M1 Pro vs M1 Max battery

[Someirishguy]

Has anybody tested whether the M1 Max impacts battery life under normal casual usage, versus the M1 Pro. Essentially, I want to know if the extra GPU cores in the M1 Max drain battery even if they’re “not being used”? I would expect the battery to drain quicker when, for example, exporting video, but it would also export faster, so that would be expected and acceptable.

 

[jvlfilms]

According to the Verge, yes. Extra GPU cores mean more battery drain despite not being used 24/7.

 

[Someirishguy]

According to the Verge, yes. Extra GPU cores mean more battery drain despite not being used 24/7.

I saw that - but it was different people working on the two computer, not exactly like for like.

This review (below) gave the M1 Max, 16 hours in normal usage (which is the same as the Verge gave the M1 Pro)
…
16-inch, 32-GPU cores M1 Max, 1TB, 32GB RAM: "We see about 16 hours of work time in our testing so far, with periodic photo editing. Video editing cuts that down to about 12 hours.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...ew-more-power-more-convenience-for-more-money

 

[Sanpete]

It probably makes a difference more in theory than in practice (and notice the Verge doesn't quantify the difference in any way). I'm sure Apple has it set up so components not in use draw very little power.

 

[gswierczynski]

Note that in the 'paper' version of the review The Verge point out that they reached out to Apple and Apple confirmed that M1 Max do drain battery more
https://www.theverge.com/22751921/apple-macbook-pro-14-16-inch-2021-m1-pro-max-review

 

[Someirishguy]

I think it’s a non story, they just got it wrong. I think there’s enough reviews saying the M1 Max gets around 16 hours of normal usage, to show that the Verge review is the outlier.

Also, the comparison in the review below seems more “like for like”, and concludes the M1 Max has better performance without significantly compromising battery.

Scroll to 6:45

 

[gswierczynski]

Yeah I saw that, but I would assume that Apple knows its products the best.

Also the touted 21h battery life of the 16" is measured by Apple on M1 Pro (not M1 Max) - probably not without a reason.

I wish we had more sources on the matter - that is the main reason I have not placed an order yet.

 

[War833]

If there was a significant difference in battery life between Pro and Max, would not Apple be obligated to differentiate the two on the specs page? Just as they did for 16" weight with Pro vs Max.

Apple saying the Max draws more power does not prove a 6 hour discrepancy, or whatever The Verge claim. Apple's statement could be accurate but not translate to a significant battery life difference in everyday use. Unless we know exactly what The Verge asked them and exactly what Apple's response was, I take it with a grain of salt. Ultimately it needs to be tested.

 

[gswierczynski]

Good points @War833 .

I agree it would be nice to have more sources on the matter.

Regarding the time on Apple website - it is not on the SKU selection screen for both M1 Pro and M1 Max.

It is on the details page with fine print stating that those values are for M1 Pro 16GB 1TB. So I do not think they are obligated to provide separate info for M1 Max - they are just silent about it, not mentioning it anywhere.

 

[ahrian]

This is the battery im getting under light usage.
M1 Pro

 

[gswierczynski]

Finally a new review worth posting about in this thread.

Gist:
16" Pro - 13h
16" Max - 11h

 

[Sanpete]

Finally a new review worth posting about in this thread.

Gist:
16" Pro - 13h
16" Max - 11h

Her test appears to be just as casually random as The Verge's, though. Appears she didn't do exactly the same things with both machines, just whatever she was doing at the time.

 

[AFK]

Her test appears to be just as casually random as The Verge's, though. Appears she didn't do exactly the same things with both machines, just whatever she was doing at the time.

yeah even the sites she browses will affect battery life. some sites are very inefficient.

unsure why these reviewers cant just leave both computers on at the same brightness and just walk away. knowing idle power consumption would answer a lot

 

[sej]

Has anybody tested whether the M1 Max impacts battery life under normal casual usage, versus the M1 Pro. Essentially, I want to know if the extra GPU cores in the M1 Max drain battery even if they’re “not being used”? I would expect the battery to drain quicker when, for example, exporting video, but it would also export faster, so that would be expected and acceptable.

Well I haven't tested as such, but I did have a m1 pro 16 here for a few days, then swapped it at the apple store for a 16 max / 64gb ram version.

I am very sure the battery life between them differs enough to notice. The m1 pro I had, you could use it for a bit and the battery use might not even drop a single percent - it was astounding.

But the m1 max I have, is a steady power draw. It's dropping roughly 10-12% per hour. I'm actually dissapointed in the battery life on it. But not the performance, it absolutely screams.

I think a more sensible option for me would have been the m1 pro version with 4tb ssd, but at that point there's not a huge diff money wise in then going to max/64gb ram and over the life of the machine I'd prefer the speed.

So I can't give you definitive numbers as I don't have both here simultaneously but if you care about battery, I'd stick with the pro.

 

[AFK]

Well I haven't tested as such, but I did have a m1 pro 16 here for a few days, then swapped it at the apple store for a 16 max / 64gb ram version.

I am very sure the battery life between them differs enough to notice. The m1 pro I had, you could use it for a bit and the battery use might not even drop a single percent - it was astounding.

But the m1 max I have, is a steady power draw. It's dropping roughly 10-12% per hour. I'm actually dissapointed in the battery life on it. But not the performance, it absolutely screams.

I think a more sensible option for me would have been the m1 pro version with 4tb ssd, but at that point there's not a huge diff money wise in then going to max/64gb ram and over the life of the machine I'd prefer the speed.

So I can't give you definitive numbers as I don't have both here simultaneously but if you care about battery, I'd stick with the pro.

that 10-12% per hours would seem inline with what the verge and that other lady reported. about 10 hours of battery life.

yeah i think im with you. over the life of the machine i prefer speed. else i would have just stuck with my old m1.

tho now im thinking maybe the m1 pro 32gb wont be too bad for me. hmm.

 

[BasicAppleGuy]

14" M1 Max (32 GPU Cores)

This usage is with brightness down 10 points from maximum (or two from half). Current usage is streaming music (played through the speakers), surfing the web, checking twitter, having Activity Monitor open, and writing in Day One. Keyboard backlight is also on, as is True Tone and ProMotion.

I recognize this is exceptionally light usage at the moment for this machine, but this battery life was reassuring to see. Some reviews made it seem that the M1 Max chews through battery exponentially faster than the Pro, but this usage is easily more than enough for work days even for lighter usage.

 

[aacemyan]

Yes, it's a tough choice. I have a 16" Pro 16gb as well as 14" Max 64Gb on hand. While not the same size form factor, it feels like the battery life on the 16 is pretty epic, while the 14 feel like a modern windows ultrabook in term of battery life (ie you definitely notice it going down every hour).

Looking back over my years, to me the most important factors in a laptop are battery life, performance, and screen. I think the 16 Pro essentially hits all those factors really well, to the point that I'm returning the Max config 64gb. Yes, if you obsess over activity monitor, you'll notice that there's more swap, but at the end of the day who cares? Computer does all the memory management in the background and doesn't skip a beat. Imagine how people on the forums would obsess over memory usage on iPhones and iPads if iOS had an activity monitor....

 

[Michael Scrip]

How much battery life did The Verge get on the previous i9 Intel 16" MBP doing these same tasks? With hotter chips and a dedicated GPU?

That would give us an indication as to what Apple has accomplished here.

If the M1 Max "only" gets 10 hours... I'm struggling to believe that the Intel/AMD version would get the same or more.

 

[Cameraman12]

I've had a very different experience with my 16in 32GB Max 1TB. With just browsing in Safari, Mail, Calendar, and using Messages, I got 1 hour 27 min before it started to read 99% with the screen at just under half brightness. With a medium workload in photo pro apps (Capture One, PS) it took 58 min before it reached 99%.

 

[Fomalhaut]

14" M1 Max (32 GPU Cores)

This usage is with brightness down 10 points from maximum (or two from half). Current usage is streaming music (played through the speakers), surfing the web, checking twitter, having Activity Monitor open, and writing in Day One. Keyboard backlight is also on, as is True Tone and ProMotion.

I recognize this is exceptionally light usage at the moment for this machine, but this battery life was reassuring to see. Some reviews made it seem that the M1 Max chews through battery exponentially faster than the Pro, but this usage is easily more than enough for work days even for lighter usage.

View attachment 1896489

This looks promising. Please keep us informed of how your "time remaining" estimate tracks against real time. Thanks!

 

[AFK]

How much battery life did The Verge get on the previous i9 Intel 16" MBP doing these same tasks? With hotter chips and a dedicated GPU?

That would give us an indication as to what Apple has accomplished here.

If the M1 Max "only" gets 10 hours... I'm struggling to believe that the Intel/AMD version would get the same or more.

dont think anyone is saying apple hasnt accomplished a major engineering feat. intel/amd wouldnt and doesnt. we're juggling the priority in our heads over battery life, ram and performance. i.e., i want 64gb but cant have it unless i go max and sacrifice battery life.

I've had a very different experience with my 16in 32GB Max 1TB. With just browsing in Safari, Mail, Calendar, I got 1 hour 27 min before it started to read 99% with the screen at just under half brightness. With a medium workload in photo pro apps (Capture One, PS) it took 58 min before it reached 99%.

lol just when i think i got a handle on the landscape a curve ball. ok im gonna stop the guessing game and just wait for a review. hopefully some will arrive on monday.

 

[sej]

I've had a very different experience with my 16in 32GB Max 1TB. With just browsing in Safari, Mail, Calendar, I got 1 hour 27 min before it started to read 99% with the screen at just under half brightness. With a medium workload in photo pro apps (Capture One, PS) it took 58 min before it reached 99%.

That's interesting. That's what my M1 pro model was doing.

On my max it always says safari is using significant energy under the battery icon, even if I'm just reading news / reddit etc. - do you get that as well?

Makes me wonder if I have something going on.

 

[Cameraman12]

That's interesting. That's what my M1 pro model was doing.

On my max it always says safari is using significant energy under the battery icon, even if I'm just reading news / reddit etc. - do you get that as well?

Makes me wonder if I have something going on.

Yes, it says Safari is using Significant energy.

 

[AFK]

Yes, it says Safari is using Significant energy.

i'm on my 13" m1 and it also says safari is using significant energy but it's probably because i'm actively using safari.

 

[Michael Scrip]

dont think anyone is saying apple hasnt accomplished a major engineering feat. intel/amd wouldnt and doesnt. we're juggling the priority in our heads over battery life, ram and performance. i.e., i want 64gb but cant have it unless i go max and sacrifice battery life.

Gotcha. Yeah I was just curious what kind of battery life The Verge got on the older Intel model.

I looked up the old Verge review for comparison:

2019 16" Intel....... 8 hours
2021 16" M1 Pro.... 16 hours



Yes... the M1 Max will have slightly less battery life than the M1 Pro. But it's still soooo much better than the previous Intel models. You should be happy with the M1 Max. Enjoy!