Should we rush to the Apple Store tomorrow to buy a MacBook Pro M3? Several media outlets published in advance by Apple answer this question with their just-published tests.
MacBook Pro 16″ M3 Max Space Black. Image Ars Technica.
Aesthetically, the only new thing on the MacBook Pro M3 Pro and M3 Max is the new Space Black color, in addition to the already existing silver. Jason Snell of Six Colors notes that this finish is darker than the space gray it replaces, but not actually black.
The question focused primarily on this paint’s propensity to highlight fingerprints. According to the blogger, you can still show your fingerprints on the case, but Apple’s promise is kept, namely that they are more discreet than on other surfaces, including the heavily dirty MacBook Air M2 Midnight. The MacBook Pro 14″ M3 “in short”, which is the successor to the MacBook Pro 13″, remains available in space gray and silver.
The maximum screen brightness in SDR (when the Mac is not displaying HDR content) has been increased to 600 nits instead of 500 nits. According to Ars Technica, this makes SDR content slightly easier to read in full sun, but otherwise the difference is not noticeable.
A MacBook Pro M3 Max falling down
The real reason for the new 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro is the M3 chip family. Apple distributed two types of configurations to the initial testers: 14″ M3 MacBook Pros and 14″ or 16″ MacBook Pros with the most powerful M3 Max (16 CPU cores / 40 GPU cores). Therefore, for the M3 Pro tests we have We have to wait a few days (we will receive a copy tomorrow) This decision by Apple is certainly not a coincidence when we see that the M3 Pro does not evolve as openly as the others or that it even takes steps backwards – our future benchmarks will show it.
M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max: How Apple is further segmenting its range and weakening the M3 Pro
Since the M3 Pro has not yet been analyzed, we therefore do not yet have a complete picture of the balance or imbalance of the new SoC family. The performance of the M3 Max does not disappoint, quite the opposite.
For example, PetaPixel notes that the tested MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max (48 GB memory, 1 TB storage) outperforms the Mac Studio M1 Ultra (20 CPU cores, 64 GPU cores, 128 GB storage) in several areas, although the The latter looks much more muscular.
PetaPixel graphics.
The M3 Max can achieve single-core and multi-core performance that’s pretty close to that of high-end desktop CPUs like Intel’s Core i9-14900K (24 cores, up to 6GHz), which for an in Having a processor integrated processor laptop is truly impressive, points out Ars Technica. The same goes for the GPU, which is around 50% faster than the M1 Max.
A small innovation for the MacBook Pro 14″ M3 Max: It also has a performance mode that allows you to use full performance for longer periods of time. Previously, this mode was reserved for the MacBook Pro 16″ M1/M2 Max .
A MacBook Pro M3 with short memory
In contrast to the MacBook Pro M3 Max, there is a new entry-level model with the MacBook Pro M3 for 1,999 euros, which loses a Thunderbolt port, RAM, an external screen, some weight and performance compared to the M3 Pro (from 1,999 euros 2,499) . According to The Verge, Apple did well to replace the MacBook Pro 13″ Touch Bar with this device, but it’s a shame that it only has 8GB of memory as standard. This criticism is (logically) shared by Engadget and the other sites that could have tried this computer.
We’ll see you in the coming days for our own tests of the MacBook Pro M3. Until then, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments.