The Cupertino giant Apple once again blew away the entire chip industry on Sunday. The company unveiled the industry-leading and ever fastest computer chipsets, the M1 Pro and M1 Max. The new chips debuted on the redesigned 2021 MacBook line. Before we get to the all-new 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro laptops, let’s talk a bit about the groundbreaking chip Apple just introduced.
Apple’s flexing it with the M1 Pro and M1 Max!
Claiming to be their fastest ever built chipsets to date, the M1 Pro and M1 Max basically build upon the solid M1 platform. Apple says both the M1 Pro and M1 Max deliver 70% faster CPU performance than last year’s M1. And quite naturally, the graphics performance of the M1 Pro is 2x faster than the M1. The M1 Max, on the other hand, takes the cake away with 4x better GPU performance.
Up to 32GB of unified memory is available on the M1 Pro with the M1 Max doubling it to a whopping 64GB of unified memory. That said, the memory bandwidth on the M1 Pro is 200GB/s and 400GB/s on the M1 Max.
The M1 Pro and M1 Max both pack a 10-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and two low-performance cores. Apple says the CPU performance on the M1 Pro is 70% faster than on the M1. For comparison’s sake, Apple claims the M1 Pro is 1.7x faster than the highest-end 8-core PC at the same power level. The M1 Pro attains the PC chip’s peak performance all while being 70% power efficient.
A 16-core GPU is here on the M1 Pro with 7 times faster graphics performance compared to an 8-core PC chip with integrated graphics. The M1 Max on the other hand has a massive 32-core GPU with identical performance to a high-end PC graphic but using 40% less power overall.
Apple’s in-house Media Engine takes advantage of the M1 Pro and M1 Max for video acceleration. ProRes, the company’s super high-quality cinema-grade video format is supported again while being extremely power efficient.
The 2021 MacBook Pro line
Proudly carrying the new breathtaking Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets are the new 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro laptops. And yes, as a laptop first, the notch has made it to the MacBook as speculated earlier. The new MacBook Pro models bring a new display, camera and MagSafe makes a return after years.
A 120Hz mini-LED display lands on the MacBook Pro models for 2021. A peak brightness of 1600 nits and support billion colors is impressive. Even more, impressive is the contrast ratio of 10,00,000:1. Residing in the notch is a new 1080p selfie camera. Sadly no Face ID made it here which is disappointing.
As for the I/O, we have got the aforementioned MagSafe charging port, HDMI port, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a MicroSDXC card reader on board.
On the design front, a newly designed aluminum enclosure is here. Heat dissipation is well-taken care of due to the enclosure being built around the thermal system. Sustained performance is ensured as a result. Also, the cooling fans hardly even have to turn on, thanks to the M1 Pro and M1 Max’s unparalleled efficiency.
Sound quality is maintained by a high-fidelity six-speaker setup in combination with two tweeters. Support for Spatial Audio is present along with theater-like Dolby Atmos audio extravaganza.
This year, Apple has traded in the TouchBar for traditional function keys.
Apple claims to use 100% recycled aluminum for the enclosure, usage of 100% rare earth materials in magnets, and more aimed towards achieving their 2030 Carbon Neutral goal.
Booting up the 2021 MacBook Pro models is MacOS Monterey.
Available for order now in M1 Pro and M1 Max configurations, the 14″ MacBook Pro will set you back at least $1,999. As for the 16″ MacBook Pro, it starts at $2,499. Shipping starts on October 26.