Apple is considered the best at making high-end laptops that run their own powerful operating system. The Apple MacBook Pro continues the tradition with an all-new superpower: Apple’s proprietary M1 chip yields better performance and better graphics than previous MacBook Pros.
This pays huge dividends, whether you’re working a traditional 9-to-5 and are the kind of person with a million browser tabs open or a creative who relies on Adobe’s Creative Suite or Apple’s own Final Cut Pro. (Speaking of, the audio from the studio-quality microphone is way better on this model too, no matter if you’re just chiming in during a Zoom meeting or recording a song.)
The other thing we love about the new MacBook Pro? The battery life. It’s truly a dream, even if you’re spending the day multitasking to the max. Our reviewer found that she still got 10 hours of battery life with 20-plus tabs open, taking calls on Google Hangout, and running a few other apps at the same time, too. For slower days, Apple says you can get up to 20 hours of video playback and 17 hours of web browsing.
However, while the Apple MacBook Pro is considered one of the best of the best laptops out there, there are a few gripes we’ve had with previous generations that persist. There’s still a horrible lack of ports on a laptop meant for creatives and media workers — just two USB-Cs on one side — meaning you’ll have to buy a dongle that sadly isn’t included in the hefty purchase price. Our reviewer also found that the trackpad was too large and that their hand placement on the laptop triggered it inadvertently. And, of course, not everyone loves the controversial Touch Bar, which is designed to replace the upper function keys and automatically personalizes its “keys” to whatever application you have open.
We’ve chosen a model with basic storage, RAM, etc., but you can always pay more for more features.
Still, even with these unresolved issues, there are few better computers out there if you’re working heavily with media like music or films — and of course, the cool factor is enough for people who’ll just be using it for more basic workflow tasks and apps like Slack or Google’s online apps.
