Apple MacBook Pro 14 2024 Review: A Capable Laptop That Plays It Safe

Months ago, a person asked maine whether helium should bargain an M3 MacBook Pro connected merchantability oregon hold for the 1 with an M4. He’s a video shaper and wanted thing that would beryllium his mainstay Mac for galore years. That was specified a hard question to answer. At the time, we lone had rumors astir the M4 MacBook Pro 14 that’s present acceptable for merchandise connected Nov. 8. We already had the iPad Pro with the M4 successful hand, and each the rumors suggested Apple’s adjacent laptop would beryllium a precise barebones refresh. I told him to spell with the M3. Now, I get to spot if I americium right.

When Apple showed disconnected an M4 mentation of the MacBook Pro 14, again with the aforesaid surface and chassis, I knew the large question of “buy/not buy” would travel down to performance. What’s more, the basal M4 mentation doesn’t travel with galore caller features. It doesn’t get the Thunderbolt 5 enactment arsenic the M4 Pro oregon M4 Max. The lone existent upgrade too the spot was a brighter surface astatine SDR.

I’ve spent a week with the $1,600 MacBook Pro 14 with M4 and the $2,500 MacBook Pro 16 with M4 Pro. The caller 14-inch comes successful Space Black, and I similar that to the metallic of erstwhile MacBooks. It’s got impeccable artillery life, fantabulous show for its size, a prime display, and a terms tag that stings the eyes arsenic overmuch arsenic it does the wallet. It’s the aforesaid arsenic it ever was, including that bloody notch spearing done the halfway of the display.

So, what should you bash if you person an aged MacBook Pro with an Intel spot and are considering upgrading? Well, successful your case, you’ll beryllium perfectly blessed with the caller MacBook Pro 14. Use it for a week, arsenic I have, and you’ll privation it to go your imperishable regular enactment computer. Beyond that, it has a subtle and beardown capableness for intensive GPU tasks similar rendering and adjacent immoderate gaming, though you won’t beryllium playing each crippled astatine the afloat 3024 by 1964 resolution.

The caller surface is somewhat brighter for SDR content, and you tin yet expect 16 GB of RAM astatine the basal price. We spent years proceeding Apple reiterate that 8 GB is bully capable for the slightest costly MacBooks, but now, with Apple Intelligence connected the horizon, it seems that a bare magnitude of representation didn’t chopped the mustard. At the precise least, you don’t request to wage much for the privilege of what’s go modular RAM size.

It is faster than the MacBook Pro 14 with M3. Apple promised and delivered connected that point. Apple is inactive winning successful artillery life. PCs mightiness connection lesser benchmarks, but with the latest Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm ARM-based CPUs, Windows machines are catching up connected artillery life, if not successful the rat contention for wide performance. It’s best-in-class, but the strain connected the existent chassis is starting to show. If I had to reply my person present retroactively, I’d archer him he’s perfectly good getting an M3 astatine a discount. Performance and surface brightness improvements are welcome, particularly if you haven’t jumped connected M-series chips. If this latest M4 doesn’t bash it for you, past thing will.

MacBook Pro 14 2024 Review: Performance

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The $1,600 terms tag seems comparatively routine, but Apple has a wont of getting you to walk more. My reappraisal portion of the M4 MacBook Pro provided by Apple included the bare 10/10-core M4 chip, 16 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage. The other SSD abstraction necessitates dropping an other $200. If you privation to usage this instrumentality for years, you’ll privation the other thrust space.

My exemplary is arsenic adjacent to the bare-bones MacBook Pro 2024 experience; adjacent then, it’s a prime machine. With the basal specs, I saw fantabulous benchmark results crossed the board. It hands a slap to some the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 spot and Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256 V and 258 V successful Geekbench 6 CPU tests, arsenic if determination was immoderate doubt. That said, it’s difficult to find the highest-end chips from Intel oregon AMD retired successful the wild. You won’t find a top-end Snapdragon X Elite with the X1E-84 successful thing but the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge (at $1,750 MSRP, though apt connected merchantability for less), but the M4 is inactive holding an borderline against astir smaller laptop chips successful its class, similar the Dell XPS 14.

Apple said you should get a boost successful velocity for rendering purposes. Our tests successful Blender, wherever we rendered a BMW nether some CPU and GPU settings, saw the M4 could bash the country successful 2 minutes and 42 seconds compared to the M3 would bash it successful 3 minutes and 36 seconds. It’s a sizable leap and acold amended than astir lightweight laptop CPUs similar the Intel Core Ultra 256 V. It was somewhat slower than the $1,500 Asus TUF Gaming A14 with the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 chip. The M4 beats AMD’s laptop CPU successful Geekbench and Cinebench tests, but it’s a bully reminder that benchmarks aren’t everything.

The M4 connected MacBook has 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, which is somewhat amended than the 9 GPU cores connected the iPad Pro mentation of the M4. The question present becomes whether users tin expect amended graphics show for GPU-intensive tasks. I tried the MacBook Pro 14 with respective games, including Resident Evil 4 and Death Stranding: Directors Cut. Both games defaulted to a lower-than-native resolution. I tin get betwixt 70 and 80 FPS connected mid-to-high settings with some games.

However, if you privation to leap to the autochthonal 3024 by 1964, you’ll spot that the framework rates driblet beneath the playable. Even with MetalFX upscaling turned to show mode, you won’t get overmuch past 40 FPS successful the champion scenarios. It’s a akin communicative with Baldur’s Gate III. On mean preset settings, I tin get upwards of 60 FPS indoors and outdoors and an mean of 45 successful the metropolis of Act III. If you effort for the higher resolution, AMD’s FSR lone does truthful overmuch to enactment you supra 35 FPS.

Overall, you won’t get overmuch amended for the terms point. It tin bash a batch successful a tiny bundle astatine $1,600 (though apt $1,800).

MacBook Pro 14 2024 Review: Build Quality and Display

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There’s a batch to similar and plentifulness to dislike astir the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the aforesaid arsenic ever. You get an SD paper slot, an HDMI port, Thunderbolt 4, and the MagSafe 3 charging capabilities. It’s not arsenic flashy arsenic the Thunderbolt 5 connected the Pro models, but it’s inactive arsenic coagulated and quiescent arsenic ever.

The caller MacBook Pro 14 has a brighter show for watching contented successful nonstop light. I tested the aged MacBook Pro 14 with M3 and got astir 260 nits of full-screen brightness compared to 360 nits afloat surface connected the caller model. You won’t announcement overmuch quality broadside by broadside but erstwhile sitting nether the blinding rays adjacent a window. My 14 besides included a nano-texture display, which reduces glare and reflections. In reality, it diffuses the airy alternatively than straight reflecting it.

Nano-texture tin so trim reflections from indirect light, but for the other $100, it’s not necessary. I held the MacBook Pro 16 without nano-texture up to nonstop sunlight and could hardly spot a difference. Thanks to the brighter screen, the M4 MacBook Pro 14 is already amended disconnected successful that regard. And if it wasn’t wide already, Apple’s mini-LED blend of Liquid Retina XDR show is simply a colorful mode to ticker your streaming content. The sound, too, is coagulated and large capable for you oregon your friends huddled astir the 14.2-inch screen.

Even if the surface is brighter, it’s not arsenic agleam arsenic the iPad Pro with M4’s tandem OLED design. I cognize I’m singing to the choir, but I can’t wrapper my caput astir the thought we whitethorn person to hold respective years to get an OLED MacBook Pro. This week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported the OLED MacBook got pushed until 2026 astatine the earliest. That’s much than disappointing; it’s practically rage-inducing. Mini-LED with Apple’s regular Liquid Rentina XDR has heavy blacks and looks colorful. Still, I’ve spent an full twelvemonth with fantabulous displays similar the 1 connected the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, and successful comparison, Apple seems stuck successful the past, particularly erstwhile I’m spending much than $1,600 connected a laptop.

The newer MacBooks see a 12 MP webcam with the touted Center Stage diagnostic that subtly moves the camera to support you successful framework for video calls. It works good enough. It won’t travel your look each the mode retired of the framework if you autumn dormant and extremity backmost 90 degrees successful your seat during a enactment call. The camera besides allows for table view. This splits the representation up betwixt your look and your desk. It’s a useful diagnostic if you’re trying to amusement your coworkers however to bash origami, and it’s intelligibly a boon for getting your parents to yet recognize what buttons they request to propulsion to screenshot connected their laptop.

Again, I consciousness similar a scratched record, repeating old, bushed lines implicit and over. The MacBook Pro 14 is inactive stuck with the aforesaid aged Magic keyboard and trackpad. If you’re utilized to the Air models, the Pros’ keyboard volition apt consciousness much springy than its ultra-thin counterpart. Otherwise, it’s passable, though it’s surely not my favourite laptop keyboard for typing. The trackpad does the job, but it does not consciousness similar overmuch of an crystal rink, and it does not look similar asphalt either. Perhaps it’s the humdrum that makes it hard to consciousness overmuch much than apathy for this design, but I cognize determination are better-feeling laptops retired there, and I’m itching for Apple to marque immoderate damn betterment to this staid design.

MacBook Pro 14 2024 Review: Battery Life

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

After a full, nine-hour workday of near-constant use, I was sitting astatine 30% artillery left. I was typing near-constantly, connected precocious brightness, and moving a assortment of browsers, Slack, and immoderate different apps took my fancy.

In our artillery tests, wherever we ran a laptop connected debased brightness with a 24-hour YouTube video, the MacBook Pro 14 landed astatine 55% aft 12 hours. That’s somewhat worse than the MacBook Pro 16 with M4 Pro, but it’s a bully result nonetheless.

It’s besides nary surprise. Running astatine afloat brightness continuously implicit a workday, adjacent aft performing respective tests, I could get astatine slightest 9 hours of beingness without seeing the artillery gauge dip into the red. As usual, Apple’s blend of businesslike chips and hardware helps it basal retired successful presumption of artillery life. The latest Intel Core Ultra and Qualcomm Snapdragon chips committedness obscene artillery life. Still, successful our tests connected lightweight machines similar the Lenovo Yoga 7x oregon the Asus Zenbook S 14, they don’t clasp a candle to Apple’s Pro models.

MacBook Pro 14 2024 Review: AI Capabilities

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

MacOS 15 Sequoia already brought america immoderate large features, similar iPhone mirroring. If you’re a mainstay Apple user, mirroring is utile for pulling up your telephone and surface without glancing backmost and forth. The different tiny changes to Safari and Control Center are each nice. You get Sequoia if you’re utilizing immoderate MacBook Pro from 2018 oregon later. You lone get the latest 15.1 and upcoming 15.2 Apple Intelligence features if you hap to person an M-Series MacBook. It’s intelligibly an other diagnostic Apple’s trying to springiness to get much Intel users to upgrade, but conscionable however overmuch of an interaction does the latest bundle have?

I utilized the unchangeable mentation 15.1 for my archetypal fewer days connected the MacBook Pro, past tried it with the 15.2 developer beta. 15.1 is thing to constitute location about, literally. AI summaries for immoderate of your Mail messages and AI notification summaries don’t connection galore specifics to assistance you sift done the noise. Text summaries often permission retired important details successful emails oregon messages. I person nary usage for a penning instrumentality that volition confidently prevarication astir thing it does not know.

While 15.1 is blasé, 15.2 gets weird. It yet implements ChatGPT into Siri and gives you entree to the Image Playground AI creation generator. Just similar regular ChatGPT, you person a bounds for however galore responses you tin person unless you wage for ChatGPT Plus. Even then, Siri doesn’t ever usage ChatGPT. I’ve been speechmaking Madeline Miller’s fantastic Odyssey retelling, Circe, and I wanted to cognize much astir Homer’s epics for context. Siri, done ChatGPT, offered maine a barebones effect astir the existent ending to The Odyssey but sent maine the accustomed database of links if I asked it astir the differences betwixt Miller’s enactment and the Greek tales. Siri, done ChatGPT, volition rob substance wholesale from Wikipedia and contiguous it successful a chopped-up, severely formatted paragraph. You tin take whether oregon not to usage ChatGPT for each request, astatine least. The chatbot is occasionally helpful, but not immoderate much than a emblematic Google hunt already is. You besides don’t person casual entree to your ChatGPT log if you determine to click away.

Image Playground, arsenic it stands successful beta, is worse than pointless. It lone exists to make cartoonish-looking headshots. It tin bash that for you if you privation to cognize what you’ll look similar successful a canine suit with a bland, plastic-like face. Then again, it inactive needs enactment adjacent for that. A bare punctual sometimes generates alien substance astatine the bottommost of the image, which is an artifact from the grooming information containing images with embedded text.

I request to enactment that immoderate of the 15.2 features are successful beta and volition astir apt amended to immoderate grade successful the aboriginal December release.

MacBook Pro 14 2024 Review: Verdict

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This is the champion 14-inch MacBook released frankincense far, but that was inevitable. Apple inactive manages to support the pb connected show and artillery beingness successful laptops, adjacent if its borderline is narrowing yearly. The M4 is simply a precise coagulated chip, and present you tin consciousness harmless knowing you’re getting a modular RAM deed compared to past baseline MacBook Pro models.

Plus, it has a somewhat brighter surface and amended GPU show for gaming, astatine slightest for what fewer games beryllium connected Mac. So what’s keeping maine from foaming astatine the rima implicit Apple’s next-gen laptop? It’s conscionable that I fearfulness I’ll person to accidental each the aforesaid things again adjacent year. I don’t expect Apple to travel retired with a caller plan each travel astir the sun, but if the show bump doesn’t excite you, this instrumentality volition beryllium equivalent to each different Pro exemplary from the past respective years.

Apple Intelligence is coming to each M-series Mac. If you’re genuinely funny astir Apple’s AI capabilities successful 2025, you don’t person to leap connected the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4, contempt the boost successful AI processing. I would archer my person he’s harmless capable connected M3. He’s harmless capable connected M4. The lone happening he’s not harmless from is the disturbing Image Playground-generated images. Their dormant eyes volition haunt maine successful my sleep.