Review of the 14-inch MacBook Pro: Restoring Apple's laptop's power

The addition of the M1 Pro and Max CPUs, a larger screen, extended battery life, and additional connectors results in a significant upgrade.

Apple's MacBook Pro has received the most significant increase in terms of power, ports, and screen quality since 2016, fulfilling nearly every wishlist item for eager Mac consumers.

However, the new 14in and 16in models are not intended for the general customer. They start at £1,899 ($1,999 or A$2,999) and are designed as workstation laptops for creative professionals and developers. They relegate Apple's top consumer notebook, the superb £999 M1 MacBook Air, to second place.

Apple has responded to the expectations of its power users by slightly increasing the size and weight of the new laptops while increasing battery life and port count. They are all the more fortunate as a result.

The design is nearly vintage in appearance. The aluminum body is reminiscent of the first-generation MacBook Pro from 2006, while the 14in variant (as tested) has a screen size comparable to 2002 iBook versions.

When you open the lid, two things immediately strike out: the screen features an iPhone-like notch that cuts into the top of the display, and the Touch Bar from earlier generations has been eliminated. This feature, akin to marmite, had immense promise but was disliked by the majority.

Instead, the regular function and utility keys have been restored, along with a huge escape key that developers will appreciate. The power button features an excellent Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

The new 14.2in screen is out of this world. It is taller than its predecessor, the 13.3in iPad Pro, and incorporates two innovations from the 12.9in iPad Pro: ProMotion and a miniLED lighting.

ProMotion refreshes the screen up to twice as quickly as typical non-gaming 60Hz systems, resulting in noticeably smoother animations. It's sleek, but the jump isn't as dramatic as on touchscreen devices like tablets and smartphones.

The miniLED backlight is a significant advancement, providing peak brightness of up to 1,600nits (a standard unit of screen brightness) for breathtaking HDR content. Most rival screens have a maximum brightness of less than 500nits. It is capable of producing incredibly bright whites and deep, inky blacks for excellent contrast.

However, the screen remains limited to 500nits, the same as prior versions, for standard dynamic range material, which includes all non-HDR movies, photos, and games. It is unquestionably bright enough for the majority of scenarios.

Specifications

14.2in tiny LED display (3024x1964; 254 ppi) InMotion (120Hz)
Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max processor
16GB, 32GB, or 64GB RAM
512GB, 1, 2, 4, or 8TB SSD storage
macOS 11 Monterey operating system
Camera: FaceTime HD 1080p camera
WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5, 3x USB 4/Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.0, SD card, and headphones are all included in the connectivity.
Weight: 1.6kg Dimensions: 221.2 x 312.6 x 1.55mm

M1 Pro and M1 Max microprocessors

The 2021 MacBook Pro is the first notebook to include enhanced versions of Apple's M1 custom processors, which were previously only available in the MacBook Air and iMac.

The new M1 Pro and M1 Max CPUs deliver performance comparable to that of most workstation-class machines from competitors yet consume a fraction of the power. They are substantially quicker than any prior Apple laptop and are comparable to the most costly Mac desktop computers. Whatever you want to accomplish, whether it's multi-stream 4K/8K video editing, development work, or massive image processing, the MacBook Pro will manage it without a performance hit when running on batteries.

Almost all of the time, the laptop operates absolutely silently. I could only hear the quiet roar of fans while playing the Intel Mac version of Xcom 2 with the graphics settings maxed out.

The battery life is likewise outstanding, lasting 14 hours when performing light chores such as email, browsing, writing, and

photo editing, or more than 11 hours when performing more demanding tasks such as video editing and complex photo modification. If you truly tax the computer by exporting high-resolution video or developing large software, the battery life will suffer, but I estimate you'll still get at least five hours.

Sustainability

The MacBook Pro's case is made entirely of recyclable aluminum. It has 98 percent rare earth elements, its logic board solder is made entirely of recycled tin, and at least 35% recycled plastic was used in several components. Apple's report details the computer's environmental impact.

The machine is normally repairable, and Apple charges £199 to replace the battery. The repair experts at iFixit gave the machine a 4/10 rating, primarily due to the difficulty of replacing certain components. Apple offers trade-in and free recycling programs for a variety of items, including non-Apple products.

The MacBook Pro is powered by Apple's latest macOS Monterey operating system, which has a similar appearance and feel to its predecessor Big Sur. Monterey, in a nutshell, provides the ability to FaceTime in a grid arrangement similar to Zoom, spatial audio surround sound for movies, live text recognition in images, rapid note taking, and increased privacy choices in Apple Mail. Additionally, it includes "focus," an expansion of the "do not disturb" settings, and other iOS 15 features.

The more ambitious Share Play and Universal Control features will be made available later this year as part of a software upgrade. As with Big Sur, the majority of software designed for Intel-powered Macs functions flawlessly, but compatibility with older applications is not guaranteed.

Observations

In comparison to other LCD-based displays, blooming, in which the backlight shines like a halo around dark edges, is particularly well managed.

The six speakers are incredible for a laptop and provide an incredibly effective virtual surround sound experience when watching movies.

The M1 Max delivers up to twice the graphics performance of the M1 Pro while maintaining the same processing performance.

Price

The 14in MacBook Pro starts at £1,899 ($1,999/A$2,999) and includes an M1 Pro processor with eight cores and a 14-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

M1 Pro models featuring a 10-core CPU and a 16-core GPU start at £2,199, while M1 Max machines start at £2,799.

Starting at £2,399 ($2,499/A$3,749), the 16in MacBook Pro is available. After purchasing, it is not able to upgrade the RAM or storage.

For comparison, the MacBook Air starts at £999, while similarly equivalent Windows laptops such as the Dell XPS 15 start at around £2,099, the Razer Blade 15 starts at around £1,700, and Microsoft's Surface Laptop Studio starts at around $2,100 (£1,576).

Verdict

The MacBook Pro 2021 is the high-performance notebook that Apple users have been waiting for.

The combination of workstation-class computing capability and extended battery life is unmatched in the industry. The display is magnificent and will enable those who deal with video to work in HDR away from their desks using dedicated high-end monitors – many of which cost an arm and a leg. The 14.2in screen is bigger and wider than the 13.3in screen on 13.3in laptops, making email, writing, and browsing more comfortable while still fitting easily into luggage.

The keyboard is excellent, and the trackpad is the largest in its class. Even the new 1080p HD webcam is a significant improvement. The additional ports and SD card slot are quite useful. Unlike prior models, the 14in and 16in variants share the same chips, making size the deciding factor, not power.

The machine is not without flaws. I wish it included a USB-A port; the HDMI port is outdated; the webcam lacks Apple's famous Centre Stage technology, which maintains the user in frame during video conversations; and the absence of Face ID is perplexing. Unfortunately, as is customary these days, there is no way to upgrade the RAM or storage after purchasing. However, they are minor quibbles.

The MacBook Pro has evolved from a consumer notebook to a professional machine. Rather than that, it is the best compact professional workhorse I have ever used. This is the computer for you if you're an Apple creative or developer in need of an upgrade. You'll pay a princely lot for it, but it's worth every penny.

Pros: extremely powerful, extremely long battery life, wonderful miniLED ProMotion screen, a plethora of connections, SD card slot, fantastic speakers, Touch ID, excellent keyboard and trackpad, MagSafe, reasonably priced for the power, 14in is a great size.

Cons: lack of USB-A, lack of Face ID, lack of Centre Stage camera, lack of HDMI 2.1 compatibility, inability to upgrade RAM or SSD after purchase, lack of BootCamp/Windows support, and some specialized programs may experience difficulty operating until updated.

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