Earlier this year, Apple already released a new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, but it doesn’t stop there. Apple has renewed the MacBooks again after nine months. The necessary changes have only been made internally, such as the addition of M3 chips.
In 2021, the MacBooks Pros had already received a new design, more ports and MagSafe. The MacBook Pro is equipped with brand new processors: M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max. These have powerful specifications that guarantee sky-high performance. We list the differences compared to the ‘old’ generation for you.
Differences between MacBook Pro with M3 and M2
The differences below are new for the MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or Max chip and improved compared to the M2 model from 2023. We explain the differences further later in this article.
- M3 Pro or M3 Max chip
- up to 16-core CPU with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores (up from 12-core)
- up to 40-core GPU (up from 38-core)
- up to 128 GB central memory (was up to 96 GB)
- Ray tracing with hardware acceleration
- AV1 decode
- SDR brightness max. 600 nits (was 500 nits)
- New color space black
- Entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro available with M3 chip
No differences in design
The design and dimensions of the MacBook Pro have remained the same as the previous generation. Both the 14-inch and 16.2-inch MacBook Pro feature a mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display with a resolution of 3024 x 1964 (14-inch) and 3456 x 2234 (16-inch). ProMotion ensures that the screen refresh rate is automatically adjusted up to 120 Hz depending on the optimal speed for the content.
You certainly have nothing to complain about when it comes to connections. The Pro has 3 Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, an HDMI connection, SD card reader and a connection for headphones.
Thanks to MagSafe with fast charging, you can charge your Mac via a magnetic connection and you don’t have to worry if the cable is suddenly disconnected. Nice detail, the MagSafe cable of the new MacBook Pro has the same color as the laptop’s housing.
Brighter XDR display
The Liquid Retina XDR display has 1000 nits of constant brightness and 1600 nits of peak brightness for HDR content. SDR content is now displayed at up to 600 nits brightness – that’s as much as 20 percent brighter than before. In addition, the screen benefits from a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, vibrant colors and an excellent viewing angle
M3 Pro and M3 Max
Naturally, the new processors steal the show and are the main reason to upgrade to the latest MacBook Pro. The brand new M3 line GPU represents a major step forward for Apple silicon graphics architecture.
The GPU is faster, more efficient and uses the new Dynamic Caching technology. In addition, thanks to this GPU, new features such as ray tracing and mesh shading with hardware acceleration are possible for rendering on Mac for the first time. The rendering speed is now up to 2.5 times faster than with the M1 chips. This is especially a big plus when gaming on a Mac.
The CPU’s performance cores and efficiency cores are 30 percent and 50 percent faster than the M1, respectively, and the Neural Engine is 60 percent faster than the M1 line. Furthermore, there is a new media engine that supports AV1 decoding, so that images from streaming services are displayed more efficiently and in higher quality.
M3 Pro chip
- up to 12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
- up to 18-core GPU
- 16-core Neural Engine
- Ray tracing with hardware acceleration
- One video encoding engine
- 150 GB/s memory bandwidth
- choice of up to 36 GB of RAM
- choice of up to 4 TB of storage
M3 Max chip
- 12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
- up to 40-core GPU
- 16-core Neural Engine
- Ray tracing with hardware acceleration
- Two video encoding engines
- 400 GB/s memory bandwidth
- choice of up to 128 GB of RAM
- choice of up to 8 TB of storage
Performance differences among standard models
The figures and figures above sound promising, but these will only be achieved if you get the most out of the new processors. The standard models are, as the name suggests, standard. This means that the regular specifications are less spectacular.
Of course, the new M3 Pro and M3 Max chip perform better than the previous generation, especially when gaming, but the difference is less than you would expect.
Conclusion
If you want a powerful laptop, the new MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or M3 Max is recommended. The new processors are powerful and ensure that demanding tasks are performed quickly and efficiently. Gaming will also be much better on this MacBook, but for most people this is no reason to upgrade. Do you have a 14 or 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 or M2 Pro/Max chip? Then you can safely skip this model, unless you really need more power.
Nowadays, Apple’s Pro models are really only for professional users. So if you use Photoshop a lot, render a lot of videos, draw in 3D, etc., then the MacBook Pro is recommended. As an ‘ordinary’ consumer, the Pro is too advanced and you may hardly use the power the machine provides. In that case, the MacBook Air with M2 chip is a better choice.