The new MacBook Pro M1 has been a highly anticipated addition to the MacBook Pro lineup, which shifted from the Intel processors that have been used in the past, and many people were eager to get the new M1-based laptop. However, we compiled a MacBook Pro M1 review for you before deciding on anything.
As per our MacBook Pro review, the M1 processor is a big selling point for the new laptop, as it offers increased performance and efficiency over previous generations.
In this article, we will take a look at the pros and cons of the new processor to provide you with a detailed MacBook Pro M1 review. We will discuss its design, performance, battery life, and more.
Part 1. A Quick Verdict
The Apple M1 MacBook Pro is a powerful and portable laptop that is perfect for students and professionals alike. Moreover, it has a sleek design and is packed with features that make it a perfect choice for anyone who wants a new laptop.
The M1 chip boosts the laptop's speed and performance, and the battery life is incredible. Furthermore, it comes with a neural engine for machine learning capabilities.
Following are some pros and cons of MacBook Pro with M1 chip:
Pros
Offers excellent performance
Comes with a magic keyboard
MacBook Pro with M1 can run iOS apps
Offers a colorful and bright display
It comes with a long battery life of up to 16 -20 hours
Cons
Only two Thunderbolts and two USB ports
Offers only up to 16 GB of unified memory
The touch bar is a bit harder to use
The 720p webcam is not that big of a deal
Part 2. Review of MacBook Pro M1
The new MacBook Pro M1 chip is a significant improvement over the previous generation in terms of performance, battery life, and overall design. In comparison, the biggest competitor of this laptop is 13-inches MacBook Air M1 which has shorter battery life and a weak CPU core but costs only $999.
Here’s a complete MacBook Pro M1 review:
1. Release Date and Price
Apple released MacBook Pro with an M1 chip in November 2020. The MacBook Pro M1 price of 13-inch starts at $1,299, having 256 GB SSD and 8 GB RAM. While the high-end MacBook Pro with M1 costs $2,299, having 2 TB SSD and 16 GB RAM.
2. Performance
The new MacBook Pro with the M1 chip is one of the fastest laptops on the market because it has impressive performance stats across the board, from CPU to GPU to memory speeds.
Let's have a closer look at the performance of the M1 chip and see how it compares to other laptops on the market.
- In terms of sheer processing power, the M1 chip is in a class of its own, as it blows away the competition in both single- and multi-core performance.
- When it comes to graphic performance, the M1 chip is once again the leader, as it handily beats Intel.
- MacBook M1 Pro is designed for professional users who need a powerful laptop for things like video editing, 3D modeling, or gaming.
- The M1 chip is up to twice as fast as the previous generation of MacBook Pro laptops.
Your i5 MacBook Pro might get stuck and also consume more energy, but compared to that, M1 MacBook Pro is a great addition. You can work on it with multiple tabs open, still the performance will remain rock solid.
When its performance is checked on Geekbench 5.1, the M1 MacBook Pro scored 5,945 on multi-core performance. While its competitor, Asus ZenBook 13, scored 5,084.
When put to the test on Handbrake video editing, the MacBook Pro M1 left behind its competitors as it took only 7 minutes and 46 seconds to transcode a 4K clip to 1080p and once again proved to be the best laptop.
3. Battery Life
The new MacBook Pro M1 features incredible battery life, thanks to the powerful and efficient M1 chip. With up to 16-20 hours of battery life on a single charge, the MacBook Pro M1 is the perfect laptop to stay productive on the go.
So, whether you're a traveling businessman or a busy student, the MacBook Pro M1 will keep you going all day long. You can work on it with multiple tabs open, a full bright screen, and continuous usage all day long. Moreover, its battery lasts 6 hours more than the Intel-based MacBook Pro.
4. Design And Ports
The overall design is more compact and minimalist, with a unibody aluminum chassis that is just 0.61 inches thick and has a 1.56 x 30.41 x 21.24 cm dimension and a weight of 1.4 kg.
The display is sharp and averaged 439 nits of brightness when put to the test. MacBook Pro M1 comes with 2 thunderbolt ports and 2 USB ports, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
5. Keyboard, Touchpad and Touch Bar
The M1 MacBook Pro has a magic keyboard that is pillow-soft when used. You can type your content way faster and with fewer mistakes. The touchpad is also spacious and responsive, allowing you to scroll, zoom and perform various tasks smoothly. However, the touch bar is not user-friendly and is hard to use.
6. Speaker
With its powerful stereo speaker system, the MacBook Pro M1 is capable of producing high-quality audio that is ideal for listening to music, watching movies, and gaming activities.
Part 3. Should You Buy MacBook Pro M1?
The new MacBook Pro M1 has been released, and it has caused quite a stir. Some are raving about it, while others are hesitant to try it out. So, what should you do?
Reasons To Buy:
Here’re some of the reasons why you might consider buying the M1 MacBook Pro:
You Want A Lightweight Yet Powerful Laptop:
The MacBook Pro with M1 chip is faster and more efficient than previous generations and has a user-friendly macOS. Moreover, it’s lightweight and more portable.
You Want A Laptop That Is Productive On The Go:
The M1 MacBook Pro’s battery life is incredible - you can get 16 to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge. This means you can use it for a whole day without any lacking performance.
You Want a Laptop With Excellent GPU
The MacBook Pro M1 features a cutting-edge 8-core processor and a state-of-the-art 8-core graphics processing unit that is capable of executing nearly 25,000 threads at a time. Therefore, if you're looking for a laptop that can handle demanding tasks, the M1 is a must-have option for you.
Reasons Not to Buy:
Here're some reasons why you should not buy the M1 MacBook Pro:
You Want a Laptop with Higher RAM
If you need a lot of unified memory for things like video editing, gaming or running multiple virtual software, the MacBook Pro M1 is not the best option for you because it comes with only up to 16 GB of unified memory, which might not be enough.
You Have a Tight Budget
If you have a tight budget, buying a MacBook Pro M1 is not a wise decision. Although it is the newest release from Apple, it is still quite expensive. Moreover, if you want to upgrade its SSD or RAM, it will cost you extra.
The Bottom Line
In this article, we’ve discussed the MacBook Pro M1 review and provided our verdict by exploring the pros and cons of this laptop. Moreover, we discussed M1 MacBook Pro features different features such as performance, battery life, design, ports, speakers, and keyboard to help you make an informed decision before buying.
We hope the information provided in this review was helpful and you can now make an informed buying decision.