Apple today introduced the new 2021 MacBook Pro. It comes in two sizes, a 16-inch model as well as a new 14-inch model, and features a raft of changes, from the design to the display, the connectivity, the battery, and most importantly, the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets. The new MacBook Pro features a brand new design that is somewhat reminiscent of the old polycarbonate MacBooks in the way the aluminum shell is curved around the sides. It's interesting that the MacBook Pro is going back to the curved design of its predecessor while the iPhone and iPad went back to the flat sides of their predecessors.
On the inside, the new MacBook Pro also
has a new keyboard nestled within an all-black background. The new model no
longer has the controversial Touch Bar and instead replaces it with a standard
row of function keys, which are now also full-sized to match Apple's wireless
keyboards. The new model comes with two new displays. The 16-inch model has a 16.2-inch
IPS LCD with a resolution of 3456x2234. Meanwhile, the 14-inch model has a
14.2-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 3024x1964. Both models feature mini-LED
backlighting, which features a cluster of 10,000 mini-LEDs for precise local
dimming and contrast. Both models also feature a 120Hz refresh rate, 1600 nits
peak brightness, 1000 nits sustained brightness, and full Display-P3 wide color
coverage. Both panels also support HDR.
Apple has also shrunk the bezels around
the panel this time and added a notch at the top for the new 1080p FaceTime HD
camera. macOS has been updated to accommodate this new notch, which now neatly
integrates within the menu bar at the top. The notch is certainly a lot wider
than it needs to be right now, which seems like a placeholder for possible
future Face ID support. The new MacBook Pro also features a new sound system,
consisting of a six-speaker system made up of two tweeters and four
force-canceling woofers. The speakers now also support spatial audio for Dolby
Atmos. The new machine also features "studio-quality" microphones
with a reduced noise floor compared to the previous generation.
The new MacBook Pro runs on Apple's new M1
Pro and M1 Max system-on-chip processors. If you go for the smaller 14-inch
model, then you just get the M1 Pro options by default but you could configure
it with the M1 Max from Apple's website. With the larger 16-inch model, you get
a choice of either M1 Pro or M1 Max by default, and then you can also configure
it further from Apple's website if required. With these new processors, the
MacBook Pro is capable of having up to 32GB of unified memory on the M1 Pro or
64GB on the M1 Max. Since this is unified memory, it's the same pool of memory
available for the system as well as the graphics.
In terms of storage, Apple is now using
even faster SSDs capable of up to 7.4GB/s read speeds. These can be configured
from 512GB all the way to 8TB. Apple has also revamped the connectivity on its
new pro notebook. The port selection on the previous generation MacBook Pro was
always a universally criticized aspect of the machine, which the new model
attempts to rectify. While you're not getting any USB-A ports there is now a
full-size HDMI port and a full-size SDXC card slot joining the three USB-C
Thunderbolt 4 ports. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack with a more powerful
amplifier for high impedance headphones. Last but not the least, Apple has also
brought back the MagSafe port, which now joins the USB-C ports in being able to
fast charge your new MacBook Pro.
Together with all the ports and the
improved graphics, the M1 Pro MacBook Pro can support up to two 6K Pro Display
XDR at the same time, while the M1 Max can support three 6K Pro Display XDR as
well as a 4K display at the same time. The new MacBook Pro also has improved
battery life. The 16-inch model can do up to 21 hours of video playback and 14
hours of web browsing. Meanwhile, the 14-inch model can do 17 hours of video
playback and 11 hours of web browsing.
To charge the new model, you either get a
67W USB-C charger if you get a model with the 8-core CPU M1 Pro or a 96W USB-C
charger if you get any of the other CPU models. A USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (2m)
is included in the box. nThe 14-inch MacBook Pro starts atUS $1,999 while the
16-inch starts at US$ 2,499. They are available for order on Apple online store
today and will arrive and become available in retail stores on Tuesday, October
26.
