M4 MacBook Pro may launch sooner than you think — but should you wait?
Apple is cooking right now
The M3 MacBook Pros are easily some of the best MacBooks Apple has ever released, but oddly, we’re going to tell you to stop buying them (unless there’s like a really good deal).
That’s because ahead of a predicted Apple October event, DigiTimes is reporting the next generation M4 MacBook Pro models — including M4 Pro and M4 Max options — have entered mass production this month ahead of an expected release in two months.
More power, more of the same
The rumor mill is also pointing to a new M4 iMac and Mac Mini too, but none of these are getting any significant redesigns. This is no bad thing given how much I do love the utilitarian aluminum unibody enclosure of the MacBook Pro — giving you a real sense of premium pride in owning it. Plus, while the wait for OLED is still ongoing, you could do a lot worse than that bright and vivid Mini LED panel.
Instead, we’re getting that beefy spec bump to M4. We’ve already seen the impressive gains capable with this new generation of Apple’s 3nm chip in the M4 iPad Pro. For example, we’re seeing an up to 17% improvement in the chips processing performance when compared to the M3 MacBook Pro.
Alongside that, the graphics and AI performance are greatly enhanced too for handily crushing more intensive tasks. And you can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll see even more squeezed out of the M4 Pro and M4 Max.
Not only that, but this may be the year we finally say “sayonara” to 8GB of RAM, as developer logs suggest that “base-level” M4 Macs will start at 16GB. This is huge, as it’s become clear that this paltry amount of multitasking memory was never going to be enough going forward.
But if you have to buy a MacBook Pro right now
Look, I know we’re saying don’t buy a MacBook Pro until you see what the M4s are capable of. However, it’s a bit stickier than that — primarily because Apple seems to be on a bit of a price drop binge ahead of this rumored October event.
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M3 MacBook Pro: was $1,599 now $1,299 @ Amazon
If you're looking for power without breaking the bank, the 14-inch MacBook Pro 14 offers a good balance of performance and value. This starting model has the base M3 chip, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. Though it's missing an extra USB-C port, this is an excellent all-rounder to buy.
M3 Pro MacBook Pro (14-inch): was $1,999 now $1,699 @ Amazon
The new M3 Pro MacBook Pro features a blisteringly fast 11-core CPU and 14-core GPU to help it monster even the most demanding tasks. This model also features 18GB of RAM, as well as a beautiful 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display.
M3 Pro MacBook Pro (16-inch): was $2,499 now $1,999 @ Amazon
Need more screen real estate while getting through workloads in pro tools like DaVinci Resolve and Maxon Redshift in record time? That’s where this base model 16-inch MacBook Pro comes in — featuring a 16.2-inch 3456 x 2234 Retina display, Apple M3 Pro CPU, 18GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
M3 Max MacBook Pro (14-inch): was $3,199 now $2,899 @ Amazon
This is where we start to step up into the big leagues of prosumer creator laptops. The M3 Max MacBook Pro is a screamer of a system — packing a 14-core CPU and a whopping 30 GPU cores. Alongside this, you’ve got 36GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, which is all packed into that same 14-inch chassis.
M3 Max MacBook Pro (16-inch): was $3,499 now $2,999 @ Amazon
And finally, for just $100 more, you can beef up that M3 Max system from 14 to 16 inches of screen real estate — all the same specs but in a bigger chassis with supremely impressive battery life. What’s not to love!?
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Jason brings a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He has previously written for Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza if he isn't already.