The MacBook Pro 14-inch is the smaller, but still capable model of the newer Pro laptops. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — The thing about laptops is there are just too many out there with various configurations and price points to the point it can get overwhelming.
It isn’t a surprise then that many Apple laptop users don’t often switch because for better or worse, Apple has managed to retain a consistency in form and function.
Apart from those times they decided the Touch Bar and Butterfly keyboards were good ideas, that is.
My MacBook Pro 2021 review took longer than I thought it would due to a long bout of illness but it gave me time to really think about whether the 14-inch model was the best “mid-level” option.
The Pros about a 14-inch model
The MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models offer not just a bump in screen size but internals — with a choice of either the M1 Pro chip or the M1 Max.
Now, why go for these laptops over the older 13-inch MacBook Pro? It’s primarily because of the souped-up internals — the MacBook Pro 13 only has the older M1 chip and maxes out at 16GB RAM, while the newer models can go up to 32GB for the M1 Pro Chip and 64GB for M1 Max.
There’s also the choice between an 8-Core CPU and a 10-Core CPU if you’re deciding to go for the M1 Pro chip, and it’s arguable that the performance hit will be that noticeable should you choose to save yourself RM1,000 or more by going for the 8-core instead.
However with great specs come greater prices and you have to think really hard about whether the extra expense is worth it.
What makes it even more complicated is that you can’t just add a stick of memory to increase memory later — unified memory, which integrates memory with the processor, can’t just be increased later.
I’ll save you some time by telling you that if all you do is open the odd Word document, surf online and maybe look at a spreadsheet or two, you can probably save yourself money by just getting a M1 chip MacBook Air.
The MacBook Pro 14 though has a very specific target — it’s for people who don’t really need that big a screen or who have the option of an external monitor.
What I found is that the difference between a MacBook Pro 14 display and the MacBook Air 13 screen is minute at best.
There is the matter of the notch where the webcam is and unless you’re looking for it, it’s not jarring or obvious.
You could save yourself a little money by choosing the smaller screen and get more real estate by hooking up a second display but it’s rather inconvenient if you want a portable workstation.
If you envision yourself needing more space for video editing or multitrack songs on a digital audio workstation while being on the move, you should probably consider biting the bullet and spending the extra thousand ringgit or so (ouch) for the 16-inch model.
What “pro” activity will it be adequate for? 14-inches is fine for photo editing, graphic design work and Lightroom sessions, but a tight squeeze if you’re the type to run multiple apps or too many tabs.
The HDMI port as well as an SD card are also great additions and they also mean you (probably) won’t need more dongles since you also get three Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Good enough?
However if you’re a coder, the 14-inch screen should be enough to run code editors and Visual Studio.
For fun, I decided to try running Unity and take some time checking out Niantic Studio’s Lightship AR development kit. However I found out that Lightship needs a particular version of Unity that is not supported by Apple Silicon-running Macs.
That’s one of the problems of the Silicon Macs, even with Rosetta, there will be software that will only run on Intel-based chips so if you need specialised software to work, make sure that it’s cleared to run on Apple Silicon.
Apple’s own software, Final Cut Pro and Logic of course run as smooth as butter from my testing — no weird bugs or sudden windows closing, freezing or crashing.
What’s most comforting, though, is that no matter what I throw at it, the MacBook Pro runs quietly and does not demonstrate noticeable overheating or performance hits when running anything more CPU or graphics-intensive.
My favourite thing about the MacBook Pro 14 is an old favourite, MagSafe. It’s come back as MagSafe 3, and the tougher braided cable is also a welcome addition.
Just a note — the 8-core CPU version comes with a 67W USB-C power adapter but you’ll get the 96W USB-C adapter with higher-specced models.
You can always just buy the higher capacity adapter later should you want faster charging.
As to how the laptop works portability-wise, fortunately the 14-inch model is pretty light for something this powerful. Sure, it’s no Air but it’s very unlikely to hurt your back during your daily commute.
Now the big question: should you get this? If you’re a creative professional, whether audio, video, graphics or similar computer-reliant work, looking for a very portable, while being very capable machine for daily work, the 14-inch model should do you fine.
If the price is a pain point but you still need performance, you could get the 8-core M1 Pro model but plump for 32GB of RAM.
The M1 Max processor, though, is only if you have more extreme performance needs — think scoring a 3-hour feature film and rendering hours of video footage at 8K.
You can now get the MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models online or at your nearest Apple retailer with prices starting from RM8,799.