Apple has just released the latest version of its most powerful laptop. It comes with one of three different processors, one from earlier this year and two brand new ones: Apple M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max. As before, it comes in two sizes, one with a 14-inch display and one with a 16-inch screen.
Though the design is almost entirely unchanged from the previous model, there are subtle visually different updates. The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, for instance, is now available in silver and a gorgeous space black finish. You can also, for the first time for an Apple laptop, configure the new MacBook Pro with a nano-texture display, designed to reduce reflections and glare. Connectivity on the most affordable 14-inch model has also been improved, with an extra USB-C socket on the right edge for the first time, bringing it into line with the rest of the Pro range.
The previous MacBook Pro models, with M3 series chips, launched last October, so this upgrade to the new processor has come fast. What’s more, the new processor has been designed to handle Apple Intelligence, Apple’s bespoke AI system which is still not quite here, and the chip upgrade has been accompanied by an increase of the active memory in the laptop. The entry-level MacBook Pro, for instance, has doubled the RAM from 8GB to 16GB without a price increase.
The latest Mac software, macOS Sequoia 15.1, has introduced Apple Intelligence with a bang for US English users, offering features such as tools to help you write, summarisation of email chains, improved Siri voice assistant and smart photo editing capabilities. Here in the UK, we can expect all these and more when macOS Sequoia 15.2 arrives in December.
The MacBook Pro usually lives up to the Pro in its name, providing performance that the most demanding users need, from displays with mini-LED backlighting to six-speaker audio and the company’s fastest chips. That doesn’t mean it’s not of interest to those of us with more modest demands, as we’ll see.
How we tested
I’ve been testing the 16-inch MacBook Pro since just after it was announced. I’ve checked out the space black finish, studied the nano-texture display, typed (a lot, including this review) on the keyboard to check the keys travel as smoothly as before, and put the laptop through its paces with more advanced programs. I’ve done video calls using the new, improved camera which can show what’s on your desk, not just your face. And I’ve done it all on battery power to check if the battery life really is as good as Apple claims.
Apple MacBook Pro M4 16-inch
Design
Apple’s latest MacBook Pro design, introduced in October 2021, is elegant and handsome. It is slim but solid, looking professional and classy. Last year, Apple added a new colour, called space black alongside silver and space grey. But it was reserved only for the 16-inch models or those with the most advanced processor. This time around, space grey has been retired and all models of MacBook Pro come in silver and space black, which is deeply attractive, not least because it matches the keyboard.This is the same as before, that is, comfortable and inviting. There’s also a huge and highly useful trackpad.
Last year, the entry-level MacBook Pro had two USB-C ports, but now it has three, as do all other MacBook Pros. The difference this time around is that the ports differ in their speeds depending on whether you plump for the M4 chip or the faster, pricier M4 Pro or M4 Max chips. Thunderbolt 4 is what you’ll find on the M4 model, Thunderbolt 5 on the Pro and Max chips. Thunderbolt 5 offers transfer speeds of up to 120Gbps.
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The macOS software has a lot of other benefits besides Apple Intelligence, mind, including a neat feature called iPhone Mirroring so you can operate your iPhone from your laptop screen while the phone sits quietly nearby. There’s also a great new Passwords app, improved Maps and a Notes app that can automatically convert currencies for you, for instance. This software is also available on some earlier Macs, please note, and Apple Intelligence works on any Mac with an Apple silicon chip, from M1 onwards.
Display
On the face of it, the display on this MacBook Pro is identical to the last model: a screen that goes right to the edge all round, meaning that to accommodate a camera, there’s a cut-out in the top edge of the display, in the middle. It is something you don’t notice, not least because it sits in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
The MacBook Pro screen has mini-LED backlighting which really improves the look, adding to contrast levels and brighter images.
The display, in other words, is already excellent. But there’s now a new optional extra: nano-texture, which costs £150. Nano-texture is designed to reduce reflections and glare, which is particularly useful when you’re looking at the screen outdoors.
It has a more matte look than a regular display, which gives a subtler finish. But it looks beautiful. And (Apple’s attention to detail to the fore here) an Apple Polishing Cloth is supplied to keep it clean and pristine. Nano-texture screens can pick up fingerprints easily but, hey, at least this isn’t a touchscreen.
The front-facing camera at the top of the display has been upgraded to what’s called a Center Stage camera. If you’re in a video call, this cleverly keeps you front-and-centre even if you move around or more people join you.
And now it has something called Desk View, which means you can show the physical desk in front of the laptop. It works very well.
Performance
My review unit has an M4 Pro chip, with 32GB of RAM. To say it’s lightning-fast would be to underestimate lightning. Everything happens at great speed, whether you’re simply loading a web page, opening apps or doing something more demanding, like video editing or gaming. Though I wouldn’t say you should buy a MacBook Pro just for playing games, the immersive screen, advanced graphics and powerful audio make it an impressive games machine.
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But if you have advanced programs you want to run at speed, then this laptop can deliver. It’s very hard to push the MacBook Pro to its limits – I never heard the fan spring into life whatever I threw at it.
If you have less heavy demands, there is still benefit to having the power of this machine: as well as being super-fast now, it has plenty of headroom for apps that add bigger features and more graphics-intensive games in the future.
Battery life
Such power is usually at the cost of battery life, but not here. Apple prides itself that its Pro laptops don’t slow down when you unplug them from the mains, and you can use the MacBook Pro without mains power for a long time.
Apple says that the latest models offer up to 24 hours of video streaming before you need to charge them. That’s for the 14-inch model with M4 chip and all 16-inch versions. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 Max have a little less, up to 22 hours. The 24-hour figure is the longest-ever for any Mac. In my tests, the laptop just went on and on.
Buy now £2499.00, Apple.com
The verdict: Apple MacBook Pro M4 16-inch
The MacBook Pro is astonishingly fast, with enough power not just to run heavy-duty programs but to run them for long sessions – there’s plenty of stamina here. The excellent design is largely unchanged, though now everyone can choose the handsome space black finish and connectivity is improved. This is an expensive laptop, but Apple crams in so much, with exceptional components and dizzying power, it offers strong value. While many users will find the more affordable MacBook Air is enough, if you want the best laptop around, this is it.
To find the best laptop to suit all of your needs, check out our review of the best laptops for this year
