Apple on Monday announced its updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro personal computers powered by the company’s latest M3 series chips during its October “Scary Fast” Halloween Eve product event.
Besides the new range of laptops, the company also unveiled its new family of M3 chips: M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, built on the TSMC 3nm process technology.
All the new MacBooks feature a brilliant Liquid Retina XDR display that is 20 percent brighter than SDR content and has peaks of 600 nits. They also have a built-in 1080p camera, an immersive six-speaker sound system, a wide array of connectivity options, and up to 22 hours of battery life. They also support up to 128GB of unified memory.
“There is nothing quite like MacBook Pro. With the remarkable power-efficient performance of Apple silicon, up to 22 hours of battery life, a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, and advanced connectivity, MacBook Pro empowers users to do their life’s best work,” said John Ternus, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering.
“With the next generation of M3 chips, we’re raising the bar yet again for what a pro laptop can do. We’re excited to bring MacBook Pro and its best-in-class capabilities to the broadest set of users yet, and for those upgrading from an Intel-based MacBook Pro, it’s a game-changing experience in every way.”
While the 14-inch MacBook Pro is available with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, the larger 16-inch MacBook Pro variant is available only in M3 Pro and M3 Max flavors. The new Apple M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max offer faster CPU performance
The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 is the ideal laptop for users pursuing their passions, from students and business owners to aspiring musicians and video editors, as it is said to be up to 60 percent faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1. Also, render performance in Final Cut Pro, code compilation in Xcode, and spreadsheet performance in Microsoft Excel are faster compared to the 13.inch MacBook Pro with M1.
For users with more demanding workflows like coders, creatives, and researchers, 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro offer up to 40 percent faster than the 16-inch model with M1 Pro. While the filter and function performance in Adobe Photoshop is up to 3x faster, base-calling for DNA sequencing is up to 20x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro.
Lastly, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chips provide performance and capabilities and are ideal for those with extreme workflows like machine learning programmers, 3D artists, and video editors. It is up to 2.5x faster than the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max and up to 11x faster over Intel Macs. It also supports up to 128GB of unified memory.
Another important upgrade on Apple M3 chips is that they now support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading on Mac for the first time. With a new feature called “Dynamic Caching,” the GPU utilizes the exact amount of memory needed for each task, promising a performance boost for gaming and other demanding tasks.
The MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips are available in two colors: Space Black and Silver. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 is available in Silver and Space Gray color variants.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 starts at $1,599, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro starts at $1,999, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro and M3 Max starts at $2,499.
Starting Monday, October 30, customers can order the new MacBook Pro on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 27 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will be available in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting Tuesday, November 7.