Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M1 Pro, 2021) review: Return of the Mac

(Pocket-lint) - The Apple MacBook has had a tumultuous clip since 2016: it mislaid astir of its assorted ports successful favour of a streamlined USB-C experience; it struggled to supply a keyboard that offered a bully typing experience; portion galore recovered the Touch Bar's beingness questionable.

That led to a fig of competitors trying to musculus successful with viable alternatives for originative professionals keen to get enactment done portion retired connected the road. Apple's response? Two new MacBook Pro models with caller displays, caller processors, the removal of the Touch Bar, and a full big of ports are backmost erstwhile more.

So has Apple righted the wrongs of its MacBook Pro caller past, oregon has trying to code erstwhile trials and tribulations meant caller problems person crept successful arsenic a result? We've been utilizing the 2021 MacBook Pro 14-inch, implicit with M1 Pro processor, to find out...

A caller design 

• Dimensions: 15.5mm (H) x 312mm (W) x 221mm (D) / Weight: 1.6kg 
• Ports: HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm jack, 3x USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, SDXC slot
• Available successful Silver oregon Space Grey
• Touch ID fingerprint scanner
• Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
• No Touch Bar

The MacBook Pro is inactive a grey aluminium slab, but its 2021 plan is overmuch squarer successful signifier and approach, losing those receding curves and bladed edges of old. The determination to a 14-inch show besides means it's go a bigger and heavier instrumentality - oregon there's a bigger-still 16-inch exemplary besides disposable if you privation to spell supersize.

Thanks to the simplification of the bezel astir the surface - and the instauration of a notch, yes you work that close - the wide summation successful size is hardly noticeable though. We were inactive capable to usage a fig of brushed laptop pouches and bags successful the bureau that we usage for an older 13-inch MacBook Pro model with nary issues. 

The MacBook Pro present sits connected 4 reasonably important feet - which could easy beryllium mistaken for lenses connected the backmost of an iPhone - and that raises the laptop up disconnected immoderate aboveground you're moving from. 

This volition beryllium for amended vigor dissipation - not that we've felt this MacBook Pro get overly blistery successful its caller M1 Pro processor signifier - and the request for enhanced cooling is further recovered successful 3 ample vents connected the basal of the casing. There's 1 vent astatine the backmost beneath the surface hinge that expels air, portion 2 broadside vents suck aerial in. 

Although we've yet to acquisition immoderate problems, those 2 broadside vents bash interest us. The slits measurement 3mm x 100mm and bash not, from what we tin see, diagnostic immoderate protective meshing to halt dust, dirt, sand, oregon different detritus, from getting in. 

If you're readying connected this workhorse being utilized connected determination wherever the situation isn't ever arsenic pristine arsenic your bureau mightiness be, that mightiness beryllium a occupation without further protection. Put simply, the laptop isn't arsenic sealed arsenic erstwhile models. 

What's besides precise antithetic from immoderate MacBook Pro released since 2016 is the summation of assorted ports to marque connecting to your devices easier - overmuch easier. It's similar stepping into the past portion stepping into the future, arsenic the ports are good and genuinely back.

On 1 broadside of the chassis you'll find a MagSafe charging socket (yes, the dedicated charging larboard returns), 2 Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the different broadside there's the HDMI 2.0 larboard (not 2.1 though), different Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) port, and thing photographers volition cheer astatine - an SD paper slot. 

The ports are intimately packed in, but determination are USB-C options connected some sides to assistance if you're needing to complaint and usage a dongle astatine the aforesaid time. That's the payment of having a dedicated charging port, but the USB-C ports tin beryllium utilized for charging if that's each you person to manus - they're conscionable not arsenic speedy astatine topping up arsenic MagSafe is all.

Open up the lid and it's each alteration present too. The Touch Bar has been ditched - it was supposedly loved by many, but intelligibly not capable to warrant it staying - and successful its spot is simply a enactment of carnal full-sized relation keys, giving you speedy entree to each the applicable controls you need, specified arsenic measurement and surface brightness adjustment.

For coders the ESC cardinal is present one-and-a-half size, making it adjacent easier to press, and adjacent the Touch ID button (which remains) is bigger and easier to usage for accelerated fingerprint login. The keyboard itself is acceptable successful a double-anodised achromatic well. It's smart, but does inactive endure from airy leakage from the black-lit keys. The trackpad remains the aforesaid ample size.

A caller display 

• 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Mini LED display
  
  • 3024 x 1964 resolution
  • 1600 nit max brightness
  • ProMotion tech to 120Hz
• 1080p FaceTime HD camera, f/2 aperture
  • Embedded successful notch

The show is wholly caller for the MacBook Pro, but not caller to Apple. The 2021 MacBook Pro comes with a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini LED display.

It offers large opposition and the accustomed array of Apple's show technologies - including P3 wide colour gamut, up to 1600 nits of highest brightness, and True Tone adaptive colour correction - portion ProMotion 120Hz fast-refresh tech comes to the MacBook Pro for the archetypal time.

If each that sounds acquainted it's due to the fact that it is the aforesaid surface exertion that powers the iPad Pro range, and the results are breathtaking - whether you are moving connected a video edit, correcting photos, watching your favourite TV amusement connected the go, oregon simply surfing the web. 

Apple's ProMotion show makes everything connected the surface considerably smoother, particularly if you're accelerated scrolling oregon dealing with tons of movement. Its quality to alteration the refresh complaint erstwhile needed means you'll perchance prevention artillery beingness too. 

The 14.2-inch show is capable to acceptable into the caller exemplary due to the fact that of a simplification successful the bezel that surrounds the display. It's present considerably thinner each around, but there's a catch: the caller 1080p FaceTime HD camera is bigger than the bezel it sits within, resulting successful a notch that iPhone X oregon aboriginal users volition beryllium acquainted with. Yes: a notched surface connected a laptop.

If that sounds analyzable oregon awkward it's really not. The notch sits wrong the paper barroom astatine the apical of the surface and though you tin suffer the rodent pointer down it, you can't spot immoderate model down it adjacent if you spell into full-screen mode. It doesn't interfere with full-screen videos either, and if you opt for a darker desktop wallpaper oregon enactment with full-screen apps, the chances are you won't adjacent announcement it.

Why has Apple done it then? It's truly each astir getting much surface abstraction and utilizing what was antecedently bezel for the paper barroom instead, sitting near and close of the notch.

A caller processor, memory, and more

• M1 Pro and M1 Max processor options
• Up to 64GB of unified memory 
• Up to 8TB of SSD storage
• Six speakers 

Apple's determination to its ain silicon moves up a cogwheel with the instauration of the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors. The M1 Pro claims to beryllium doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic the M1 that launched successful 2020, portion the M1 Max is doubly arsenic accelerated again.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro comes successful 2 off-the-shelf options: there's an entry-level M1 Pro with 8-core CPU and 14-core GPU, oregon (as reviewed) an M1 Pro with a 10-core CPU and 16-Core GPU. Those who request much powerfulness tin upgrade to the M1 Max - but upgrading tin get pricey beauteous quickly. 

Both 14-inch models travel with 16GB unified representation arsenic standard. That tin besides beryllium upgraded to 32GB (as reviewed). There's besides a 64GB option, but that requires the M1 Max.

Unified memory, archetypal introduced alongside the M1 processor, allows the strategy representation to beryllium shared wherever needed alternatively than siloed for the graphics oregon the processor. It's a overmuch much businesslike mode of doing things and means that erstwhile an app oregon crippled loads it tin entree each that representation to usage for itself.

In the lawsuit of a video editing package, for example, it means there's considerably much representation to enactment with compared to erstwhile MacBook Pro models. The 2020 exemplary had 8GB-to-16GB of unified representation available. The 2019 exemplary (so pre-M1) had up to 32GB RAM and 4GB devoted to the graphics card.

So you tin spot wherefore originative professionals volition beryllium excited by the imaginable of a 64GB option. It'll mean the accidental to unfastened immense files that were antecedently inaccessible erstwhile connected the go.

All that power, combined with faster SSDs - which by the mode are upgradable up to 8TB, yes 8 terabytes - means moving with ample files shouldn't airs a problem. And from what we've tested thing seems to faze the 14-inch MacBook Pro. 

This instrumentality laughs successful the look of large files and demanding apps. In testing, a 31GB cinema 4D record opens astir instantly and allows you to render effects successful real-time. We couldn't adjacent unfastened it connected our M1-powered 13-inch model. Likewise, a 1594 way Pro Logic record opens successful little than 20 seconds. 

Those wanting to edit video connected the spell shouldn't person a occupation either. The M1 Pro tin grip up to 20 streams of 4K ProRes footage astatine the aforesaid time, portion the M1 Max tin grip 30 streams.

And the power-crazy specs don't halt there. The M1 Pro models let you to link up to 2 Pro Display XDRs, portion the M1 Max tin thrust up to 3 Pro Display XDRs and a 4K TV. 

Elsewhere there's a three-mic array for signaling audio and a six-speaker soundsystem that supports Apple's Spatial Audio. It sounds considerably amended than erstwhile MacBook Pro models, and is much than bully capable to playback projects you're moving connected oregon simply erstwhile it comes to the extremity of the time and you fancy watching a amusement oregon movie.

A caller MagSafe 3 charger 

• Up to 17 hours artillery life
• Fast-charging 
• Entry-level volition request to upgrade powerfulness adapter

All that powerfulness requires plentifulness of artillery - and the MacBook Pro 14-inch seems to person it successful spades. It's partially wherefore the portion is simply a further 200g heavier than the 13.3-inch model. 

There's imaginable for up to 17 hours of full-screen video playback - which is 7 much than the 13-inch exemplary - oregon 11 hours of wireless web browsing. Of people those battery-life times alteration depending connected what you bash with the machine, but we've happily got a day's usage from the artillery doing a operation of dense and airy tasks. 

You tin recharge the artillery via 1 of the 3 Thunderbolt 4 sockets, arsenic MacBook Pro users person done since 2016, oregon via the caller included braided MagSafe charging cablegram successful the container - which allows you to entree fast-charging tech.

However, accelerated charging for the 14-inch exemplary is lone imaginable utilizing the overmuch larger 96W charger. The entry-level configuration doesn't see this successful the container (it's the modular 67W one), truthful you'll person to adhd it arsenic an accessory if you privation it. Higher-level configurations bash see the 96W charger arsenic standard, though, truthful that's thing to support an oculus on.

That accelerated charging is worthy it though. You'll get from zero to 50 per cent successful conscionable nether 30 minutes - a fig we tin vouch for. 

macOS Monterey operating system

• New features 
• Universal power not coming till later 
• No MacBook Pro exclusive features

Apple's macOS gets an update too. Now connected mentation 12, oregon Monterey, the operating strategy brings with it a fig of caller features - and galore that travel crossed from the iPhone and iPad. That includes features similar amended FaceTime controls, Focus, Quick Notes, changes to Safari, Shortcuts, and Universal Control erstwhile it yet launches aboriginal this year. Unlike a caller iPhone oregon Apple Watch determination aren't immoderate exclusive MacBook Pro bundle enhancements. 

• macOS Monterey strategy requirements: Which Macs enactment macOS 12?

Writing by Stuart Miles. Originally published connected 25 October 2021.