M4 MacBook Pro vs M3: Discover the Latest Advancements
The arrival of Apple's M4 MacBook Pro lineup brings significant upgrades and innovations in technology. Announced in October 2024, these latest laptops make use of powerful M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max Apple Silicon that enhances performance across the board. They offer improved battery life, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and even a new nano-texture display option, providing more choices for professional and personal use.
Performance and Processing Power
The defining feature of the new lineup is the cutting-edge M4 family of processors. Offering options with up to 16-core CPUs, 40-core GPUs, and memory bandwidth reaching up to 574GB/s, these laptops target users needing robust performance. This improvement ensures faster handling of demanding tasks such as 3D visualization and video processing. Interestingly, both M4 and M3 models support up to 128GB of unified memory, yet the M4 models boast superior memory bandwidth and enhanced GPU capabilities, especially with ray tracing.
Display Advances
The M4 MacBook Pro continues with the Liquid Retina XDR display, admired since 2021 for its clarity and performance. Advances this year include an option for a nano-texture display, improving outdoor visibility up to 1000 nits, compared to the M3’s 600 nits for SDR content. Despite the display notch housing the enhanced 12MP Center Stage camera, Apple has not yet integrated Face ID into their laptops.
Connectivity and I/O
The M4 series adds Thunderbolt 5 to its Pro and Max models, delivering connectivity speeds up to 120GB/s. Across the lineup, the well-loved MagSafe power connection, HDMI port, and SDXC card reader remain standard, and Thunderbolt 4/USB-C 4 ports are abundant.
Design and Battery Life
While the weight and dimensions of the MacBook Pros remain consistent with previous models, color options have shifted; Space Black and Silver are the choices for M4 models. Battery life sees a boost, with the 14-inch models supporting up to 16 hours of web usage and 24 hours of video playback.
Pricing and Availability
The M4 MacBook Pros maintain starting prices at $1,599 for the 14-inch variant and $2,499 for the 16-inch. However, customized builds, including upgrades like the nano-texture display, might increase costs significantly.
Buyer’s Guide
For those targeting top-tier performance, the M4 series is enticing with its new features and enhancements. Nevertheless, for professionals content with the capabilities of the existing M3 or M2 models, the urge to upgrade may not be as pressing—especially if the workflows do not lever deeply intensive tasks. Shoppers can find these models available directly from Apple and soon at major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.
Explore more about these advanced machines through Apple's official website or at your preferred retail outlet.
This report was originally detailed by 9to5Mac.