Apple MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) review: A costly but killer laptop for creators

How "Pro" are you?

That's the question you have to ask yourself when considering an upgrade to one of Apple's new 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pros with its M1 Pro chip inside.

The redesigned laptops come with a host of improvements that were frankly way overdue, like the return of physical function keys (amen!), more ports, and a MagSafe power cable, among others.

Those quality of life tweaks aside, your willingness to pay over $2,000 for the new Pro model will mostly come down to whether or not you need the raw computing power of Apple's new chip. And that figure, by the way, is on the low-end of configurations.

It's clear that Apple's taking the Pro moniker quite literally for its entire 2021 product lineup (see: iPhone 13 Pro). But does that hyperfocus on a high-end segment of the market mean you should avert your eyes and save those dollars? Let's find out.

Slim is no longer "in"

Boxy but foxy. Credit: molly flores / mashable

The reaction to seeing one of these new, aluminum-encased MacBook Pros in person has varied from person to person in my short time with it. Some colleagues have remarked at how "ugly" the space gray 14-inch model I'm currently toting everywhere is, preferring instead the slim and sleek builds of Apple's recent past. Others have found its relative boxiness and prominent legs to be somewhat "charming." I stand firmly in that latter camp, as my general impression of this new MacBook Pro is one of utility and not ultraportable luxury. And that's a good thing.

But first things first —let's talk models and pricing.

The 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro comes in two colors, space gray and silver, as well as two primary configurations:

• 8-core CPU, 14-core GPU with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage ($2,000)

• 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage ($2,500)

Memory and storage options max out at 32GB and 8TB, respectively, and, yes, you will pay handsomely for that privilege.

Now, about that body...

At 3.5 pounds, the 14-inch model is only half a pound heavier than 2020's 13-inch M1 MacBookPro but somehow I did notice that additional heft. It's also slightly wider and longer than last year's model, owing in part to the new larger screen size.

On its sides, you'll find a much more generous variety of ports for all your high-end editing and charging needs. There are now three USB-C ports (two on the left; one on the right), as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack, an SDXC card slot, and an HDMI port. Plus, you have that new MagSafe 3 charging port with its fabric-encased cord to keep you powered up.

This is now a safe space for klutzes. Credit: molly flores / mashable

Yes, it's annoying that Apple has, once again, changed up your necessary collection of cords (to recap, that's Lightning for AirPods and iPhone, USB-C for third-party stuff, and now MagSafe for charging), as you could previously just power the damn thing with USB-C. But a couple of things to note:

• As someone who still uses a MagSafe-enabled MacBook Pro from 2015 for personal needs and is prone to fits of clumsiness, it's nice to not worry about accidentally tripping over the cord and sending the laptop flying.

• Also, as anyone with a USB-C charging MacBook Pro knows, sometimes that cord isn't flush enough to actually start charging. I can't tell you how many times I thought I'd plugged my work-issued MacBook Pro in, only to find the connection was imperceptibly loose enough to keep it on battery power.

At the base of the new 14-inch model, you'll find a nice bit of centered engraving that proudly proclaims this is a "MacBook Pro," lest you or anyone nearby couldn't tell. It's a nice if not superfluous touch. You'll also notice that the four leg pads are now slightly raised. It's a design change that should help with cooling, as the flush pads on my antiquated 2015 MacBook Pro have actually melted off and crumbled from too much heat. (It's OK, I reaffixed the remaining pieces using lots of scotch tape.)

Open the MacBook Pro up, and you'll be greeted by the vibrant mini-LED backlit Liquid Retina XDR display, with its 3024 x 1964 resolution, and, of course, that notch, which houses the 1080p front-facing camera.

In truth, a lot of fuss has been made over the inclusion of said notch and part of me wants to believe this is just Apple trolling its fans. The reality is that, apart from aesthetically looking a mess, it doesn't get in the way at all. It had no impact on how I used the MacBook Pro, as it lives in its own space above the usable bits of the display.

Besides, that 1080p camera is a godsend for how lovely it makes you look in those back-to-back Zoom calls we all wish would stop forever. (I will say, though, that the old, grainy 720p webcam look is an effective filter for those work-from-home days when you're not "feeling yourself.")

Ready for your Zoom close-up in 1080p? Credit: molly flores / mashable

Oh, yah, and lest I forget, this MacBook Pro has great sound, too.

I'm not normally one to rely on my laptop's speakers because, well, they typically suck and, besides, I live in either wireless earbuds or headphones while I work. But you might want to actually put the cans or buds away since this MacBook Pro features a six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers (so the bass doesn't rattle your machine and cause distortion) and support for Dolby Atmos spatial audio.

I listen to either jazz playlists or the Last Tango in Paris soundtrack while I write and was more than pleased to find I could fill my living room with clear sound and still appreciate the nuances of those tracks without resorting to my trusty Sonos One SL.

In short, you can ditch that portable Bluetooth speaker and just let this baby sing.

R.I.P. Touch Bar, you will not be missed

The real stunner (as far as I'm concerned) has everything to do with what's directly below the MacBook Pro's screen. You've got that Magic(al) Keyboard which lets you remember what it feels like to type rapidly without errors, the Force Touch trackpad which lets you click anywhere on it, and the return of physical function keys (I already said, "amen!," but let's also toss in a "hallelujah!"), which lets you rest your fingers wherever you'd like without triggering unintended actions.

The Magic Keyboard returned on last year's MacBook Pro refresh, replacing the atrociously unusable butterfly keyboard. It's remarkable what a difference this new keyboard makes.

As soon as your fingers happily bounce off these springy keys, you'll realize what a ruse that butterfly keyboard was, and how Apple is mostly responsible for your typing fuck-ups over the past few years.

Do you believe in Magic? Credit: molly flores / mashable

Speaking of revelatory typing experiences, the company made another crucial change: It murdered the universally derided Touch Bar. You know, that pointless but dynamic Retina Display strip above the physical keyboard that would suggest words, emoji, and button prompts that you never used but would almost always accidentally trigger.

Yah, that thing has now been replaced by physical keys.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, Apple.

Quick side note: I once had to ship my new 2019 work-issued MacBook Pro back to our I.T. department for a fix because my fingers kept absentmindedly resting on the Touch Bar and pressing various soft buttons at once. This had the very fun effect of causing the system to bug out and freeze. So I'm clearly very invested in this positive design change.

Working 9 to 5, and then some

Battery life anxiety is a real thing. We all suffer from it because we lead increasingly connected lives. It's why tech companies are finally starting to deliver phones with enough juice to last all day and more. But in the MacBook Pro realm, that's not so much the case. The best you can hope for is all workday battery life.

For the 14-inch MacBook Pro, Apple packed in a 70-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery and rated it for up to 17 hours of life for Apple TV app movie playback (self-promotion much?) and up to 11 hours of wireless web. What you will actually get out of this thing, however, all depends on your specific usage.

In case you forgot what that thing you just paid over $2,000 for was called... Credit: molly flores / mashable

In my experience, I was able to reliably squeeze about seven to eight hours of nonstop use from it before the battery percentage dipped below the 20 percent mark. That was with the screen brightness set to max, keyboard brightness set at just over 50 percent, Bluetooth and WiFi enabled, as well as Chrome, Firefox, Spotify, and Slack all running concurrently (my apologies, Apple, but I only use Safari when you force me to).

When putting it to sleep overnight and resuming work the next day, I'd be able to somewhat match Apple's projected battery life of 17 hours before the low battery warning appeared.

It'll definitely power you through a full work day on a single charge but if you plan to pull an all-nighter, you'll definitely want to keep that charger handy.

Very Important Professionals only

If you're on the fence about spending $700 more for the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro than the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, you're not alone.

In fact, it's hard not to see these latest models as an intentional bit of gatekeeping on Apple's part. The Cupertino-based company has made sure its recent focus on the deep-pocketed professional segment has been heard loud and clear. Tim Cook dutifully repeated that "most Pro iPhone ever" talking point when introducing the iPhone 13 Pro to remind you why it costs what it costs, and even roped in director Kathryn Bigelow for added emphasis. And you need only look to the last Apple fall event (in all its eye-rolling ludicrousness) where the company introduced the M1 Pro MacBook Pro for more evidence of this pro market push and corresponding pricing.

This thing is just begging to be covered with stickers. Credit: molly flores / mashable

Mid-way through that particular livestream, as my own eyes began to glaze over, I began to wonder just who this event, with its in-depth technical discussions and Hollywood overtones, was programmed for and why Apple even bothered doing it publicly. For the everyday Apple loyalist, it seemed to generate the opposite of hype. It was a preview into a niche world of video and graphics production.

All you heard was: Chips. Chips. Chips. It's as if Apple took a page straight outta the '90s videogame console wars playbook and decided to play up its silicon as the selling point.

So what's the big deal here? Well, you have two new Apple-made chips to match your level of professionalism:

• The M1 Pro, with its promise of 70 percent better overall performance and two times faster graphics performance as compared to 2020's M1, plus support for a max of 32GB RAM.

• The M1 Max, which retains the same 10-core CPU as the M1 Pro but doubles the GPU for four times the performance gains as compared to 2020's M1, plus support for up to 64GB RAM.

As I already mentioned, Apple PR sent me the ("lesser") 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro and 32GB RAM because they know I don't edit 8K videos or design 4K games for a living. Wise move, Apple PR.

Make video with this new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip, you will. Except, I won't. I don't "make" videos, I appear in them, thank you very much. That heavy lifting is done by other talented people on this staff.

For my regular, day-to-day workflow, which entails writing and editing, Slacking, and some video calling, a Chromebook would truthfully do an adequate job. This M1 Pro MacBook Pro, on the other hand, is just a nice-to-have for a "professional" like me, not a need-to-have workstation — although the 2019 Pro is my work-issued daily driver.

So to really put this beast to the test, I sought out someone Apple would deem suitably "Pro" enough: Mashable video producer, Alex Humphreys.

I lent Alex the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro for the purpose of editing my recent Pixel 6 and 6 Pro video, which you can see here. Their ultimate verdict? "I'd rather invest in a desktop."

Not the glowing response you expected, eh? But though their takeaway sounds rather glum, it's tempered by the demanding reality of video production at an online news site. So let's rewind a bit and see how they arrived at that conclusion.

Alex, who used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit, was most impressed by the M1 Pro's ability to play back that Pixel 6 footage in sequence at full 4K resolution in the timeline while also doing color correction live. That ability to multitask is something they said wouldn't normally be possible on their current 2013 Mac Pro workstation.

Video import and export times were noticeably fast, as they were able to dump about 60GB of footage onto the MacBook Pro's drive in about two minutes —a vast improvement from the 10 minutes it typically takes.

"I so rarely work with that amount of footage because of my fear of how slowly it'll import," they said, underscoring just how efficient the M1 Pro is in that respect.

Battery life also proved to be somewhat of a plus as Alex did a majority of the editing with the MacBook Pro unplugged. "It felt like I was able to set it and forget it," they said, adding that it ran for a good part of the afternoon before needing to be plugged in.

There was one major issue Alex encountered, however, which runs somewhat contradictory to Apple's own marketing points, and that has to do with the Liquid Retina XDR display.

That display, it turns out, is vibrant in a way that's actually annoying because it made color correction inaccurate.

Physical. Function. Keys. GASP! Credit: molly flores / mashable

"I tried changing [the] color profiles a couple of times but couldn't figure it out," they said. "Whatever color profile is set right out of the box is way too vibrant."

To remedy this, Alex resorted to using their iPhone 11as a main point of reference.

"If I were to work on it longterm, I would absolutely have to figure out a calibration that would be accurate," they said.

Ultimately, though, Alex found editing video on the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro frustrating due to its small screen size.

"If I was someone who was traveling a lot and wanted to be able to edit, I think it'd be absolutely worth it," they said. "But the laptop aspect isn't a huge selling point for me. I would want a monitor no matter what."

Spoken like a true "Pro."

Too much of a good thing?

In many ways, Apple's new 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro is a godsend for its long suffering Pro users. Gone is the tragic butterfly keyboard that convinced so many of us that we'd forgotten how to type. Gone is the dreaded Touch Bar that served no purpose other than to frustrate us with accidental actions. Gone are the restrictive port options and need to rely on USB-C for charging. Gone is that 720p front-facing webcam which was so pitiful as to be laughable during this work-from-home era.

I agree, the notch is ugly but it won't interfere. Promise! Credit: molly flores / mashable

As Apple buried its (reviled) dead, it also made sure to breathe new life into a Pro model that's refreshingly useful. Sure, the 14-inch display may not be entirely accurate for video editing purposes, but it's certainly very nice to watch Netflix on. The front-facing camera is entirely usable and even preferable now that it's of the 1080p variety. Plus, Apple's imaging powers conspire to make you look good in those video calls despite your at-home frumpiness. The speakers are loud and powerful enough to substitute for any portable speaker you might rely on. And that battery life will keep on going for as long as most of you will be chained to your desks.

In all, the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro is a pretty good package. But is it worth the starting price of $2,000? I'm going to lean towards "no" here. As Mashable video editor Alex Humphreys so neatly explained, this is a portable video and graphics workstation that's well suited for a field producer. For people like me who just need to do some word processing, web browsing, light photo editing, music and video streaming, as well as video calling, it's a bit overkill. Would I prefer to work on this M1 MacBook Pro? Absolutely. Do I need to? Not at all.

To get that premium Apple "Pro" feel at a more affordable price, you'll unfortunately have to opt for last year's M1 MacBook Pro and make certain usability and performance sacrifices as a result (*cough* Touch Bar *cough*).

Then again, you could just hold off and wait for this 14-inch speed demon to come down in price. Now that's what real Pros would do.

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