know who they are (and I'm not one of them).

The reviewer said it's definitely not going to be worth the price difference for the vast majority of people. And he is a video editor! I'd say that's even more true if there's a 2-hour difference in battery life.

This video compared 16 GB vs. 32 GB of RAM with the M1 Pro. There is very little difference even with multiple apps like Lightroom, Photoshop, Logic, Chrome, etc. The reviewer said 32 GB is not worth the $400 upgrade for the vast majority of people.

I think I will almost certainly keep the 14" 10-core Pro I got. It's a beast, and the battery life has been impressive.

 

[AFK]

Oops, yes, I wrote it backward.

I just watched this review comparing the performance of the M1 Max vs. Pro.

The Max is barely faster. Like 2-3 seconds on FCP export of the same file, Davinci Resolve, etc.

The GPU tests showed a much bigger advantage for the Max, but that is pretty specific work or gaming—those folks know who they are (and I'm not one of them).

The reviewer said it's definitely not going to be worth the price difference for the vast majority of people. And he is a video editor! I'd say that's even more true if there's a 2-hour difference in battery life.

This video compared 16 GB vs. 32 GB of RAM with the M1 Pro. There is very little difference even with multiple apps like Lightroom, Photoshop, Logic, Chrome, etc. The reviewer said 32 GB is not worth the $400 upgrade for the vast majority of people.

I think I will almost certainly keep the 14" 10-core Pro I got. It's a beast, and the battery life has been impressive.

there are so many threads arguing about 32gb vs 16gb and max vs pro performance. i really hope this one doesn't turn into one of those. i'm interested in 1 thing. i.e., max vs pro battery life difference esp on the 16". i've already come to terms with the bad bang-for-the-buck.

i can only get 64gb on the max, but comes at cost of battery life. better battery life comes at cost of only 32gb ram.

 

[Fomalhaut]

there are so many threads arguing about 32gb vs 16gb and max vs pro performance. i really hope this one doesn't turn into one of those. i'm interested in 1 thing. i.e., max vs pro battery life difference esp on the 16". i've already come to terms with the bad bang-for-the-buck.

i can only get 64gb on the max, but comes at cost of battery life. better battery life comes at cost of only 32gb ram.

You can get the M1 Max with 32GB. You can't get it with 16GB.

[Edit: I think I misread this. You *want* 64GB, and that is only available if you choose the M1 Max]

 

[Natzoo]

If it helps... I'm running Capture One Pro 21, PS (some light touch up stuff), and safari on a 16in MAX 32GB 1TB with brightness just under half and it just went down to 99% after 58 minutes.

What brightness level? My pro loses a % every 5-8 minutes on web browsing.

 

[Cameraman12]

What brightness level? My pro loses a % every 5-8 minutes on web browsing.

Brightness was set at 7.

 

[Cameraman12]

I've been using mostly Safari, with some Mail and Messenger now for almost four hours on a 16in MAX 32GB and I'm at 94% with brightness set just under half at 7.

 

[Natzoo]

I've been using mostly Safari, with some Mail and Messenger now for almost four hours on a 16in MAX 32GB and I'm at 94% with brightness set just under half at 7.
View attachment 1899242

That’s amazing battery life, I will put my Mac at 50% brightness and see how long it lasts.

 

[Fomalhaut]

I've been using mostly Safari, with some Mail and Messenger now for almost four hours on a 16in MAX 32GB and I'm at 94% with brightness set just under half at 7.
View attachment 1899242

Could you please see how long it takes you to drop from 94% to 88% (another 6%)? Or how far the battery estimate drops after another 4 hours.

I don't think these timing tests from 100%+ charge are representative of actual battery life.