Apple 2021 MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Pro chip with 8‑core CPU and 14‑core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) - Space Grey

Product Information

Testing conducted by Apple in September and October 2023 using pre‑production 14‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M3 Pro, 12‑core CPU, 18‑core GPU, 36GB of RAM and 4TB SSD, production 14‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M2 Pro, 12‑core CPU, 19‑core GPU and 32GB of RAM, production 14‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M1 Pro, 10‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU and 32GB of RAM, both configured with 8TB SSD, and production 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7–based 13‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, 32GB of RAM and 4TB SSD. Tested with MATLAB and Simulink R2023b v23.2.0 and Parallel Computing Toolbox using a vehicle dynamics model. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Pro. Testing conducted by Apple in September and October 2023 using pre‑production 14‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M3, 8‑core CPU, 10‑core GPU and 24GB of RAM, production 13‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M2, 8‑core CPU, 10‑core GPU and 24GB of RAM, production 13‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M1, 8‑core CPU, 8‑core GPU and 16GB of RAM, and production 1.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7–based 13‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 and 16GB of RAM, all configured with 2TB SSD. Pre‑release Blender 4.0.0 tested by rendering a 47.1 MB 3D scene utilising hardware-accelerated ray tracing on M3‑based systems, and software‑based ray tracing on all other units. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Pro.

I fired up DaVinci Resolve to see if I would be able to hit the limits of the M1 Max and, after adding 12 4K 25fps 150Mbits/sec 4:2:2 AVCHD clips to the timeline and seeing no slowdown whatsoever, I admitted defeat. This laptop is a video-editing monster.When Apple launched the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020), it boasted that it had the longest battery life ever in a MacBook, and our tests confirmed that, so when Apple revealed that the 14-inch could beat the 13-inch by whopping seven hours, we couldn’t wait to try it out for ourselves. USB-C Power Adapter (included with M1 Pro with 10-core CPU or M1 Max, configurable with M1 Pro with 8-core CPU)

The all-round performance of the Apple MacBook Pro 14in (2021) is very nearly as impressive as the display – there’s nothing the M1 Max inside our review sample can’t handle. MacBook Pro with M3 Pro chip supports up to two external displays. MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip supports up to four external displays.Among all the laptops we’ve reviewed that scored 250 or more in our in-house benchmarks, this year’s MacBook Pro is by far the longest-lasting machine. Impressively, it lasted nearly two hours longer than the less powerful M1 MacBook Air and ten hours longer than the aforementioned Alienware x15. Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned Apple products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale. While only some units are returned due to technical issues, every unit is evaluated to ensure it meets Apple's quality standards. It’s certainly noticeable, as the notch extends down into the menu bar that runs along the top of the screen. However, macOS Monterey, which comes preinstalled on the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021), is designed to deal with it. The menu bar of apps adapts to the notch, so if there are numerous menu entries that run along the menu bar, they are rearranged so they appear either side of the notch. The mouse cursor, meanwhile, moves beneath the notch. Apple Watch devices that require replacement parts are not included in the Apple Certified Refurbished Program. You can configure the MacBook Pro 14-inch with more RAM and storage space, with either 16GB, 32GB and 64GB unified memory, and up to 8TB SSD storage, which of course also adds to the price.

Testing conducted by Apple in September and October 2023 using pre‑production 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M3 Pro, 12‑core CPU, 18‑core GPU, 36GB of RAM and 4TB SSD, as well as production 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M2 Pro, 12‑core CPU, 19‑core GPU and 32GB of RAM, production 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M1 Pro, 10‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU and 32GB of RAM, and production 2.4GHz 8‑core Intel Core i9–based 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Radeon Pro 5600M graphics with 8GB of HBM2 and 64GB of RAM, all configured with 8TB SSD. Redshift v3.5.18 tested using a 29.2MB scene utilising hardware‑accelerated ray tracing on M3‑based systems, and software‑based ray tracing on all other units. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Pro.The displays on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro have rounded corners at the top. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screens are 14.2 inches and 16.2 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures. Testing conducted by Apple in September and October 2023 using pre‑production 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M3 Pro, 12‑core CPU, 18‑core GPU, 36GB of RAM and 4TB SSD, as well as production 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M2 Pro, 12‑core CPU, 19‑core GPU and 32GB of RAM, production 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Apple M1 Pro, 10‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU and 32GB of RAM, and production 2.4GHz 8‑core Intel Core i9–based 16‑inch MacBook Pro systems with Radeon Pro 5600M graphics with 8GB of HBM2 and 64GB of RAM, all configured with 8TB SSD. Tested using Adobe Premiere Pro (Beta) 24.1, and a project with multiple dialogue-heavy video clips. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Pro. Much though we’d have loved Apple to send us the top-end model, the model on test is more representative of the sort of specification most people will opt for, with an M1 Pro processor supplemented by 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max) We’re aware that we’ve used the word ‘incredible’ quite a bit in this review, but it sums up what Apple has done with the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and if you’re a creative professional looking for a powerful workstation you can use anywhere, this is the laptop for you, without a doubt. The M1 Max, meanwhile, is available in two different flavours, as it is on the MacBook Pro 16in: one with 10 CPU/24 GPU cores and the other with 10 CPU/32 GPU cores.