Next on my list on things to review roundup is the M4 MacBook Pro. The sources are: Wired, Gizmodo, and The Independent.
First, the chip. The new MacBook Pros are packed with the M4-series chips. According to The Independent, it's "astonishingly fast", and to "say it's lightning fast would be to underestimate lightning", and this makes for "an impressive games machine" with its "immersive screen", "powerful audio", and "advanced graphics". It even said that "it's very hard to push the MacBook Pro to its limits -- I never heard the fan spring into life whatever I threw at it". Wired says almost the same thing, with the source also pointing out that it's 28% faster than the M3 Pro in benchmarks, and Gizmodo also said that even the base M4 chip (the one in the source's review unit) performed well, especially against the M3 in Blender rendering tests, but you couldn't get full resolution and good frame rates in games at the same time. Wired says too, though, that the 28% improvements are becoming suited for less and less people, and that "Apple has been a victim of its success".
The battery life goes "on and on", according to The Independent, and Gizmodo agrees, saying that after a "full, nine-hour workday of near-constant use", including lots of different apps and constant typing, the battery was at 30%, and that light laptops from other companies "don't hold a candle" to the MacBook Pro. However, Wired says that even though the battery performs great, that "that extra half-pound hasn't gone into the battery."
All other upgrades, aside from Thunderbolt 5 with up to 120 GB/s on the M4 Pro and Max models, a 16GB RAM base (which Gizmodo celebrates), and a new USB-C port on the right, a Space Black color option, and a brighter screen for the 14" M4 model, are from the M4 iMac. However, that doesn't mean that you can just set aside the nano-texture display upgrade and better camera as "been there, done that": the better camera with Center Stage (which "cleverly keeps you front-and-centre", according to The Independent, and which "works well enough" but not well enough to keep yourself visible if you fall asleep and tilt 90 degrees in your chair during a work video conference (I hope he hasn't tried that himself!)) and Desk View (which "works very well", according to the same source, and is "a handy feature" according to Gizmodo) is the first 12MP camera on any MacBook, a feat which was previously rendered impossible by how thin MacBooks are, and the nano-texture display "looks beautiful" (according to The Independent) and is great for areas with a lot of light. Wired agrees about the nano-texture display, saying that the feature "makes the screen feel like you're looking at a photograph", but Gizmodo, however, doesn't think that the nano-texture display is worth the extra price, saying that it's "not necessary" because his review unit worked great under direct sunlight without the feature.
In summary, the MacBook Pro is a "strong value", according to The Independent (something which Wired agrees on), because of all its features, and if "you want the best laptop around, this is it." Gizmodo hates the notch, though, but he says that "the strain on the current chassis is starting to show", which could be interpreted as the source in disbelief over the overall performance. The source also has a love/hate relationship the MacBook Pro in general, thinking that it has a "stale" design with a bad notch (which Wired agrees on) and with a bad trackpad (which Wired also agrees on, and also says that the arrow keys are too small, the fan is loud, it's very heavy (and indeed, it's 0.5 pounds heavier than the M3 version), and that the power brick isn't color-matching) and that there's too much "been there, done that", but also thinking that the performance and battery life outperforms anyway (according to Gizmodo those without "advanced programs" to run regularly have still a future-proofing reason to buy the new Pro). However, Wired says that even if you have an M1 MacBook Pro, there might not be a need for upgrading, because the two look so similar (except if you're comparing to a Space Black MacBook Pro, but that's just the colorway), and that "my hunch is that if you felt you could wait for the M4, well, you can probably hold out for the M5."
By Leo
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