As of November 2023, Apple sells two MacBook Professional fashions: a 14-inch mannequin with both the M3, M3 Professional, or M3 Max, and a 16-inch mannequin with both the M3 Professional or M3 Max. The corporate used to promote a 13-inch MacBook Professional however this mannequin has now been discontinued.
The M3 chip within the 14-inch MacBook affords ample energy for many customers, however the M3 Professional and M3 Max processors are superior and reasonably unimaginable. Nonetheless, the MacBook Professional is greater than only a killer processor. It’s stuffed with nice options like a ProMotion HDR show, HDMI output and MagSafe. For those who’re having bother deciding which one to get, right here’s how they examine.
For extra recommendation about selecting the Mac laptop computer for you learn: MacBook shopping for information: Which Mac laptop computer is finest? and MacBook Professional vs MacBook Air.
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Specs in contrast
We’ll talk about among the extra salient variations point-by-point, however first listed here are all an important specs at a look.
| 14-inch MacBook Professional | 16-inch MacBook Professional | |
|---|---|---|
| 16in MacBook Professional, M3 Max evaluation | ||
| Beginning Value | $1,599/£1,699 | $2,499/£2,599 |
| Maxed-out Value | $6,899/£6,999 | $7,199/£7,299 |
| Dimensions | 0.61 x 12.31 x 8.71 inches 1.55 x 31.26 x 22.12 cm |
0.66 x 14.01 x 9.77 inches 1.68 x 35.57 x 24.81 cm |
| Weight | M3: 3.4 lbs (1.55 kg) M3 Professional: 3.5 lbs (1.61 kg) M3 Max: 3.6 lbs (1.62 kg) |
M3 Professional: 4.7 lbs (2.14 kg) M3 Max: 4.8 lbs (2.16 kg) |
| Processor | M3, M3 Professional, or M3 Max | M3 Professional or M3 Max |
| CPU | M3: 8 cores (4 efficiency) M3 Professional: 11 or 12 cores (5 or 6 efficiency) M3 Max: 14 or 16 cores (10 or 12 efficiency) |
M3 Professional: 12 cores (6 efficiency) M3 Max: 14 or 16 cores (10 or 12 efficiency) |
| GPU | M3: 10 cores M3 Professional: 14 or 18 cores M3 Max: 30 or 40 cores |
M3 Professional: 14 or 18 cores M3 Max: 30 or 40 cores |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core |
| RAM | M3: 8GB, 16GB or 24GB (200GBps) M3 Professional: 18GB or 36GB (400GBps) M3 Max: 36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 96GB, or 128GB (400GBps) |
M3 Professional: 18GB or 36GB (400GBps) M3 Max: 36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 96GB, or 128GB (400GBps) |
| Storage | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB |
| Show | 3024 x 1964, 1,000 nits HDR (1,600 peak), 600 nits SDR, P3 extensive colour, True Tone, 120Hz ProMotion | 3456 x 2234, 1,000 nits HDR (1,600 peak), P3 extensive colour, True Tone, 120Hz ProMotion |
| FaceTime digicam | 1080p | 1080p |
| Ports | 3 Thunderbolt 4/USC-C ports, HDMI 2.1, SDXC card slot | 3 Thunderbolt 4 / USC-C ports, HDMI 2.0, SDXC card slot |
| Battery Life | M3: 15 hrs internet, 22 hrs video M3 Professional and Max: 12 hrs internet, 18 hrs video |
15 hrs internet, 22 hrs video |
| Energy Adapter | 70W or 96W USB-C with MagSafe | 140W USB-C with MagSafe |
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Value
The very first thing you’ll discover is the value distinction between the 14-inch MacBook Professional with M3 and the 14-inch and 16-inch fashions with M3 Professional. It’s a must to pay an additional $400/£400, however that worth does embody greater than a CPU improve–you get extra GPU cores, extra reminiscence, and the choice for the Area Black end. The M3 Professional MacBook Professional fashions additionally provide extra reminiscence customization choices–the M3 Professional has a most restrict of 36GB, whereas the M3’s restrict is 24GB.
The worth hole between the M3 Professional and Max laptops is analogous. To improve from an M3 Professional with 36GB of reminiscence (a customization possibility; it comes customary with 18GB) to an M3 Max with the identical quantity of reminiscence can also be $400/£400. (It’s $800/£800 to improve from an 18GB M3 Professional to a 36GB M3 Max.) Nonetheless, it’s a greater deal than the M3 to M3 Professional improve, as a result of the 12-core M3 Proo has 6 efficiency cores, whereas the 14-core M3 Max has 10 efficiency cores. You achieve 4 efficiency cores, which suggests you achieve way more efficiency than, say, upgrading from M3 to M3 Professional.
To summarize, the M3 Professional fashions are costlier than the M3 fashions, however they’re extra succesful as a result of they’ve extra CPU and GPU cores and might have extra reminiscence. Upgrading from M3 Professional to M3 Max is an efficient worth/efficiency deal–a lot so that you simply may forego an M3 Professional altogether and go together with the M3 Max. Plus, there’s the Area Black possibility with the M3 Professional and Max fashions.
14-inch MacBook Professional, M3 (2023)
- M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB unified reminiscence, 512GB SSD: $1,599/£1,699
- M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB unified reminiscence, 1TB SSD: $1,799/£1,899
14-inch MacBook Professional, M3 Professional/M3 Max (2023)
- M3 Professional, 11-core CPU, 14-core GPU, 18GB unified reminiscence, 512GB SSD: $1,999/£2,099
- M3 Professional, 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 18GB unified reminiscence, 1TB SSD: $2,399/£2,499
- M3 Max, 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 36GB unified reminiscence, 1TB SSD: $3,199/£3,299
16-inch MacBook Professional, M2 Professional/M2 Max (2023)
- M3 Professional, 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 18GB unified reminiscence, 512GB SSD: $2,499 / £2,599
- M3 Professional, 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 36GB unified reminiscence, 512GB SSD: $2,899 / £2,999
- M3 Max, 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 36GB unified reminiscence, 1TB SSD: $3,499 / £3,599
- M3 Max, 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 48GB unified reminiscence, 1TB SSD: $3,999 / £4,099
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Efficiency
The M3 14-inch MacBook Professional replaces the M2 13-inch MacBook Professional. The brand new M3 has an 8-core CPU (4 efficiency, 4 effectivity cores) and affords a 20 p.c CPU increase over the M2, and a 40 p.c increase over the M1. Nonetheless, as a result of Apple has positioned the M3 mannequin beside the M3 Professional and Max laptops, the restrictions of the M3 develop into extra profound. The largest limitation is the 8GB of reminiscence in the usual configuration–for a laptop computer that’s aimed toward clients who carry out skilled duties, 8GB is a meager quantity. M3 customers who work in professional apps must go together with a minimum of 16GB of reminiscence, which provides $200/£200 to the value. Study extra on why 8GB isn’t sufficient.
The M3 chip household begins with the bottom M3.
Apple
For more cash, you may step up from the M3 to an 11-core M3 Professional chip, which affords an 18 p.c improve, or to a 12-core M3 Professional for a 28 p.c leap. Nonetheless, due to the Professional’s core configuration, it could be a greater funding to step as much as a 14-core M3 Max, which is 60 p.c quicker than the bottom M3.
The 14-inch MacBook Professional is on the market with the M3, M3 Professional, or M3 Max chips; the 16-inch MacBook Professional comes with both a M3 Professional or M3 Max chip. The M3 Professional and Max can be found with totally different CPU and GPU core choices, they usually even have extra reminiscence configurations obtainable.
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Show high quality and display measurement
The 14 and 16-inch MacBook Professional have mini-LED shows with slim bezels. Display sizes are literally 14.2 inches and 16.2 inches measured diagonally.
The screens provide good vitality effectivity, distinction, and brightness. The brightness with SDR content material has been boosted from 500 to 600 nits in comparison with the early 2023 14- and 16-inch fashions. With HDR content material the brand new shows can go as much as 1,000 nits sustained and 1,600 nits peak. That’s unimaginable HDR efficiency that beats almost another laptop computer show available on the market.
ProMotion, when it arrived with the 2021 MacBook Professional fashions was a game-changer, bringing 120Hz excessive refresh charges to the MacBook Professional, whereas additionally permitting for dynamic variable refresh charges all the way down to 24Hz, which isn’t solely nice for movie-watching, it’s a giant profit to battery life.
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Audio system, mics, and headphones
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional have a six-speaker sound system that guarantees excessive constancy along with help for Spatial Audio. All of the MacBook Execs have a beamforming three-mic array, however the 14-inch and 16-inch fashions have improved sensitivity and a decrease noise ground, so recordings ought to sound higher.
There’s a headphone jack on all of the MacBook Execs, and it helps high-impedance headphones. That’s nice for studio headphones, which want extra energy to drive them.
The 2023 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional’s HDMI port helps multichannel audio output.
Foundry
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Webcam (and the notch)
The MacBook Execs have a 1080p webcam that makes use of a complicated picture sign processor to assist enhance the picture. It’s an enchancment over the 720p in older MacBooks.
The webcam is housed in a fairly significant-sized notch on the high of the show, which first made an look on the 2021 MacBook Professional fashions. Regardless of wanting very very similar to that on the iPhone, it’s not a TrueDepth sensor. There’s no Face ID or Animoji or something like that. The notch doesn’t really lower into the primary show space, although. The world beneath the notch is a 16×10 show, identical to all prior MacBooks. The show space on both aspect of the notch extends upward from there, including display space on high of the 16×10 rectangle. The menu bar is situated in that space, successfully supplying you with extra vertical area for all of your apps. Builders can select to make use of that further display area in the event that they need to.
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Connectivity and enlargement
Years in the past, Apple removed our beloved MagSafe charging connector, opting as an alternative to take up one of many few Thunderbolt ports for charging. They usually removed the SD card slot and HDMI port, too.
When Apple up to date the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional fashions in 2021, Apple gave us one extra Thunderbolt port, and it introduced again the HDMI port, SDXC card slot, and MagSafe connector. Considerably confusingly, the corporate additionally makes use of MagSafe because the model for the iPhone’s magnetic charging and accent attachment expertise, which is form of a distinct factor but additionally entails magnetic charging.
All that is unchanged within the 2023 fashions, other than the HDMI port which now helps HDMI 2.1.
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Contact Bar
The 13-inch MacBook Professional had a Contact Bar. Apple dumped that laptop computer with the introduction of the M3 sequence within the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional, which additionally meant that it dumped the Contact Bar utterly. The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional doesn’t have a Contact Bar, they’ve a full-height row of Perform keys with a Contact ID sensor on the proper. Each programs have a Contact ID button within the higher proper of the keyboard just like the iMac’s Magic Keyboard with Contact ID.
Apple
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional: Battery Life
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Execs have actually wonderful battery life specs. The 70Wh battery within the 14-inch mannequin will maintain it going for 18 hours and the 16-inch mannequin will get 22 hours of video playback out of its 100Wh battery.
The M3 and 11-core M3 Professional 14-inch MacBook Professional include a 70W energy adapter, and each additionally provide an possibility for a 96W adapter. The 96W mannequin is critical for quick charging and comes customary with some configurations, in any other case, it’s a $20 improve. The 16-inch mannequin comes with a 140W energy adapter in all configurations.
Verdict
The 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Professional is absolutely the pinnacle of the transportable Mac. We suggest getting as a lot RAM and storage as you may afford. The candy spot for most individuals would be the 12-core CPU/18-core GPU M3 Professional with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, however we’re assured that you simply’ll be pleased with any of the configurations Apple affords.
For those who’re in search of a 13-inch M3 MacBook Professional, you gained’t discover it. Apple changed it with the 14-inch MacBook Professional, which has a distinct design, no Contact Bar, a greater show, and a better worth. Total, the M3 MacBook Professional is a greater laptop computer, however if you happen to love the Contact Bar, you both have to simply accept the brand new keyboard, stick along with your Contact Bar laptop computer, or discover a 13-inch M2 MacBook Professional from a third-party vendor or Apple’s Licensed Refurbished Retailer. Alternatively, the 13-inch MacBook Professional could be the most suitable choice for you, see our comparability of the MacBook Professional vs MacBook Air.
If you’re on a finances and the 14-inch M3 MacBook Professional seems engaging, get as a lot RAM as your finances will permit. For those who can improve to a minimum of 16GB of RAM, that can assist it keep good efficiency for years to return.
For extra shopping for recommendation learn our Finest Mac information.