M4 MacBook Pro: Everything you need to know
Here’s what you need to know about the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max that could launch very soon.
Table of Contents
MacBook Pro M4 Release date: When will Apple update the MacBook Pro?
MacBook Pro M4 Price: What will the new MacBook Pro cost?
MacBook Pro M4 Specs: How much better will the M4 MacBook be?
MacBook Pro M4 Design: Will Apple update the design of the MacBook Pro?
MacBook Pro M4 Screen: Will the new MacBook Pro have a better screen?
Apple’s M3-series MacBook Pro was released in the fall of 2023, but Apple has seemingly put the laptop on a more frequent update cycle, with reports of an M4 MacBook Pro coming before the end of 2024 hitting the rumor mill.
In this article, we are keeping track of all the rumors about the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro.
MacBook Pro M4 Release date: When will Apple update the MacBook Pro?
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Possible launch at an October Apple event.
It’s only been a year since the M3-series MacBook Pro were introduced in October 2024, but it looks like Apple is getting ready to update them again, despite the fact that the company seems to have forgotten to update many desktop Macs to run on the M3 series chips. With the arrival of the M4 in the iPad Pro back in May it looks like the company has already done the groundwork, so surely an M4 Mac will arrive soon.
All the signs indicate that Apple will launch new M4-powered Macs before the end of the year. It seems we can expect a new Mac mini, a new iMac, and new MacBook Pro models. In a mid-September 2024 newsletter Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested that Apple will release Macs with the M4 chip “in the coming weeks.”
Gurman has been making predictions about the introduction of Macs with M4 chips for some time. Back in April, he wrote that the M4 rollout would begin later in 2024 and continue throughout 2025. His prediction at that time was that in late 2024 we will see the following:
- Entry-level MacBook Pro, M4, 14-inch: Late 2024
- iMac, M4, 24-inch: Late 2024
- MacBook Pro, M4 Pro/M4 Max, 14-inch and 16-inch: Late 2024/Early 2025
- Mac mini M4/M4 Pro: Late 2024/Early 2025
We could see just the entry-level MacBook Pro in October, but we think that separating the launch of the entry-level MacBook Pro from the higher-end models would be a curious move, so we expect to see the whole range of MacBook Pro, including the M4 Pro and M4 Max launched at the same time. Alternatively, Apple may want to stagger the chips and separate the M4 Pro/Max from the M4 to give the higher-end machines their own spotlight. Of course, only Apple knows what the plans are at this point.
There is one indication that all three MacBook Pro types are due to be updated sooner rather than later. In June, analyst Ross Young posted (subscription required) that display panel shipments for a new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro are scheduled for Q3 2024, which could mean that a new MacBook Pro with M4-series chips may happen by the end of the year.
MacBook Pro M4 Price: What will the new MacBook Pro cost?
We don’t expect that the prices of the MacBook Pro range will change when the M4 models are introduced. Here’s how much they cost right now in the U.S. and U.K:
14-inch MacBook Pro
- $1,599/£1,699: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
- $1,799/£1,899: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8GB unified memory; 1TB SSD
- $1,999/£2,099: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 16GB unified memory; 1TB SSD
- $1,999/£2,099: M3 Pro with 11-core CPU, 14-core GPU; 18GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
- $2,399/£2,499: M3 Pro with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU; 18GB unified memory; 1TB SSD
- 3,199/£3,299: M3 Max with 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU; 36GB unified memory, 1TB SSD
16-inch MacBook Pro
- $2,499/£2,599: M3 Pro with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU; 18GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
- $2,899/£2,999: M3 Pro with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU; 36GB unified memory; 512GB SSD
- $3,499/£3,599: M3 Max with 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU; 36GB unified memory; 1TB SSD
- $3,999/£4,099: M3 Max with 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU; 48GB unified memory; 1TB SSD
Apple will likely offer similar configurations and it remains to be seen if the prices will increase or not.