Review | Apple Macbook Pro review: super powerful and efficient with a new chip, superior video editing, and a great screen
- Apple raises the bar again with the new Macbook Pro, with a powerful new ARM-based chip that is more efficient than Intel’s
- The Pro has a modern look, with one of the best screens out there, and can handle the most demanding of tasks
When Apple announced a year and half ago it would release computers using self-developed silicon based on ARM architecture instead of Intel’s ubiquitous processors, industry insiders didn’t know how to react.
It wasn’t that people doubted Apple’s ability to make efficient ARM-based chips – iPhones run perfectly fine on them – it was more the long-held industry consensus that ARM-based chips, which are designed to be energy efficient, can’t quite power a real computer the way Intel’s more complex x86 architecture can. It’s why 78 per cent of all consumer laptops use Intel processors.
Last week came the announcement of new MacBook Pros running newer, more advanced upgrades to the M1 silicon; I’ve been testing the larger 16-inch model powered by the appropriately-named M1 Max chip for a week, and yes, Intel should be worried.
Design and hardware
Not only did the new 16-inch MacBook Pro gain a new brain, it’s also got a complete redesign. The bezels around the 16.2-inch display have been trimmed, making for the most modern looking Apple laptop in years.
