With the introduction of the M3 chip, Apple has finally said goodbye to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. As an alternative, you can now opt for a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3. At first glance it looks like the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro chip, but that is not the case.
The entry-level model of the MacBook Pro has more limitations than just a less powerful processor. For example, it is not available in space black, it contains fewer ports and there are other differences to report.
Differences 14-inch MacBook Pro 2023
In order to keep the price of the MacBook Pro entry-level model ‘low’, Apple has made some concessions. For example, it contains the standard M3 chip and, above all, fewer options and parts. For example, it has fewer ports, fans and memory. Advantage: the M3 MacBook Pro has a better battery life than the M3 Pro model.
Processor
The main difference is of course the processor. The M3 Pro is simply more powerful than the M3, which is reflected in the specifications below.
M3 chip
- 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
- 10-core GPU
- 16-core Neural Engine
- Ray tracing with hardware acceleration
- 100 GB/s memory bandwidth
- choice of up to 24 GB of RAM (standard 8 GB)
- choice of up to 2 TB of storage (standard 512 GB)
M3 Pro chip
- up to 12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores (standard 11-core)
- up to 18-core GPU (standard 14-core)
- 16-core Neural Engine
- Ray tracing with hardware acceleration
- 150 GB/s memory bandwidth
- choice of up to 36 GB of RAM (standard 18 GB)
- choice of up to 4 TB of storage (standard 512 GB)
Hardware
The MacBook Pro with M3 chip has one internal fan to cool the system, the other Pro models have two. Such a limitation is also reflected in the number of ports. For example, the M3 laptop has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports (USB-C), the other models have three.
Are you going for a MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro or M3 Max chip? Then you have the choice between silver and the new color space black. The MacBook Pro with M3 processor is available in silver and space gray, so black is exclusive to the more expensive models. You can see the difference between these two colors in the image above.
Battery life
There is good news to report, the entry-level MacBook Pro has a ‘battery life’ of 15 hours of wireless internet and up to 22 hours of watching movies in the Apple TV app. The same MacBook Pro with M3 Pro chip uses more battery because you can use the wireless internet for up to 12 hours and watch movies for 18 hours. Perhaps the Pro processor requires more energy, resulting in a shorter battery life.
Other restrictions
The M3 MacBook Pro supports one external display while the Pro model can be linked to two or four screens depending on the resolution. This limitation is also reflected in the HDMI port. On the M3 the output is a maximum of 4K at 144 Hz, on the Pro this is 4K at 240 Hz.
Conclusion MacBook Pro with M3
The MacBook Pro with M3 chip is a great Mac with a dazzling mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display including ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rate up to 120 Hz. The new design with more connections and a larger screen is also a relief compared to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with touch bar.
The M3 processor performs well, but cannot be called a Pro model with the standard configuration. This is how you still have to do it with 8 GB of RAM, 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. You do get 512 GB of storage and very good battery life.
With a purchase price of € 2029, the M3 MacBook Pro is on the pricey side, especially if you compare it with the 15-inch MacBook Air, which has a starting price of € 1599 and equivalent specifications (except for the screen).
The entry-level model of the MacBook Pro with M3 Pro chip has a price of € 2549 and is more interesting. This is better than the M3 version in every way, more powerful and equipped with an 11-core CPU, 14-core GPU and 18 GB of RAM as standard. That is a significant gain compared to the entry-level model. Our advice is to buy a MacBook Pro with a Pro chip or a MacBook Air, but ignore the M3 MacBook Pro.