On Wednesday, Apple concluded its brief Mac event by unveiling a refreshed MacBook Pro model. The top-tier laptop is now equipped with Apple’s new M4 chip, joining other recent Mac releases. Both the MacBook Pro and Mac Mini are the initial Macs to incorporate this new processor. Additionally, the Pro version offers the newly announced M4 Max as a higher-performance upgrade.
These updated MacBook Pros feature 14- and 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR displays that reach a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits. Both screen sizes come with options for the M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max processors, alongside a 12-megapixel webcam. On the Pro and Max models, Apple has enhanced the Thunderbolt 4 ports, upgrading them to Thunderbolt 5. Battery life is another highlight, with Apple estimating up to 24 hours on a single charge—the longest battery runtime claimed for any MacBook.
Apple Intelligence remains a key feature, with the latest set of tools arriving in the macOS Sequoia 15.1 update. These updates bring writing enhancements, image cleanup features, content summaries, and typing input for Siri's updated interface. Additional functionalities, promised at Apple’s June WWDC, are expected in the upcoming 15.2 update, including Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, Image Wand, and integration with ChatGPT.
Both MacBook Pro models come with a minimum of 16GB of memory, a standard now also seen in the MacBook Air for both M2 and M3 models. However, the MacBook Air's other features remain consistent with last year’s model, and the base price for the M2 variant is unchanged at $999.
Pricing for the 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,599 with the M4 and $1,999 with the M4 Pro. The 16-inch version starts at $2,499. Preorders began on Wednesday, and shipping is set to commence on November 8, alongside the latest iMac and Mac Mini models announced earlier this week.