Apple rights the wrongs of the previous gen MacBook Pro — and how!
This is the MacBook we’ve been hoping and praying for... a super–fast lean machine that banishes the bad memories and questionable design choices of the recent past in favor of new crowd–pleasing features. These include proper function keys, a Liquid Retina XDR Display, usable ports, and M1 Pro performance. The fact that this machine is only surpassed by the M1 Max is mind boggling.
The 2021 MacBook Pro is certainly a sight to behold. Consciously echoing the look of pre–Touch Bar era Apple laptops, it takes all the things you loved about previous MacBook Pros and dumps the things you didn’t.
That means the welcome (and overdue) return of MagSafe, a trio of Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports (two on the left–hand side, one on the right), plus a 3.5mm headphone socket, SDXC memory card slot, and an HDMI 2.0 port (although HDMI 2.1 would perhaps have been a better choice), plus a scissor–switch matt black keyboard with full–height Function key row (no more Touch Bar — yay!), and a Touch ID–enabled power button for fast, secure logins using your fingerprint. Like previous MacBook Pros, the keyboard deck comes with an oversized glass Force Touch trackpad and a six–speaker stereo sound system (more on this later).
The MacBook Pro is topped off with a 16.2in Liquid Retina XDR display that takes the miniLED backlighting used in the $4,999 Pro Display XDR and shoehorns it into a laptop. The display also has narrower bezels around three of its sides than before, meaning the new 1080p FaceTime camera now sits in a notch at the top — a slightly controversial step that can play havoc with apps that use the full menu bar width for their options. We’re sure developers will soon adapt.
The new MacBook Pro certainly feels chunkier and heftier than its predecessor weighing in — in M1 Pro guise — at 2.1kg, with the M1 Max version coming in at 2.2kg. That makes this laptop 100g and 200g heavier respectively than its predecessors, while also being thicker, measuring 1 68mm compared to the previous gen’s 1.62mm.
MacBook Pro 16–inch with M1 Pro Chip Power Options
Inside, the 2021 16–inch MacBook Pro is available in a slightly bewildering array of configurations: the entry–level $2,499 model sports a 10–core CPU, 16–core GPU M1 Pro, 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage; the mid–range model gets a 10–core CPU, 16–core GPU and 1TB of storage for $2,699. At the top–end, $3,499 nets you a 10–core CPU, 32–core GPU M1 Max with 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage. Then there are the build–to–order options, which enable you to further specify choices, ranging from 64GB of unified memory (from $400) to 8TB of storage (from $2,200). You can also opt for an M1 Max with a 24–core GPU (from $200) if you wish.
Unlike previous generation MacBook Pros, you don’t have to worry about compromising performance too much if you opt for the 14.2–inch version — performance across the range is virtually identical, save for the entry– level $1,999 model which comes with a more modest 8–core CPU, 14–core GPU M1 Pro and 512GB of storage. All the new MacBook Pros are also equipped with Apple’s 16–core Neural Engine for machine learning and other computationally intensive tasks such as photo and video editing.
MacBook Pro 16–inch with M1 Pro Chip Performance
While the M1 SoCs in last year’s MacBook Air, 13–inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and this year’s 24–inch iMac deliver plenty of power for everyday tasks, they also came with caveats — including limited port selection, expandability, and graphics performance, especially on some GPU–intensive tasks such as video rendering and gaming.
There are no such caveats this time around. Throughout our suite of benchmarks, the M1 Pro inside our review laptop acquitted itself quickly and brilliantly with minimum fuss and almost zero fan noise. Where the M1–equipped 13–inch MacBook Pro was able to perform our Handbrake benchmark (where we transcode a 30–min 4K video) in a shade over 23 mins, the M1 Pro did the same task in 8 mins 40 secs. And in our DaVinci Resolve test (where we render an effects–laden video), the M1 Pro smashed it, hitting an average score of 10 mins 57 secs, where the regular M1 took just under 29 mins. To put the numbers in context, the 27–inch iMac we tested in ML173 hit its Handbrake benchmark in 13 mins 28 secs (5 mins slower than the M1 Pro) while it completed the DaVinci Resolve one in 6 mins 30 secs (around 4 minutes faster) and that’s on an expensive custom–built model, with a 3.6GHz 10–core Intel Core i9, 32GB of memory, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT graphics card with 16GB of video memory.
In our gaming benchmarks too, the M1 Pro didn’t disappoint, scoring an average frame rate of 83fps in our 1920x1280 Rise Of The Tomb Raider test, compared to the 40fps achieved by a 24–inch iMac equipped with an 8–core M1 running at 3GHz, and thrashing the 59fps score achieved by the 27–inch Intel iMac.
But performance isn’t just about grunt, it’s about usability too — and the new MacBook Pro has that in spades. It’s phenomenally quick to start up from cold, apps launch almost instantaneously (typically within one bounce of an app’s icon in the Dock), and it still delivers all–day battery life. Apple says the 16–inch MacBook Pro typically lasts for around 21 hours between recharges during video playback and 14 hours when wireless web browsing (something borne out by our testing) and the machine rarely gets hot, helped in part by redesigned thermal architecture and a much greater performance–per–watt than Intel’s chips can manage.
MacBook Pro 16–inch with M1 Pro Chip Benchmarks
Features: Apple M1 Pro chip (10–core CPU, 16–core GPU), 1TB storage, 32GB of unified memory, 16.2–inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3456x2234 pixels), MagSafe 3, 3x Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, 1x HDMI 2.0 port, Wi–Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0
Geekbench 5 Single–Core Teat
This tests the capability of a single processor core. Many more common tasks on a Mac will only use a single core at a time. Geekbench 5 is a universal app running on Monterey.
Index score (higher is better).
- MacBook Pro 3.22GHz 10–core M1 Pro (2021) – 1757
- MacBook Pro 13in 3.0GHz 8–core M1 (2021) – 1742
- iMac 27in 3.6GHz 10–core Intel Core i9 (2020) – 1388
Handbrake Video Encoding
We transcode a Blu–ray–quality video file into H.264 format using HandBrake to test the multicore processor performance. Handbrake is available as a universal binary.
Duration (lower is better).
- MacBook Pro 3.22GHz 10–core M1 Pro (2021) – 8 mins 40 secs
- MacBook Pro 13in 3.0GHz 8–core M1 (2021) – 23 mins 38 secs
- iMac 27in 3.6GHz 10–core Intel Core i9 (2020) – 13 mins 28 secs
Tomb Raider(1920X1080)
For a real–world gaming test, we use the benchmarking tool in this game, with the graphics quality set to High, and the resolution set to 1920x1080. Not yet optimized for M1.
Frames per sec (higher is better).
- MacBook Pro 3.22GHz 10–core M1 Pro (2021) – 83
- MacBook Pro 13in 3.0GHz 8–core M1 (2021) – 40
- iMac 27in 3.6GHz 10–core Intel Core i9 (2020) – 59
DaVinci Resolve
In Blackmagic Design’s editing tool for video professionals, we exported an effects–laden, 2.5–minute project to the H.264 format. The latest version of the app (Version 17.1) now runs natively on M1 Macs.
Duration (lower is better).
- MacBook Pro 3.22GHz 10–core M1 Pro (2021) – 10 mins 57 secs
- MacBook Pro 13in 3.0GHz 8–core M1 (2021) – 28 mins 42 secs
- iMac 27in 3.6GHz 10–core Intel Core i9 (2020) – 6 mins 30 secs
Peripheral Plus Points
Apple’s other MacBook Pro improvements are welcome too — no longer will you find yourself screaming in frustration every time you accidentally hit the Touch Bar during typing sessions, while the keyboard’s improved feel gives you much more tactile feedback, making report and essay writing much less of a finger–cramping experience. We certainly found the keyboard to be easier to type on (this review was written using it) and with physical Function buttons within easy reach, you no longer find yourself staring quizzically at the Touch Bar while trying to work out which option does what.
Fire up a movie or music video and that Liquid Retina XDR display and improved sound system really are a joy to watch and listen to. 4K HDR movies look great with perfect inky blacks and rich, delicious colors while the audio output is excellent, with crystal clear dialogue and sound effects. The ProMotion 120Hz display (a first for the Mac) is super–bright too, with its 10,000 miniLEDs achieving 1,000 nits average brightness and is capable of displaying one billion colors. The MacBook Pro also supports more external displays than any of Apple’s M1–equipped laptops: M1 Pro MacBook Pros supports two external displays at up to 6K; while M1 Max versions can handle three 6K displays and a 4K TV running at 60Hz at the same time.
The MacBook Pro has always felt like the Apple laptop to go for when you want more power and performance; while the regular M1 has made that moot for the most of us, the new MacBook Pro still has the power to perform and to disarm.
MacBook Pro 16–inch with M1 Pro Chip Price
- $2499 (10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD)
- $2699 (10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD)
Upgrades:
- 32GB Unified Memory + $400
- 1TB SSD + $200
- 2TB SSD + $600
- 4TB SSD + $1200
- 8TB SSD + $2400
Power, performance, poise. With a whole host of incredible, impactful improvements, this is the best Apple laptop the company’s made in years.
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