However, Apple dropped the M4 chip and obliterated Windows laptops in one fell swoop. On Geekbench 6, the MacBook Pro notched a sweet multi-core score of 15,199. This beats our most powerful non-gaming PC laptop, Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, which delivered a score of 14,548 on the same test.

Right now, the base MacBook Pro 14 M3 starts at $1,399 via Best Buy, though it's often discounted even lower. For this price, you'll get an M3 chip (consisting of an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine), 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 3024 x 1964-pixel resolution.

With a new chip and a handful of quality of life improvements, the M4 MacBook Pro has reached new heights.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

The battery in the M4 MacBook Pro is bigger at 72.4-watt hours; the M3 MacBook Pro had a 70-watt-hour battery. The M3 model had “Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback” and “Up to 15 hours wireless web” while the M4 model is stated as 24 and 16 hours respectively.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro, like the previous model, features a 16.2-inch, 3,456 x 2,234-pixel resolution display with ProMotion technology (i.e., up to 120Hz refresh rate). As expected, the display looked gorgeous while I feasted my eyes on the new Squid Game 2 trailer. It's rich, vibrant, and pure visual eye candy.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) occupies the middle spot between the 14-inch M4 and 16-inch M4 Max models. Though pricey, it's more affordable than the latter while being more powerful and energy efficient than the former.

Overall, the M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro is a powerful workstation and Apple makes the package even better with Thunderbolt 5, the 12MP Center Stage camera, and the Nano-texture glass display option. It’s a loaded laptop for the most demanding users.

Apple has made a change to its Low Power mode that drastically reduces performance.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox