Tech review: Apple’s new Macbook Pro packs a punch

Apple’s new Macbook Pro is the laptop you buy when you want your portable computer to do everything — but there’s a catch.

Apple’s new MacBook Pro is not messing around.

This is not a Mac like the one Carrie Bradshaw used to transcribe her ponderings in Sex and The City.

This is not a laptop you buy just in case you need to edit a photo one day.

This is a laptop for combining multiple video streams, for creating music at home, for hooking up a camera and uploading images shortly after they happen.

This is the laptop you buy when you want your portable computer to do everything a desktop computer can do, no matter where it is.

So, how does Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro – and its new chip – compare to its lofty ambitions and the hype? We test one to find out.

This is not a laptop you buy just in case you need to edit a photo one day. Picture: Apple

APPLE’S HOT CHIPS

These are the laptops a lot of Apple Mac users have been waiting for.

The company announced its two-year transition from Intel chips to its own last year and this is the first time we’ve seen just how much power Apple can put in a device.

While the M1 Max is the highest spec chip you can add to the 16-inch laptop (at significantly more than its $3749 entry cost), our test model came with the 10-core M1 Pro. And it was hard to overwhelm.

Combined with 32GB RAM, this computer only pauses to think after we open a succession of high-end, demanding software, including Final Cut Pro, Affinity Photo, Logic Pro, and Premiere, and load it with huge files.

And benchmarking scores from Geekbench show the MacBook Pro, and its new chip, is more capable than all other Apple computers with the exception of top spec iMac and Mac Pro.

It’s worth noting the new M1 Pro chip boosts the battery life of this computer to about 14 hours for use on the web and should get you through even the most arduous work day.

This is a laptop for combining multiple video streams, creating music, hooking up a camera and uploading images shortly after they happen.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

It’s rare for Apple to revisit past design choices.

So when the company removed connections from its 2016 MacBook Pro computers – like the SD card reader – most Apple pundits expected they’d be gone for good. Not so.

This powerful Mac brings back a lot of ports to the side of this machine, including a spot for a camera memory card, an HDMI port for a second screen, a headphone jack, and three USB-C connections.

And then there’s the charging connection. Apple’s MagSafe charger has returned this year, albeit in a slightly redesigned form. You won’t be able to use your old cable to power up this computer (we tried) but you can use a 140 Watt USB-C connection if you misplace the new model.

WHAT’S MISSING?

There is one noticeable absence from this MacBook – the Touch Bar.

Introduced in 2016, this touch-sensitive row of adaptive icons divided opinion among Mac users a lot like Microsoft’s Clippy.

Sadly for some, it’s no longer taking up processing power or space on these machines and has been replaced by a traditional row of function and shortcut keys.

There’s also a little strip of screen missing from this computer, and it’s been replaced by a “notch” similar to the one you’ll recognise from modern iPhones. This notch hides the upgraded full high-definition camera and, despite widespread criticism, is usually hidden by a menu bar.

Apple announced its two-year transition from Intel chips to its own last year. This is the first time we’ve seen just how much power Apple can put in a device.

2021 MACBOOK PRO VERDICT

While most people will buy a 2021 MacBook Pro for its power, it’s also worth noting the Mini LED screens on these notebooks deliver improbable detail, and their new design is even more stylish, with squared-off edges.

Apple’s new machines are expensive, however, and the price of RAM for these machines especially so.

But if you can dig deep into your pockets, and look past that notch, you’ll find a powerhouse device that shows how much Apple’s new chips can achieve. Perhaps even Ms Bradshaw should upgrade.

The Mini LED screens deliver improbable detail.