2023-11-06 21:33:45
Should we rush to the Apple Store tomorrow to buy a MacBook Pro M3? Several media previewed by Apple answer this question with their tests which have just been published.
MacBook Pro 16″ M3 Max Space Black. Image Ars Technica.
Aesthetically, the only new feature of the MacBook Pro M3 Pro and M3 Max is the new space black color, in addition to the already existing silver. Jason Snell Six Colors note that this finish is darker than the space gray it replaces, but that it is not truly black.
The question focused mainly on the propensity of this color to highlight fingerprints. According to the blogger, you can still show your fingerprints on the chassis, but Apple’s promise is respected, namely that they are more discreet than on other finishes, including the very 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 brightness of the screen in SDR (when the Mac does not display HDR content) has been increased to 600 nits instead of 500. According to Ars Technicathis makes SDR content a little easier to read in bright sunlight, but other than that the difference is not glaring.
A MacBook Pro M3 Max that drops
The real reason for the new 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro is the M3 family of chips. Apple distributed two types of configurations to the first testers: 14″ M3 MacBook Pros and 14″ or 16″ MacBook Pros with the most powerful M3 Max (16 CPU cores / 40 GPU cores). For the M3 Pro tests, we will therefore have to wait a few days (we will receive a copy tomorrow). This choice by Apple is certainly not fortuitous when we observe that the M3 Pro is not evolving as frankly as the others, or even that it is regressing — our Future benchmarks will tell.
M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max: how Apple further segments its range and weakens the M3 Pro
Without M3 Pro analyzed yet, we therefore do not yet have a complete picture of the balance or imbalance of the new SoC family. As for the M3 Max, the power does not disappoint, quite the contrary.
PetaPixel notes for example that the MacBook Pro 16″ M3 Max tested (48 GB memory, 1 TB storage) outperforms the Mac Studio M1 Ultra (20 CPU cores, 64 GPU cores, 128 GB memory) in several areas, even though this the latter seems much more muscular.
PetaPixel graphic.
The M3 Max can achieve single-core and multi-core performance quite close to that of high-end desktop CPUs, like the Core i9-14900K from Intel (24 cores, up to 6 GHz), which is really impressive for a processor integrated into a laptop, underlines for its part Ars Technica. Same satisfaction for the GPU, which is around 50% faster than that of the M1 Max.
Little new thing for the MacBook Pro 14″ M3 Max: it also has a Performance mode which allows you to take advantage of all its power over long periods of processing. Until now, this mode was reserved for MacBook Pro 16″ M1/M2 Max.
A MacBook Pro M3 that has short memory
In contrast to the MacBook Pro M3 Max, there is the MacBook Pro M3, a new entry-level model at €1,999 which loses a Thunderbolt port, RAM, an external screen, a little weight and power compared to the M3 Pro (from €2,499). According to The VergeApple did well to replace the MacBook Pro 13″ Touch Bar with this machine, but it is a shame that it only has 8 GB of memory by default. This review is (logically) shared by Engadget and other sites that may have tried this computer.
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.
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