The new Macbook Pros are here – ports have returned at a hefty cost

When Apple first updated the Macbook Pro with an M1 chip, it was more of a placeholder than an appropriate move for the lineup. The M1 was fine for the Mac Mini and Macbook Air but for the Pros, it yearned for something better and more powerful. Earlier today, Apple finally delivered. 

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There are two new processors in their lineup named M1 Pro and M1 Max. Both are built on the same 5-nanometer process as the M1 but are a lot more powerful in every way possible. The M1 Pro has a up to 10-core CPU and up to 32GB of unified memory, twice that of the M1. Apple said it’s 70% faster and 2x faster GPU than the current M1. 

As if that’s not enough, Apple unveiled the M1 Max that has the same number of cores as the M1 Pro, but double the GPU cores at 32, and is available with up to 64GB of unified memory. Easily a far cry from the M1 last year. So where will they be? 

There’s now a 14-inch Macbook Pro, in addition to the 16-inch model. Both feature a complete redesign inside and out but the most significant of which is the return of MagSafe connection and other much needed ports. It now has an SDXC card reader, Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, and a headphone jack.

Other visible changes include a flat top design compared to the previous generation where it tapers off to the flat sides. The touch bar was removed and in its place are bigger function keys with a TouchID at the upper right corner. Apple also changed the keyboard area by utilizing anodized black, complimenting the keys.

Another big change, and controversial, is the notch on the screen. Apple made the screen bigger by making the bezels thinner with the 16-inch model having 16.2-inch display and the 14-inch model with 14.2-inches of real estate. This results in exposing the placement of the new 1080p Facetime camera, resulting in a notch, but it will be hidden by a black bar depending on the app you’re using full screen.

The bigger screen is also a Liquid Retina XDR display that uses mini-LED technology. It delivers up to 1,000 nits of sustained brightness, or 1,600 nits at peak, meaning you can easily use it outdoors even at high noon. ProMotion also found its way to the Macbook Pros, featuring an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Similar to the iPhones, it will go down if you’re doing something static but will bump up the refresh rate once you move things around in your workspace. 

Having the new M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, the new Macbook Pros have great battery life. The 14-inch model can go for 17 hours of video playback, while the 16-inch model can last up to 21 hours. Apple also assures that performance will be the same even if you’re not plugged in so you can work on the go, like most of us do. 

The new 14-inch Macbook Pro is only available with the M1 Pro processor with either 8-core CPU and 14-core GPU or the higher model with 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU. It arrives stock with 16GB of unified memory and 512GB SSD but the higher model gets 1TB SSD as standard. It can be configured for 32GB memory and up to 8TB SSD for storage. Price starts at P116,990. 

Meanwhile, the new 16-inch Macbook Pro starts with the 10-core M1 Pro processor with 16GB of memory and available with the M1 Max with 32GB of RAM for the top end model. Just like the 14-inch model, storage starts at 512GB and 1TB respectively but can be configured for up to 8TB of storage. Starting price is at P146,990 while the 16-inch model with M1 Max starts at P206,990. All models will be available soon in the PH Apple Store.