8.6
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Max, late 2023)
Like
Very fast
Excellent screen
Great battery life for its class
Don’t like
Merits a better webcam
Heavy
Screen notch
The all-too-soon followup to the Editors’ Choice-earning M2 generation of the 16-inch MacBook Pro is… the Editors’ Choice-earning M3 generation. The hardware is getting faster all the time; I’d be complaining vocally if I’d bought the version from earlier this year to use for rendering work, simply because the improvements in the graphics architecture generation-over-generation deliver a big performance leap for certain types of work. And it unsurprisingly remains an excellent combination of design, performance and battery life.
The MBP 16 has the same design as the previous model, which was launched in early 2023 and has been the same since 2021, so you’ve probably already seen it. I won’t rehash my thoughts on it, since they haven’t changed either; if you’re curious, read my review of the early 2023 model MacBook Pro 16. What has changed is the color and the performance (duh, new chip), as well as my tools for testing the display: Those will comprise the bulk of this review. Â
Whatever you want to call it, ultimately, the MacBook Pro is a mobile workstation. And that’s the primary way to justify the price, especially for the $3,999 (£4,099, AU$6,899) configuration I tested. Apple continues to stress workstation application and gaming performance — ray tracing and mesh shaders were a couple of the big additions to the graphics processing with the M3. But there still aren’t many high-profile games available and Apple’s list of upcoming games doesn’t impress. As a game designer, you could make a case for it, though you’ll probably still design for other platforms first.
Watch this: Apple MacBook Pro 16- and 14-Inch, M3 Series…
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