16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) review: Locked in and loaded

Best Prices Today: Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro)

If you’re someone who’s shopping for a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M-series Pro chip, you ain’t messin’ around. If you want the most processing muscle, you really want an M4 Max chip, but if a $3,499 laptop is out of your budget, the M4 Pro models have what it takes to conquer your processing demands.

The 16-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro was a really good laptop. This new M4 Pro version is even better, thanks in part to the non-chip upgrades. To solidify its workstation status, Apple implemented a Thunderbolt 5 upgrade in Pro and Max models. There’s also a spiffy new built-in camera and a display option that makes things easier on your eyes.

This review is structured based on how the major updates will influence your buying decision. In this case, the M4 Pro chip will be the most important factor, so we evaluate its performance first, followed by Thunderbolt 5, the screen and camera, and then other factors. You can use the Table of Contents links at the top of this article to skip around. But before all that, here are the details on our review unit.

16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: Specifications

The M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro in this review has the same the same CPU, GPU, and RAM as the $2,899/£2,899 standard configuration, but the SSD is a 2TB upgrade ($600/£600) and it has the Nano-texture glass ($150/£150). Here are the specifications of the laptop in this review:

• CPU: M4 Pro with 14 cores (10 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores), 16-core Neural Engine
• GPU: 20 cores
• Memory: 48GB unified memory (273GBps memory bandwidth)
• Storage: 2TB SSD
• Display: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR; 3456-by-2234 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch; 1000 nits sustained XDR brightness, 1600 nits peak (HDR content only); 1000 nits SDR brightness; 1 billion colors; P3 color gamut; True Tone; Nano-texture glass
• Ports: 3 Thunderbolt 4/USB-C; MagSafe 3; SDXC Card slot; HDMI; 3.5mm audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax); Bluetooth 5.3
• Input devices: Magic Keyboard with Touch ID; Magic Trackpad
• Weight: 4.7 pounds (2.14 kg)
• Dimensions: 0.66 x 14.01 x 9.77 inches (1.68 x 35.57 x 24.81 cm)
• Price (as tested): $3,649/£3.649

16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: Performance

The standard configuration of the M4 Pro has two more CPU and GPU cores than the M3 Pro it replaces. Apple added more unified memory in the standard configurations, too, which is a result of Apple bumping the starting level of all Macs with the based M4 chip to 16GB. The M4 Pro now starts at 24GB of RAM, up from 18GB in the M3 Pro.

Geekbench 6.3 gauges overall performance, and the M4 Pro matches the M3 Max in the Multi-Core test. If you’re wondering what kind of boost you get if you upgrade from an M4 to an M4 Pro, it’s 52 percent–that’s worth the money if you’re doing a lot of processor-heavy tasks. All of the M4 chips offer a small boost over the M3 series in Single-Core performance.

In Cinebench 2024 we again see the M4 Pro matching the M3 Max in the CPU Multi-Core test. The M3 Max’s GPU result blows past the M4 Pro, but that’s to be expected since the M3 Max has twice as many GPU cores.

A third benchmark where the M4 Pro CPU performance is equal to that of the M3 Max. And once again, this benchmark provides good insight into what you’re getting if you are trying to figure out if you should get an M4 or M4 Pro.

The M4 Pro offers a 22 percent better performance over the M3 Pro in our iMovie 4K video export test to a ProRes file. This test takes advantage of the built-in video codecs in the chip.

The results of this SSD test with the M4 Pro are some of the fastest we’ve seen. The difference between the M4 (1TD SSD) and the M4 Pro (2TB SSD) looks dramatic.

The M4 Pro has twice as many GPU cores as the M4, and that’s pretty much reflected in our Geekbench 6 Compute Metal scores, which tests graphics performance.

Rise of the Tomb Raider and Civilization VI are older games written for Intel and not optimized for Apple’s Metal graphics API. New to our testing suite are Borderlands 3 and Total War: Warhammer III. We see the M4 Pro flexing its GPU muscle here over the M4.

16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: Ports and connectivity

This is a big deal: the M4 Pro and M4 Max have Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, which offers 80Gbps bandwidth, twice that of Thunderbolt 4 on the M3 series and M4 MacBook Pro, and at least 140 watts of power with a max of 240 watts (version 4 is 100/140). To take full advantage of Thunderbolt 5, you need to use Thunderbolt 5 cables, because other cables may not be able to handle the increased bandwidth. Apple sells a one-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable for $69/£69, which sounds expensive (and it is), but it has a reputation for making high-quality Thunderbolt cables.

Thunderbolt 5 also supports more external displays. Here’s what you can connect with the laptop display still in use (the external display support is the same as the M4 chip):

• Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, or
• One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI, or
• One external display at 8K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI, or
• One external display at 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI.

The other ports are MagSafe 3, HDMI, a 3.5mm audio jack, and an SDXC Card slot. Wireless connectivity is done with Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3. Apple offers Wi-Fi 7 in the iPhone 16 lineups, but the company decided not to use it in the higher-end MacBook Pros. It would’ve been nice if they did.

16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: Display and camera

Note: the changes to the display and camera are across the whole MacBook Pro lineup, so what I write here echoes what I wrote about the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro.

Apple now offers a Nano-texture glass option for the display for an additional $150. It provides a matte finish that does a very good job of cutting down reflections and glare. The compromise that comes with the Nano-texture glass is that colors are less vibrant, and blacks aren’t as deep are they are with a glossy screen. If you find glossy screens bothersome, then the option is for you.

Sitting atop it is a new 12MP CenterStage camera. The 1080p FaceTime camera it replaced was another one of those things that didn’t seem befitting for a pro laptop, and it’s finally gone. Center Stage keeps you in the center of the frame, and the Desk View feature provides a perspective of your workspace. In all, the new camera is a better tool for video conferencing.

16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: Battery life

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has a 100-watt-hour battery, practically the same as the 99.6-watt-hour battery in last year’s 16-inch model. Apple states, “Up to 24 hours video streaming” and “Up to 17 hours wireless web” for battery life.

Our battery test involves playing a video saved to the SSD in a continuous loop until the battery runs out, with the display set to 150 nits. The battery finally ran out after 26 hours, which surpassed any of Apple’s ratings. You won’t worry about battery life when using this laptop unless you’re doing CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks without the power adapter.

16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: Apple Intelligence

One of the major selling points of the new MacBook Pro is Apple Intelligence, the AI-based features being rolled out starting with macOS Sequoia 15.1. However, while Apple says the MacBook Pro is “built for Apple intelligence” like the rest of the M4 Macs, the first batch of M4 Macs coming off the line won’t actually have Sequoia 15.1, so if you’re among the early customers you may need to update macOS by running System Update in System Settings.

The Apple Intelligence features are spread out over time. The first set is in 15.1 and a second set is coming in 15.2, probably in December. Apple will develop more features as time goes by. Learn more about the Apple Intelligence rollout.

Geekbench AI measures the performance of the chip’s Neural Engine. It’s a new benchmark so our dataset for comparison is limited. Be sure to check out our impressions on the first set of Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1–the insights in that article carry over to macOS Sequoia 15.1.

Should you buy the M4 Pro MacBook Pro?

Since 16-inch, M4 Pro (and M4 Max) MacBook Pros are big investments there’s a tendency to hold on to them longer than an M4 MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air. If you bought an M3 Pro MacBook Pro (or maybe even an M2 Pro), you’re probably good with waiting until the next cycle, which will carry over the changes here and add some new goodies. The M4 Pro offers the typical boost that comes with a new chip, which may not be enough to justify the cost on its own.

However, the new Thunderbolt 5 implementation is a landmark upgrade that will add new efficiency to workflows of massive data transfers. You need the appropriate cables and devices to take advantage of the throughput, but perhaps for you, that’s just the cost of doing business and Thunderbolt 5 is enough to make you get an M4 Pro or Max MacBook Pro.

For users still on an Intel MacBook Pro, I have to ask, again, what are you waiting for? That Intel workstation is wasting your time. You can be zooming along with a modern Mac. I mean, if you have something that you absolutely need and it works on Intel only, I encourage you to find an alternative solution that will allow you to take advantage of Apple silicon. It’s time to make the change.

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.

Source : Macworld