Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): power refined

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Two-minute review

Apple’s caller MacBook Pro 16-inch isn’t a revolutionary merchandise for illustration nan new, smaller, Mac mini (M4, 2024), and alternatively is much of a specs refresh for nan company’s astir powerful laptop.

So, you don’t get immoderate caller creation tweaks pinch nan caller exemplary – but you do get nan very latest M4-series chips which correspond nan pinnacle of Apple’s mobile hardware.

This is bully news for group who are looking for an incredibly powerful workstation laptop that offers exceptional build value and nan benignant of capacity that galore desktop PCs would struggle to achieve. For those of america who person been waiting for nan M4 spot to show up successful a instrumentality that tin return afloat advantage of its powerfulness (this year’s iPad Pro, which debuted nan M4 chip, is constricted by moving iPadOS, an operating system designed for tablets, pinch alternatively basal apps to match), nan 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple announced successful October 2024 could beryllium conscionable what you’ve been waiting for – though location are caveats.

Both of nan caller 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pros feature, for nan first time, nan M4 Pro and M4 Max (depending connected configuration), which are moreover much powerful versions of nan M4 – which has already proved to beryllium a powerful spot successful its ain right. The exemplary Apple sent maine to reappraisal comes pinch nan M4 Pro, a spot pinch up to a 14-core CPU consisting of up to 10 capacity cores and 4 ratio cores, and a GPU pinch up to 20 cores (twice that of nan guidelines M4 chip).

While this isn’t nan astir powerful Apple spot (the M4 Max comes pinch a CPU pinch up to 16-cores, featuring 12 capacity cores and 4 ratio cores, and a GPU pinch 40 cores), nan M4 Pro will apt beryllium much than capable for group who want a laptop that tin grip master tasks specified arsenic codification compilation, 3D animation and video editing.

For group who conscionable want a laptop for browsing nan web, creating documents, and editing location movies and photos, this will beryllium complete overkill. As nan halfway equilibrium of nan M4 Pro shows, pinch much capacity cores than ratio ones, Apple’s attraction pinch nan caller 16-inch MacBook Pro is each astir utmost capacity (the spot will move betwixt cores depending connected nan benignant of task you’re doing – if you want a batch of power, nan capacity cores are used, for lighter use, nan ratio cores footwear in).

This intends unless you’re a imaginative professional, nan 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro, 2024) really won’t beryllium for you. And, pinch a starting value of $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999 for nan guidelines configuration, which comes pinch nan M4 Pro spot and 24GB of unified memory, this is nan benignant of finance that you should deliberation very cautiously about. That’s moreover much existent of nan M4 Max model, which starts astatine $3,499 / £3,499 / AU$5,699. Sure, you’re getting 1 of nan astir powerful laptops successful nan world for that price, but if you’re not going to request that benignant of power, you’ll conscionable beryllium wasting money.

If you’re nan benignant of personification who needs nan very latest and astir powerful hardware you mightiness besides beryllium tempted – but don’t hide that it’s very apt we’ll spot an M5 exemplary adjacent year. Should you bargain nan caller MacBook Pro 16-inch, however, you should beryllium assured successful nan knowledge that you’ll not request to upgrade again for a very agelong time.

For anyone hoping for a awesome redesign, past you will beryllium disappointed. One point I’ll opportunity successful Apple’s defense present is that nan existent creation of nan MacBook Pro 16-inch is beautiful awesome – there’s not overmuch I’d really alteration astir it. Even though nan surface isn’t OLED (rumors propose we could spot that successful 2026), nan Liquid Retina XDR surface remains 1 of nan finest you tin get successful a laptop – and location is astatine slightest a caller nanotexture coating action that reduces reflections and surface glare, which will beryllium invited for group looking to usage nan caller MacBook Pro retired successful daylight, aliases successful brightly lit offices aliases studios – though this does travel astatine an other cost.

So, erstwhile again Apple has created an perfectly phenomenal laptop… that I can’t really urge to everyone. If you’re a imaginative master who is looking for a portable workstation to chew done immoderate earnestly taxing tasks, past this could beryllium an fantabulous finance that could moreover prevention you money successful nan agelong tally (with projects completing faster, you tin return connected much clients, and you won't request to bargain a caller laptop for many, galore years).

That said, if you ain an M2 Pro aliases M3 Pro model, nan M4 Pro doesn’t connection capable of a capacity leap to warrant buying a caller MacBook Pro conscionable yet. The champion move successful that lawsuit would beryllium to hold a fewer much years. If nan M6 Pro MacBook Pro successful 2026 does so travel pinch a awesome redesign, past an upgrade is much justifiable, arsenic nan capacity improvements should besides beryllium much noticeable. This isn’t a sound connected nan M4 Pro – it’s conscionable that nan M2 Pro and M3 Pro are conscionable truthful good, you really shouldn’t consciousness for illustration you request to upgrade conscionable yet.

If you don’t request nan benignant of powerfulness that nan caller MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) offers, past I powerfully urge you look astatine nan 15-inch MacBook Air (M3, 2024) instead, which is acold much affordable, offers fantabulous capacity and is each wrapped up successful Apple’s iconic build value and design.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Price and availability

• Starts astatine $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999
• Same value successful US arsenic M3 model
• Cheaper successful UK and Australia than M3 model

It should travel arsenic nary astonishment that nan caller MacBook Pro 16-inch is simply a very costly laptop. This is simply a workstation designed for master usage and packed pinch immoderate of nan astir powerful and cutting-edge mobile exertion you tin get, on pinch a gorgeous and expansive 16-inch screen.

Still, pinch a starting value of $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999 for nan M4 Pro exemplary pinch 24GB of unified memory, this is 1 heck of an finance and 1 that should beryllium cautiously considered.

As pinch erstwhile MacBook Pros, there’s scope to configure nan 16-inch MacBook Pro earlier you bargain by adding much representation and a larger SSD (up to 128GB of representation and 8TB of SSD retention pinch immoderate models), but nan value rises exponentially. You tin besides get a guidelines exemplary pinch nan much powerful M4 Max chip, which starts astatine $3,499 / £3,499 / AU$5,699, and again you tin up nan representation and storage.

You tin besides adhd a nano-texture show which reduces reflections and surface glare, which whitethorn beryllium very adjuvant for group who activity successful industries wherever graphics are basal (such arsenic photography, integer arts, and filmmaking), but this is besides an further costs – it’ll adhd $150 / £150 / AU$230 to an already precocious value tag.

Interestingly, while nan guidelines exemplary of nan MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) remains nan aforesaid value arsenic nan M3 Pro and M2 Pro models launched astatine successful nan US ($2,499), successful some nan UK and Australia nan caller M4 Pro guidelines exemplary is really somewhat cheaper by £100 and AU$300.

If you want thing much affordable, your options are limited. There’s nary 16-inch MacBook Pro pinch nan guidelines M4 spot – you’ll person to spell for nan 14-inch MacBook Pro for that. The smaller model, which starts astatine $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 for a configuration pinch nan M4 spot and 16GB of unified representation now occupies nan abstraction nan now obsolete 13-inch MacBook Pro utilized to – a much affordable pro instrumentality pinch much humble specifications for group who want much powerfulness than a MacBook Air tin provide, but without costing nan benignant of astronomical figures that high-end MacBook Pros demand.

The 14-inch exemplary pinch M4 Pro starts astatine $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299, truthful if you want to prevention $500 and don’t mind a smaller surface (the remainder of nan specs are nan aforesaid arsenic nan 16-inch model), past this is worthy considering.

Compared to Windows 11 alternatives, there’s nan Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8, which costs astir $1,000 / £1,000, and offers immoderate decent specs and a coagulated build quality, and a gorgeous surface – positive it’s a 2-in-1 laptop which you won’t get pinch immoderate MacBook.

Other Windows 11 workstations offering akin capacity are astir nan MacBook Pro’s price, specified arsenic nan Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED, which comes pinch a 2nd surface built supra nan keyboard (think nan Touch Bar, but overmuch larger). While this could besides beryllium dismissed arsenic a gimmick, some Asus and Lenovo show that Windows 11 laptops person a acold larger assortment of shape factors and designs.

• Value score: 3.5/5

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): Specs

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): Design

• No caller design
• Screen remains 1 of nan champion successful a laptop
• Awkward to usage erstwhile commuting

Once again, Apple has kept nan creation of nan MacBook Pro unchanged – truthful from first glimpse you won’t really announcement immoderate difference. It’s still sewage nan alternatively chunky dimensions of 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches (356 x 248 x 17mm) and a weight of 4.7 lbs and 2.2kg. While it’s a stylish-looking laptop pinch that unmistakable Apple aesthetic, this is simply a large laptop that a batch of group mightiness struggle with.

Whilst penning this reappraisal connected nan MacBook Pro 16-inch, I traveled into London connected nan train, and nan sheer size of nan laptop made utilizing it connected nan drop-down table rather awkward – it surely made maine miss my 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The size of nan MacBook Pro 16-inch is understandable, arsenic location are a batch of powerful components that request plentifulness of airflow to support cool, and nan ample surface besides intends nan wide size of nan laptop needs to beryllium connected nan bigger side. But if you’re looking for a portable laptop you tin whip retired while commuting, you whitethorn beryllium amended disconnected looking astatine nan 14-inch model, aliases going pinch a MacBook Air.

That said, erstwhile stepping astir pinch nan MacBook Pro successful my backpack, it didn’t consciousness uncomfortably dense – and nan 16-inch surface really is simply a joyousness to activity on.

Superficially, larboard action for nan 16-inch MacBook Pro seems nan same, pinch a MagSafe 3 larboard for attaching nan powerfulness supply, 2 USB-C ports, and 3.5mm headphone jack connected nan left-hand side, and a USB-C port, HDMI and SDXC representation paper slot connected nan right.

This is simply a decent action of ports, though not mind-blowing. The representation paper slot continues to beryllium a invited inclusion for photographers and videographers, arsenic you won’t request an adaptor, and nan HDMI larboard makes plugging nan 16-inch MacBook Pro into a monitor, TV, aliases projector incredibly easy. The deficiency of USB-A ports intends if you person older peripherals you’ll request an adapter to usage them.

On nan aboveground nan ports whitethorn look nan same, but Apple’s made rather a drastic alteration pinch nan USB-C ports, which are now each Thunderbolt 5 compatible. This offers acold faster information transportation speeds (up to 120Gb/s) than nan Thunderbolt 4 ports included successful nan erstwhile exemplary (which offered up to 40Gb/s). While Thunderbolt 5 devices are presently fewer and acold betwixt (and rather expensive), it does group nan MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) up arsenic a future-proof instrumentality – and if you activity pinch very ample files, this caller modular will beryllium very welcome.

On nan different hand, if you’re perfectly happy pinch nan speeds your existent USB-C SSD offers, past it’ll activity conscionable arsenic good pinch nan caller MacBook Pro, and Thunderbolt 5 is backward compatible.

The 16-inch 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR show remains nan aforesaid (with mini-LED, 1,000 nits sustained brightness, wide colour P3 gamut, ProMotion technology) arsenic erstwhile models. The surface offers a crisp image value acknowledgment to its 7.7 cardinal pixels, resulting successful a pixel density of 254ppi (pixels per inch). However, you tin now configure nan caller MacBook Pro 16-inch to travel pinch a nano-texture surface, which gives nan surface a matte value that minimizes reflections and glare.

The exemplary of MacBook Pro that Apple sent maine to trial came pinch that nano-texture surface, and successful nan agleam overhead lights of our London office, nan effect was subtle yet pleasant – location was nary glare aliases reflections, and I tin ideate extracurricular successful nonstop sunlight nan MacBook Pro 16-inch is conscionable arsenic comfortable to usage (as it’s October and I’m successful nan UK, nonstop sunlight isn’t really a thing).

Whether aliases not it’s worthy nan other $150/£150/AU$230 will really dangle connected individual sensation and master needs. While nan nano-texture isn’t an upgrade that will instantly wow you, it tin beryllium useful if you activity successful agleam environments. You mightiness besides consciousness that erstwhile spending nan benignant of money Apple is asking for nan caller MacBook, an other $150 isn’t excessively egregious – and remember, erstwhile you’ve bought nan MacBook Pro, you won’t beryllium capable to adhd nan nano-texture.

This leads to an ongoing title astir Apple devices. While there’s nary uncertainty they look great, they are very difficult – if not intolerable – to unfastened up and repair. Upgrading components is besides retired of nan question. While nan truth that nan unified representation is portion of nan M4 chip, truthful adding further representation isn’t possible, it’d beryllium bully to beryllium capable to adhd other soul storage, for example.

Of course, this has ne'er been nan measurement Apple does things, but erstwhile moreover its competitors for illustration Microsoft are getting amended astatine allowing users to upgrade and hole their devices, Apple is progressively retired of touch – and nan trouble fixing a faulty MacBook Pro sits uneasily pinch Apple’s eco-friendly messaging successful different departments.

There’s 1 last alteration to nan creation of nan caller MacBook Pro 16-inch that group mightiness miss astatine first – but it’s a doozy. The webcam has been overhauled pinch a caller 12MP ultra-wide sensor. Using nan Center Stage feature, nan MacBook Pro crops footage and uses instrumentality learning to support you centered connected nan surface – moreover if you move about. This is nan first clip Center Stage has been added to a MacBook – successful nan past nan characteristic has been constricted to iPads and nan Studio Display monitor.

It useful well, and while it’s acold from basal if you beryllium still erstwhile connected video calls, it’s bully to spot it included successful a MacBook. Even much awesome is nan Desk View feature, which allows you to simultaneously grounds footage of yourself arsenic normal, while besides signaling footage of your desk.

For tutorials, unboxing videos, and much it’s a bully characteristic and it’s very clever really nan webcam captures nan footage astatine nan aforesaid clip utilizing a azygous camera – usually, you’d request to usage 2 abstracted cameras for nan different angles. This solution is easy and elegant, and while nan value of nan footage won’t comparison to utilizing 2 outer cameras, it’s a cool characteristic to have.

Overall nan MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) creation doesn’t incorporate galore surprises, but nan ones it does are beautiful nifty. If you’re aft a much innovative laptop design, however, past you whitethorn still beryllium disappointed.

• Design score: 4/5

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Performance

• Not a monolithic leap complete M3 Pro
• Still very awesome performance
• Handles moreover nan astir intensive tasks well

Unlike nan 14-inch model, there’s nary guidelines M4 action pinch nan 16-inch MacBook Pro, making nan M4 Pro-toting exemplary nan ‘entry level’ choice. It features a 14-core CPU pinch 10 capacity cores 4 ratio cores, and a 20-core GPU.

The guidelines exemplary besides comes pinch 24GB of unified representation pinch a bandwidth of 273GB/s, and you tin configure it to travel pinch 48GB (though you’ll request to up nan M4 Pro spot to nan exemplary pinch a 16-core CPU).

If you spell for nan M4 Max, that starts astatine 36GB of representation and tin beryllium configured pinch 48GB, 64GB, and 128GB. Memory bandwidth is besides accrued to 410GB/s for nan 14-core CPU M4 Max and an perfectly immense 546GB/s bandwidth for nan 16-core CPU model.

Putting motto aside, immoderate exemplary of this year’s MacBook Pro 16-inch is going to connection fantabulous capacity for beautiful overmuch immoderate task. According to Apple’s ain numbers (which should evidently beryllium taken pinch a grade of salt), you should spot astir 2 to 3 times nan capacity of an Intel MacBook and double that of nan M1 Pro MacBook. The spread betwixt nan M3 Pro and M4 Pro is little pronounced, which considering nan M3 Pro only came retired past year, is not excessively surprising.

The exemplary of 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple sent maine to reappraisal is nan type pinch a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, and 48GB representation – truthful fundamentally nan mid-range model.

In our benchmark tests, nan M4 Pro MacBook Pro saw a decent bump successful numbers compared to an M3 Max model, specified arsenic successful Geekbench 6, wherever nan multi-core people was 23,030 compared to nan M3 Max’s 21,345. Not a groundbreaking difference, admittedly, but it shows a reliable summation successful capacity betwixt generations. I surely wouldn’t urge anyone pinch an M3 Pro MacBook Pro – aliases moreover an M2 Pro – shelling retired to upgrade to nan M4 Pro exemplary based connected these results.

Of course, synthetic benchmarks only show a portion of nan story, and successful my clip utilizing nan MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024), I was highly impressed pinch nan wide performance. macOS Sequoia ran accelerated and smooth, and location was nary motion of lag aliases slowdown moreover erstwhile I had respective apps unfastened astatine erstwhile (including nan Chrome web browser pinch almost 20 tabs open).

The caller MacBook Pro 16-inch, arsenic pinch erstwhile models, is beautiful overkill for day-to-day tasks. Still, it’s bully to spot those basal tasks performed truthful effortlessly – and location was not a azygous clang aliases correction during my clip utilizing it – thing I can’t ever opportunity astir similarly-priced Windows 11 devices.

Apple’s complete power complete some nan package and hardware of MacBooks has again paid dividends, and moreover if you don’t for illustration nan measurement nan institution does immoderate things, there’s nary denying that it often results successful highly polished and dependable products – for illustration nan caller MacBook Pro.

For much demanding tasks specified arsenic video editing, nan MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) again hardly collapsed a sweat arsenic I stitched together 4K footage successful Premiere Pro. To beryllium honest, to really make usage of nan powerfulness of nan M4 Pro – fto unsocial nan overmuch much powerful M4 Max – you’re going to request to beryllium a master filmmaker aliases 3D animator moving connected Pixar-quality productions. Everything I threw astatine it hardly gave nan caller MacBook Pro pause.

Of course, this is simply a awesome point – it’s a workstation laptop that tin rival beautiful overmuch immoderate desktop PC and tin grip moreover nan hardest workloads. But then, there’s ever that nagging emotion that you’re not making nan astir of it. It’s a unusual contradiction that successful nan extremity is simply a testament to what Apple continues to execute pinch its M-class chips.

Throughout my time, nan fans hardly kicked in, truthful while Apple’s attraction pinch nan M4 Pro is much astir capacity than efficiency, this is still a very businesslike instrumentality that is virtually silent erstwhile successful use.

• Performance score: 5/5

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Battery life

• Over 21 hours successful benchmark test
• Slightly shorter than erstwhile model
• M4 Pro focuses connected capacity complete efficiency

Ever since switching from Intel chips to its ain M-class silicon, Apple’s MacBooks person benefited from industry-leading artillery lives. While Windows 11 laptops are slow catching up (especially ones pinch nan caller Snapdragon X Elite chip, which for illustration nan M4 Pro is ARM-based), if you want a laptop that tin spell done an full workday without charging (and isn’t a basal Chromebook), past modern MacBooks are nan measurement to go—and nan caller 16-inch MacBook Pro is nary exception.

Thanks to a operation of nan businesslike M4 Pro spot and a larger assemblage that allows Apple to see a bigger battery, nan 16-inch MacBook Pro offers 1 of nan longest artillery lives of immoderate MacBook aliases Windows laptop.

In our tests, it lasted a immense 21 hours and 32 minutes – an perfectly unthinkable consequence that suggests you could spell aggregate workdays connected a azygous charge. However, it didn’t rather lucifer nan artillery life of nan M3 Max 16-inch MacBook that I reviewed past year, which lasted for 24 hours and 35 minutes successful akin circumstances, but that could beryllium down to nan M4 Pro’s accent connected capacity complete efficiency.

Still, it’s an unthinkable consequence considering nan powerfulness connected offer. I worked connected nan M4 Pro exemplary for an full train travel from Bath to London (around an hr and a half – England really is rather a mini country), and nan artillery levels hardly dipped. It’s a workstation laptop that you tin consciousness assured moving connected without having to hunt for a powerfulness supply, and erstwhile connected artillery power, it doesn’t consciousness for illustration capacity is sacrificed either.

• Battery life score: 5/5

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): Should you bargain it?

Buy it if…

Don’t bargain it if…

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) review: Also consider

If our Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) reappraisal has you considering different options, present are 2 much laptops to consider...

How I tested nan MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

• Spent respective days testing and utilizing nan MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)
• Ran our suite of benchmark tests
• Used it to activity while commuting

Ever since I received nan caller MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024), I've been utilizing it arsenic my main laptop for moving on. This included day-to-day tasks, specified arsenic penning up articles successful Microsoft Word and sending emails, arsenic good arsenic browsing nan web successful some Chrome and Safari (with aggregate tabs open) - some astatine a table successful an office, and connected a train travelling betwixt cities.

I’ve been testing MacBooks for galore years astatine TechRadar, including each nan erstwhile MacBook Pro 16-inch models, including nan Intel-based one, and that acquisition has helped pass this review.

First reviewed November 2024