You might still be reeling in or saving up for the new iPhone 13, but guess what? Apple recently revealed two new MacBook Pro models–14- and 16-inch versions. The company says these new models are more souped-up than ever thanks to the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets.
So what’s new with the new MacBook Pro models anyway? Well, the displays on these models are completely redesigned: for the first time in an Apple laptop, the screen has a notch. This and the slimmed-down bezels provide users with bigger screen real estate so they have more space for their tasks on the laptop. In addition, the menu bar will wrap around the 1080p FaceTime HD camera, similar to how the iPhone’s status bar icons are found beside the notch.
Plus, these new gadgets have a Liquid Retina XDR display, that touts 120Hz refresh rates for a more fluid visual experience. To complement the immersive viewing screen, this laptop packs a new six-speaker sound system capable of Spatial Audio.
There are upgrades to the keyboard and ports as well. Firstly, the Touch Bar has been ditched for physical buttons to bring back the familiar, tactile feel of mechanical keys. Next, the new MacBooks get wider connectivity options with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, an improved headphone jack, and MagSafe Charging.
In terms of battery life, these new models will last up to seven hours longer than the previous M1 laptop. The 14-inch can deliver 17 hours of video playback while the 16-inch can last up to 21 hours of video playback.
To cap off all these powerful improvements, the new MacBook Pro models are shaping up to be a powerful workhorse for on-the-go creators. The new chips boast 10-core CPUs which Apple is saying is twice as powerful as last year’s already impressive M1 chip.
You may be asking yourself, ‘how much though?’ Given the significant upgrades in these models, they come at a steep price. The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 while the 16-inch version starts at $2,499. You better start saving then!
Art Daniella Sison
