MacBook Pro with M1 review
Our Verdict
The MacBook Pro with M1 delivers a killer combo of blazing performance and ballsy battery life, even if the design is too familiar.
For
- Superb operation
- Crazy long battery life
- Bright and colorful display
- Comfortable Magic Keyboard
Against
- Dated design
- Merely ii Thunderbolt ports
Tom's Guide Verdict
The MacBook Pro with M1 delivers a killer combo of blazing functioning and ballsy battery life, even if the design is besides familiar.
Pros
- +
Superb performance
- +
Crazy long battery life
- +
Bright and colorful brandish
- +
Comfortable Magic Keyboard
Cons
- -
Dated design
- -
Just two Thunderbolt ports
The MacBook Pro with M1 (from $i,299) is a laptop with an unbeatable combo of power and endurance, making information technology one of the all-time laptops yous can buy right now. And I know this because I've been using this system for months to plow through my workload, and I can barely get this car to stutter no matter what I throw at it.
Thanks to the M1 fleck, the Apple tree Silicon inside this 3-pound beast runs circles effectually nigh Windows laptops when it comes to sheer performance. Just as important, the new MacBook Pro M1 outlasts the competition on battery life — past a lot. We're talking more than 16 hours of endurance. My just complaint is that Apple hasn't touched the design.
Some may want to consider the newer MacBook Pro xiv-inch, which packs an fifty-fifty more powerful M1 Pro or M1 Max chip, a bigger display, more ports and a sharper 1080p webcam. but that model starts at $1,999. Encounter our MacBook Pro 14-inch vs MacBook Pro thirteen-inch comparison for more info. Too go on an eye out for the rumored MacBook Pro 2022, which is expected to get an fifty-fifty more powerful M2 flake, though that launch is non expected until later on in the year.
Really, the 13-inch MacBook Pro'southward biggest competitor is the $999 MacBook Air M1, which has a dimmer brandish and shorter (but still bang-up) battery life forth with a slightly weaker vii-core GPU for its starting configuration. And then is the MacBook Pro $300 better than the Air? My MacBook Pro M1 review will assist answer this question for you.
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MacBook Pro M1 review: Release date and toll
The MacBook Pro M1 had a release date of November 17 and starts at $i,299. That configuration gives y'all Apple'southward powerful M1 chip with an viii-cadre CPU and 8-cadre GPU, plus 8GB of unified retentivity (RAM). You get 256GB of storage to start, simply the $one,499 model of the MacBook Pro M1 includes 512GB of storage.
If you desire to configure the MacBook Pro M1 yourself, there are a number of upgrades available. Information technology costs $200 to go from 8GB to 16GB of memory. If y'all want more 512GB of storage, 1TB costs an extra $400 while 2TB will run you $800.
The MacBook Pro 2021, though looks to seriously improve on the current model. Rumors suggest Apple tree will bring back MagSafe charging and the SD retentiveness reader, and drop the Touch Bar. All while adding in faster processors and adopting the flat-edge pattern linguistic communication of the iPhone 12 and iPad Pro.
Nosotros're hearing Apple is preparing both a MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch model with these features.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Functioning
The easiest manner to sum up the MacBook Pro M1's performance is that the barriers between you lot and getting stuff done melt away. It's well-nigh similar the laptop isn't there.
1 of my biggest complaints about my older Core i5 MacBook from 2019 is that information technology can go bogged downwardly easily when I have lots of tabs open up in Google Chrome. I pushed the MacBook Pro M1 to 61 tabs while writing this review and the performance remained rock solid, even while I was juggling multiple conversations in Slack and streaming Spotify. Only once I started adding iOS apps to the mix did I offset to come across stuttering.
I as well often use Photoshop Elements for work to edit images, and there's ane particular template I use with lots of layers. My former MacBook Pro took 22 seconds to load the template, while the new MacBook Pro M1 cut that down to 13.29 seconds. That may not seem similar a huge delta, but the M1 chip will relieve you a ton of time when in situations like this when you add together information technology all up.
On Geekbench five.ane, which measures overall performance, the MacBook Pro M1 scored 5,945 on the multi-core portion of the test. This number surpasses the five,319 score from the Dell XPS 13 and the Asus ZenBook thirteen'due south 5,084, and both of those machines pack 11th gen Intel Core i7 CPUs. The MacBook Air M1 scored a similar five,962.
The MacBook Pro M1 smoked all of its competitors on our Handbrake video editing exam, which involves transcoding a 4K prune to 1080p. For this examination the application is optimized for Apple Silicon. The MacBook Pro M1 took just 7 minutes and 46 seconds to consummate this task, compared to 18:22 for the XPS 13 and 17:51 for the ZenBook 13. The MacBook Air finished a bit backside the Pro at 9:fifteen.
So how about Photoshop? On the PugetBench exam, which performs 21 tasks (three times per run), the MacBook Pro notched a score of 576.6 and a time of 7 minutes and 3 seconds. The Dell XPS 13 scored a higher 588 just took a much longer 10:48, while the ZenBook xiii registered 743 with a time of 9:11. Notation that this criterion used Apple'south Rosetta ii applied science to run and it'due south non a native app, so we expect fifty-fifty amend results in one case Photoshop is optimized for Apple Silicon.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Battery life
This is the two in the one-two dial that makes the MacBook Pro M1 one of the best laptops money can purchase. On the Tom's Guide bombardment test, which involves continuous spider web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of screen brightness, the MacBook Pro M1 lasted an amazing 16 hours and 25 minutes. The Intel-based MacBook Pro 2020 lasted ten:21, so that's a huge 6-hour divergence.
The MacBook Pro M1 also outlasted the first-class MacBook Air M1, which endured for xiv hours and twoscore minutes. The Windows competition is not close. The Dell XPS xiii lasted 11:07 and the Asus ZenBook thirteen hitting xiii:47. Bottom line: the new MacBook Pro is in a grade of its own when information technology comes to battery life.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Graphics and gameplay
The MacBook Pro is powerful enough to play mainstream games at adequately loftier frame rates. For example, on Civilization Half-dozen: Gathering Storm, the MacBook Pro hit 38 fps, which more double the ZenBook 13.
We likewise tried Rise of the Tomb Raider on the MacBook Pro, and it turned in a fairly practiced 26 fps. Getting closer to 30 fps would brand the title more playable, simply it'due south worth noting that this was on very high settings. So y'all could get fifty-fifty smoother operation if you lot dialed them down.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Keyboard, touchpad and Bear upon Bar
Equally someone who is however toiling away on a Butterfly keyboard, I'm jealous of the new MacBook Pro M1's Magic Keyboard. It's not that I'm much faster on this layout -- I got 72 wpm on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, which is within my usual range. But made fewer errors than usual. More than important, typing on the Magic Keyboard feels pillowy soft compared to the older Butterfly layout I'yard used to.
The touchpad on the MacBook Pro M1 is just as spacious and responsive as ever. I found scrolling, pinching to zoom and performing diverse gestures intuitive and smooth. Swiping up with three fingers to run across all my open apps is seamless.
I'm still not a fan of the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro. Yes, it presents shortcuts that can be useful depending on the app you're using, but mostly I find it only gets in the mode.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Brandish
The Retina Display on the MacBook Pro M1 delivers a abrupt and vibrant picture. I simply wish Apple trimmed the bezels to make the viewing experience more than immersive. Regardless, I was glad to be briefly transported to Kingdom of spain to have in a seaside view in Warrior Nun on Netflix. Every bit Ava sat downwards with her friends for luncheon, I was mesmerized by their picnic by the water, including her boyfriend's bright orangish shirt and the colorful surfboards in the background.
In our lab tests, the MacBook Pro M1's screen averaged 439 nits of brightness, which is significantly higher than the 365 nits turned in past the MacBook Air. By comparison, the Dell XPS 13 hit a higher 469 nits while the ZenBook xiii mustered 370 nits.
The MacBook Pro M1's panel delivered very skillful results on the DCI-P3 color gamut, registering 79.ii%. That'south comparable to the MacBook Air (eighty.9%) but ahead of the Dell XPS 13 (69.4%) and the ZenBook 13 (76.i%).
MacBook Pro M1 review: Speakers
The stereo speakers on the MacBook Pro M1 have the same great kick and broad sound field that they had before. When playing Portugal. The Human being'southward Feel It Still, the guitar and claps at the offset of the runway both came through without overwhelming the loftier-pitched vocals.
I and then switched over to the acoustic version of A-ha's "Accept on Me." The trill in Morten Harket's vocalization was accordingly haunting every bit information technology soared. If you haven't heard these speakers before, y'all will be impressed.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Webcam
I'm not almost to give Apple a pass for continuing to saddle the MacBook Pro with a 720p webcam in 2020. I think we can handle full HD at this point. Merely I practise requite Apple tree credit for improving the epitome quality and reducing the noise, thanks to the image signal processing delivered by the M1 chip.
I put the new MacBook Pro M1 side by side with my old MacBook Pro and took a selfie with their webcams in my home function, and the difference was literally nighttime and twenty-four hours. Even with very little ambience light the MacBook Pro M1'due south photographic camera captured a much brighter and clearer shot of my face. The older model'southward webcam paradigm was a splotchy mess past comparison.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Design and ports
I've saved the worst for last in this MacBook Pro M1 review. The design is exactly the same as before, which means you get the same 3-pound slab of aluminum. The lack of a touchscreen is expected just all the same disappointing when yous consider that macOS Big Sur lets you download your iPhone and iPad apps.
And again I'd like to see Apple trim the bezels around the display. The colour choices are uninspiring as well with just argent and infinite gray as options. Where'southward the iPad Air-like hues?
The port choice continues to exist very slim with merely two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on the left side and a headphone jack on the correct side. The pricier Intel-based MacBook Pro M1 comes with four Thunderbolt ports but starts at $ane,799.
MacBook Pro M1 review: macOS Big Sur
MacOS Big Sur is more than but a fresh glaze of paint for the MacBook Pro M1. Yes, the design looks cleaner, but I appreciate the large new features more. This includes Command Centre for Mac for quickly accessing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings, and decision-making the display, audio and music controls all from i identify.
I'm more of a Chrome fan, simply Safari users will like all the upgrades in Big Sur, including Safari extensions in the App Shop, better tab design and countersign monitoring for better privacy. Letters on Mac gets better, as well, with the ability to pin conversations and inline replies. Apple has too fabricated big improvements to the Maps app and beefed upward the editing capabilities in Photos.
With Big Sur you lot tin can too run iPhone and iPad apps you've previously downloaded from the App Store. But they're not piece of cake to find. Y'all need to click on your contour pic in the Mac App Shop and then select the tab that says iPhone and iPad apps. Annoyingly, y'all can't search in this menu; you have to scroll down to download the app you want to your Mac.
MacBook Pro M1 review: Verdict
The MacBook Pro M1 is easily one of the all-time xiii-inch laptops coin can buy. You go blazing performance and epic battery life for your $1,299. And notwithstanding the speed gap between the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with M1 is non that great.
There are some reasons to splurge for the MacBook Pro with M1, though. Yous get ameliorate sustained performance for larger tasks, because the MacBook Pro has a fan and the Air does non. And I do appreciate that the MacBook Pro has a brighter display and a better GPU for its opening price. If Apple threw in two more than Thunderbolt ports I think the Pro would be an easier sell.
Some may adopt the MacBook Pro 14-inch, which sports a larger 14-inch mini-LED display along with a more powerful M1 Pro flake and more ports. However, that laptop starts at $1,999. A new entry-level MacBook Pro 2022 with an upgraded M2 chip is reportedly launching later this year, but we doubt that it's launching anytime presently.
Overall, I really like the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 and information technology'due south an excellent choice for power users. But I recollect for the vast majority of people the MacBook Air M1 is "Pro" enough for now.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/macbook-pro-m1
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