Đánh giá MacBook Pro M3 mới: Làm sao để biết liệu đã đến lúc nâng cấp hay chưa?

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Video and photo editors, content creators, medical professionals, gamers — this one’s for you. As soon as Apple releases something new and shiny, it’s hard not to consider the upgrade. This round, we’re looking at the M3 chip in the new MacBook Pro 14”.

What: MacBook Pro 14”
Release date: Available starting Nov. 7, 2023
Where to buy: Apple | Amazon | Best Buy | Staples
Price: MacBook Pro starting from $2,099

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Summary

The MacBook Pro powered by an M3 chip is faster, brighter and more efficient than models with an M2 chip or other predecessors. This means you can render videos, photos and other tasks faster without compromising battery life — with Apple’s most detailed, vibrant and vivid display yet.

The actual computers look the same. Apple barely touched the exterior of the 2023 lineup of MacBook Pros, aside from Space Black, the new colour available only with the M3 Pro and M3 Max chip models. This review focuses on the entry model of the M3 MacBook Pro series, which is effectively replacing the MacBook Pro 13” — learn more about the M3 Pro and M3 Max models and who they’re for, here.

Determining if you should upgrade your current computer to a MacBook Pro M3 depends on what you use it for and what your current model can handle. If you’re editing videos, working on demanding programs or gaming and notice long processing times, lags or other inefficiencies, you may want to consider a Pro model with an M3 chip. Below, outside of the specs, I remove the technical jargon and focus on the use case of new features.

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Specs summary

Size: 0.61 inches (H) x 12.31 inches (W) x 8.71 inches (D)
Weight: 3.4 pounds
Chip: Apple M3 chip, 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores, 10-core GPU, 100GB/s memory bandwidth, hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine
Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD camera
Audio: Six-speaker sound system, wide stereo sound, Spatial Audio when paired with Dolby Atmos
Display: Liquid Retina XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range) display, 14.2-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit
Memory: 8GB, configurable to 16GB or 24Gb
Storage: 512GB SSD, configurable to 1TB or 2TB
Battery: Up to 22 hours of movie playback, up to 15 hours of wireless web
Colours: Space Grey and Silver
Ports: Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 (USB-C) ports (M3 Pro and M3 Max have three Thunderbolt ports), HDMI port, SDXC card slot
What’s in the box: (1) 14-inch MacBook Pro, (2) 70W USB-C Power Adapter and (3) USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)

New and noteworthy: Performance, display, battery life

The new Space Black is one fine colour but, unfortunately, is reserved for the M3 Pro and M3 Max models (it even comes with a matching black cable). Once you’ve come to terms with matte black being unavailable for the MacBook Pro 14” M3, you can really appreciate all the wonderful features of the M3 models: performance, display, battery life and sound.

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Performance: Apple is upping its game on gaming. MacBook Pros have always been intended for users who require more demanding tasks than typing or streaming a movie — what I usually do from day to day (over the years, I’ve purchased the MacBook Pro and Airs, but right now, I’m loving the MacBook Air 15”.) Now, it seems like Apple is not only going after professional videographers, Excel wizards and medical professionals but also gamers — an area where PC traditionally dominates. 

M3’s capabilities are prime for gamers because it focuses on speed, efficiency and video rendering. Though this is ideal for gamers, it’s also great for many professionals who rely on running many powerful programs all at once. While testing the MacBook Pro 14”, it’s clear it’s more powerful than the already-mighty MacBook Air 15” ($1,739.99), as it can handle more simultaneous tasks. 

The MacBook Air 15” was released in July 2023 and runs on the M2 chip — a comparable machine with a noticeable efficiency difference, however, the bigger difference in performance is when you’re comparing the M3 with M1 or Intel-based computers, which debuted in 2020 or earlier — that’s when the stats are really impressive (like being 1x faster in Excel than 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 or 3.5x faster than 13-inch MacBook Pro with Intel Core i7.)

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Note on performance: The entry model of the MacBook Pro 14” M3 only comes with 8GB of memory. If you’re after the M3 for its ability to handle multiple high-demanding programs, you’re likely going to want to consider ordering with 16 or 24GB of memory, which adds $250 and $500, respectively. 

So is it time to upgrade based on performance? Depends on what you have, how you use your computer, your expectations and budget.

Display: The chip is brighter and so is the screen. The MacBook Pro 14” M3 can support up to 1 billion colours while sustaining 1,000 nits (unit of measurement that comes from the Latin word “nitere” which means “to shine”) of brightness. It’s Apple’s brightest screen yet and it’s nothing less than stunning. The screen brightness and display are ideal for professional photographers, videographers, designers and others who do very fancy things on their computer. 

Time to upgrade based on display? In general, Apple has beautiful displays. Yes, M3 machines are brighter and more vibrant, but the M2 and previous models are also stunners.

Battery life: The M3’s battery should last longer than yours. With up to 22 hours of video playback and 15 hours of wireless web browsing, should you really be working longer than the computer’s battery can last? Apple doesn’t joke about its battery life either — M3 laptops work just as wonderfully when they’re plugged in as when they’re running on battery. This is great for professionals on the go who may want to execute major tasks in environments where outlets may not be present.

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Time to upgrade based on battery life? The MacBook Pro 13” M2 starts off with a 20-hour battery — so the 14” M3 is already an upgrade. You may want to consider the state of your current laptop’s battery health. If your battery is still strong enough to get you through your mobile tasks, then you may not need the new computer, however, if the battery is on the fritz, you may want to consider getting an M3 device.

Recommendation

I’m not sad to see the 13” go. After spending time on the 15” Air, I can’t go down to a teeny 13” — I much prefer the 14”. However, if you’re looking for a 16” screen, you’re going to have to head to the M3 Pro and M3 Max MacBooks, which have a more expensive starting price ($3,299 for the M3 Pro and $4,649 for the M3 Max).

Size aside, all the M3 MacBooks are uber-powerful machines that can support professionals within many industries. If you’re using your computer for streaming, web surfing or writing, I’d recommend an Air. If you’re a student in STEM or a creative major, you’re likely a strong candidate for the MacBook Pro 14” M3. The same goes for entrepreneurs, content creators and those who work within medicine or rely on Excel. If your job or hobby involves highly complex video editing, you’re likely going to want to explore the M3 Pro or M3 Max MacBooks.

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What: MacBook Pro 14”
Release date: Available starting Nov. 7, 2023
Where to buy: Apple | Amazon | Best Buy | Staples
Price: MacBook Pro starting from $2,099

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