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I need a new MacBook Pro. Which one?

billeba

billeba

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 15, 2025
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Hi all, I know this is a broad topic, but I’d really appreciate your input. I’m ready to buy a new MacBook Pro. I waited for Apple’s September 9 event to see what would land, and now I’m set on buying. The big question: what’s the “best buy” right now if I don’t absolutely need the very newest top-tier spec?

I keep seeing praise for the 2021 16” MacBook Pro (M1 Max). The problem is availability in Norway—it’s not easy to find new anymore, and used/refurb units pop up sporadically. Given we’re approaching 2026, is the M1 Max still a smart purchase in late 2025, or should I move to something newer?

Thank you!
 
My main use case is photo and video editing — Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Final Cut. I batch-process large RAW files and work with 4K+ timelines pretty regularly, so GPU performance and memory bandwidth matter to me.
 
billeba said:
My main use case is photo and video editing — Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Final Cut. I batch-process large RAW files and work with 4K+ timelines pretty regularly, so GPU performance and memory bandwidth matter to me.
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If you are doing this for personal use/pleasure, M1 Max (regardless of GPU core config) w/ 64GB RAM should be more than adequate. If this is your livelihood, time is money, so spend more for M2/M3 Pro/Max. Check Geekbench Multi-core/Metal benchmark charts which should help you find cost/performance sweet spot.
 
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Youtuber ArtIsRight maintains very comprehensive comparisons on performance across generations and RAM levels for Photoshop, Lightroom, FinalCut, etc. See
for example.
 
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Sounds like either option would work for me. I just need to figure out how much I'm willing to spend?
 
A: new MBP as never opened or B: new as in MBP that you never had?
if B get the 2012 13" non retina MBP!

your welcome!
 
Whatever you buy -- m1, m2, m4, etc. -- make sure you get enough RAM and SSD to last a few years ahead.

I'd suggest 32gb RAM and at least a 512gb SSD.
Buy "less than that", and you may find the Mac is "pushing against the edges" sooner rather than later.
 
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chrono1081 said:
FYI usually new MacBooks hit during October, I would hold off if you can because sales usually happen around November timeframe.
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Good point. I'll hold off for now and keep an eye out for price drops.
 
Fishrrman said:
Whatever you buy -- m1, m2, m4, etc. -- make sure you get enough RAM and SSD to last a few years ahead.

I'd suggest 32gb RAM and at least a 512gb SSD.
Buy "less than that", and you may find the Mac is "pushing against the edges" sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...
Useful input, excactly what I needed. Thanks!
 
A Mac is generally good for about seven years of OS updates, and a roughly 5-year useful life for demanding work, 5-7 for mostly web browsing and basic word-processing type stuff.

An M1 is now four years old. Granted, every Apple Silicon Mac is an absolute beast, but the likelihood that it'll be able to run a current OS in > three years is not great.

I would take an affordable, low-end M4 over a highly-specced M1 any day.
 
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Eric_WVGG said:
A Mac is generally good for about seven years of OS updates, and a roughly 5-year useful life for demanding work, 5-7 for mostly web browsing and basic word-processing type stuff.

An M1 is now four years old. Granted, every Apple Silicon Mac is an absolute beast, but the likelihood that it'll be able to run a current OS in > three years is not great.

I would take an affordable, low-end M4 over a highly-specced M1 any day.
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That was my concern. Appreciate your feedback.
 
Do you like the 14" or 16" better? I.e. do you want a bigger screen or more portability?
Do you want a matte display? If so, the M4 generation is the only one with the nano texture option.
 
neo_cs193p said:
Do you like the 14" or 16" better? I.e. do you want a bigger screen or more portability?
Do you want a matte display? If so, the M4 generation is the only one with the nano texture option.
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I definitely lean toward the 16” since I do a lot of photo and video editing and really appreciate the larger screen and better thermals. That said, the price jump from the 14” is huge, so I’m still unsure if it’s worth it? The matte/nano-texture display isn’t a big deal for me.
 
OP wrote:
"the price jump from the 14” is huge, so I’m still unsure if it’s worth it?"

Get a 14" and a decent 27" 4k display to go with it for the editing...
 
Fishrrman said:
OP wrote:
"the price jump from the 14” is huge, so I’m still unsure if it’s worth it?"

Get a 14" and a decent 27" 4k display to go with it for the editing...
Click to expand...
the price jump is big, so you're suggesting a $1-2k display instead?

That said, if budget and a big screen are desired — that's what the 15" Air is all about! Don't let the name fool you, it's plenty powerful. Kicks the ass off a top-of-the-line 2019 Intel model, and if I recall correctly photographs were being done in those ancient times. Granted we had to use Flintstones-style granite mouses. Mice. Whatever.
 
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I already have a Mac Studio M1 Max for my main workspace, so that would not really solve my need for a portable setup. Air has not been an option for me, not sure it would handle my workload?
 
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