Does that mean I can nap for the rest of the day that it helps with?
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M1 vs. M2 vs. M3 vs. M4 MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide: 30+ Differences Compared
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Fantastic upgrade for anyone with a Touch Bar MacBook Pro, maybe nos as compelling for people like me already with the previous gen
No need to reinvent the laptop but why not bring something like the Touch Bar to these at least? Why segment the MBP lineup the way they continue to do?
Why aren't they adding the feature that not many peopled liked, that is going away?
The only reason the base MBP exists with a Touch Bar is to use up produced parts from the Intel generation and get a tiny bit more money out of the manufacturing processes used for these. In a year or two those will be gone as well.
Loving my '21 16" MBP M1Max. Glanced at the update and little reason to upgrade.
For me, it looks like another product upgrade which gives very little value over the last model. The recent brain drain from Apple seems to have had a huge negative effect 😏
Following the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro's recent hardware refresh that added the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, what exactly do the latest machines bring to the table and is it worth upgrading from the previous generation?
The current 14-inch model starts at $1,999 and the 16-inch model starts at $2,499. Upon the launch of the latest models, the 2021 MacBook Pros were discontinued and are no longer available from Apple's main storefront. Units of these slightly older machines are likely to still be available via Apple's refurbished store and third-party retailers for significantly reduced prices. Buying a 2021 model second-hand is also an option.
First-time MacBook Pro customers or those upgrading from a much older device may be wondering whether it is worth buying a 2021 model, so it will be important to weigh up exactly what was added with the latest version. Likewise, existing users of the 2021 MacBook Pro may be wondering if it is worth upgrading to the latest model or sticking with their current device.
See the detailed breakdown below for each new feature, change, and improvement that was added with each high-end Apple silicon MacBook Pro compared to its direct predecessor:
2023 MacBook Pro
- M2 Pro or M2 Max chip
- Up to 12-core CPU with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores with M2 Pro and 12-core CPU with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores with M2 Max
- Up to 19-core GPU with M2 Pro and up to 38-core GPU with M2 Max
- 16GB or 32GB unified memory with M2 Pro and 32GB, 64GB, or 96GB unified memory with M2 Max
- Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)
- Bluetooth 5.3
- HDMI 2.1 port
- Battery life of up to 18 hours with 14-inch model and 22 hours with 16-inch model
2021 MacBook Pro
- M1 Pro or M1 Max chip
- Up to 10-core CPU with eight performance cores and two efficiency cores with M1 Pro and 10-core CPU with eight performance cores and two efficiency cores with M1 Max
- Up to 16-core GPU with M1 Pro and up to 32-core GPU with M1 Max
- 16GB or 32GB unified memory with M1 Pro and 32GB or 64GB unified memory with M1 Max
- 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.0
- HDMI 2.0 port
- Battery life of up to 17 hours with 14-inch model and 21 hours with 16-inch model
Final Thoughts
With only a minor update in 2023, the 2021 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are still a very good option if you can get them for a sufficiently low price. It is only worth paying more to get the latest model if you want a future-proof device to keep for the long term, where slightly better performance, battery life, and specifications like Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and HDMI 2.1 are likely to be more beneficial through successive software updates and as connectivity needs with other devices evolve. Even then, it is difficult to recommend buying a 2023 MacBook Pro at full price over an equivalent, heavily discounted 2021 model.
- New to Apple silicon MacBook Pro: Buy 2021 model over 2023 model unless future-proofing is vital
- 2021 MacBook Pro user: Don't upgrade to 2023 model unless peak performance and expanded capabilities are required
If you already have a 2021 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro, it is unlikely that upgrading to a 2023 model will be worthwhile. The latest model's improved performance, additional hour of battery life, and improved connectivity specifications are unlikely to make a meaningful difference to most users. Only professionals who require absolute peak performance with the M2 Max chip, a 96GB memory option, or an HDMI 2.1 port to connect to 8K or 240Hz external displays will see substantial benefits. It is also worth noting that in many countries outside the United States, the 2023 MacBook Pro models come with a hefty price hike – meaning that it will also likely be more economical to stick with 2021 model you already have.
Article Link: 2021 vs. 2023 MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide
Is the base model 14” faster than my maxed out 2016 15” MBP? 🤪😝
Cannot wait to upgrade!
Cannot wait to upgrade!
Man, I don't know...having that SD slot built in is pretty sweet. Going straight from the camera to MacBook is nice and I no longer have to pack the dongle. I do still use that HDMI port when I'm at a client's office and that's all they have for their A/V. Nice again to no longer have to carry that dongle around either.
I wouldn't hold off buying these new machines just because they have these ports...unless we're truly paying a significant amount just to have them in there? If you don't use them, just ignore them?
I just wish I had more control over what gets chopped off the menu bar by the notch and what doesn't. I wish I could just let things duck under it and come out the other side rather than totally not showing them at all. I use quite a few of the menu bar items while on an external monitor, but boom, soon as I unplug, that notch jumps in and spoils things.
Given the topic of this thread and that it might catch the eye of a new buyer or someone potentially making a big upgrade jump from a really old machine, I'll pass on some of my recent buyer's advice. I bought the 2021 MBP 14 M1 Pro to upgrade my 2019 MBP 16, that had replaced a 2014 MPB 13. (The 16 is a great machine, but dang it's heavy and noisy to the point of being asked to leave a quiet room if the fans spin up full throttle!). I was so caught up on all the great things the new machine offered and a one day only discount at MicroCenter, that I kind of forgot about the Parallels thing. I spend most of my for pay work on Windows VMs. Parallels does not work on Apple chips. I was already in the process of moving most of my VMs to Azure anyway, but still have two VMs that had to be moved to an old Mini for occasional use. This was just a minor dumb mistake on my part, but I don't regret it at all. The new MBP 14 is so light and fast for Photoshop and Lightroom, etc., and the screen is beautiful except for the stingy menu bar thing. Remote Desktop has gotten so good, and Azure has gotten to where the price feels like I get what I'm paying for, I simply don't need Parallels anymore, and thus this new MBP 14 shines. Except there's still the dependency on an Internet connection
From my perspective, the big thing is that it can support four screens, not just two. (Higher end model only.)
Again a hilarious thread where folks complain that the difference isn't great enough to upgrade to those who always complain that Apple doesn't update their specs often enough. Apple is going to upgrade machines every year-ish or so, just like the iphones and the ipads etc. They have to. If you currently have an M1 machine, this isn't going to be a great or wise upgrade unless, as stated somewhere above, you have a specific need for the faster processes. Like maybe if you spend your days exporting video it would possibly make sense.
For me personally, my 16" M1 Max with 64GB of ram is going to serve me well for the next couple of years because I spend most of my time using various remote access software (managing Windows networks) and web stuff. Gone are the days of me running multiple vms on my machine since that is no longer doable with the Apple chips.
For me personally, my 16" M1 Max with 64GB of ram is going to serve me well for the next couple of years because I spend most of my time using various remote access software (managing Windows networks) and web stuff. Gone are the days of me running multiple vms on my machine since that is no longer doable with the Apple chips.
I ordered a couple of configs of the 14" M2 Max (30 & 38 GPU cores) to possibly replace 14" M1 Pro and maybe my Mac Studio M1 Ultra. Whether I keep them or not will depend how they perform in a very specific workflow. I do a fair amount of video upscaling via AI for work which uses the neural engines and GPU primarily. These videos are 2-8 hours long so even just small improvements can knock a day or two off of a render. Since those are the areas that should see the biggest improvement I'm hoping it'll be faster than my M1 Ultra. I've been pretty disappointed with its performance compared to my 16" M1 Max. In a decent chunk of tasks my 16" is faster and even in the upscaling work there is just the tiniest difference especially when compared to the difference in my M1 Pro vs M1 Max. I dunno if the Ultra just really needs a lot more targeted optimizing or what but its not gotten better over time.
Not sure why anyone such as myself who has a 2021 would upgrade to this. I can't find a single reason to do so. My 2021 is already insanely fast.
Doubt you will find a MacBook Pro like that. Not for awhile at least. Try the MacBook Air.
Including an HDMI and SD port isn’t that dumb seeing how much praise and sales they got bringing those ports back. I don’t understand how you can consider those “Legacy” when they are actively still in use across the industry.
it might be a success somewhere but around me almost no one has the new mbp, everybody has stayed with their mpb. In the university where I work (top in the EU) it happens the same, new students choose the MacBook Air or old mbp, almost no one has the new mbp while before it was the most seen laptop in the campus. Success, I suppose..., not what I see.
I don’t think the MacBook Pro is meant to be a university device.
Sounds like the Air is finding success exactly where Apple wants it to.
I remember the ancient days of Macs when they were niche computers in graphics shops, folks would be using models going past 10 years. A print shop I use to visit, they had a Performa with QuarkXpress 3.0 and Photoshop 2.0. When Apple transitioned to Intel, this upgrade treadmill/disposable mindset came over to the Mac. But Apple pushed it further with planned obsolescence. Look how quickly they dropped PowerPC support after Leopard? I see no reason why they couldn't continue supporting PowerPC with new versions up to at least 10.8. We are seeing it now even with Apple Silicon how quick the company is dropping older Intel Macs, which have been proven to run Ventura just fine.
My early 2015 Broadwell MacBook Pro still works just fine for web browsing and YouTube and its Big Sur right now.
What happens with many workflows is that the performance improvement changes the ease with which certain things happen. Easily seen in graphics/images work, where a brief time lag can not-so-subtly interrupt one's creative process. So the stronger hardware actually helps one's creativity a bit. How big "a bit" is depends on the worker.
As regards the humorous "No way this new MBP is going to cut my work day from 10 hours to 6 hours. 🤣" I would suggest that even if it saves only 10 minutes a day, that would be more than 1,000 minutes over the life of the box. I do not know what your time is worth, but in my case it justifies choosing stronger computing hardware rather than weaker.
M2 Max MBPs support at least one display per TB port plus one via HDMI, equal to 4 total external plus the built-in display. M2 Pro MBPs are a bit less, look at tech specs on Apple's website.
It seems that there is an inverse relationship, that as computers get faster, people's mental ability slows down.
The Touch Bar as an abysmal failure, which is why they got rid of it.