MacBook Pro M3 / Pro / Max (14 and 16 inches, late 2023): technical sheet, price, reviews

1 – Two screen sizes, to choose from

To begin with, you should know that Apple offers us two screen sizes here:

• 14.2 inches
• 16.2 inches

Only the 14.2-inch model is entitled to the M3 chip, which is also the most affordable. The 16-inch MacBook Pros are only entitled to the M3 Pro and M3 Max processors.

The panel offers a definition of 3,024 x 1,964 pixels for the model14 inches, or 3,456 x 2,234 pixels for the version16 inches. The maximum brightness, for its part, reaches up to one thousand six hundred nits, which will allow the laptop to be used even outdoors without fear of too many reflections. On the other hand, no coating dedicated to this purpose, nor oleophobic cover, unlike the iPad Pro.

To finish with the screen, note that all MacBook Pros from the end of 2023 are entitled to the ProMotion refresh rate at one hundred and twenty frames per second. The latter is particularly popular with gamers, moreover the Apple Arcade service available on macOS gives them access to hundreds of titles.

2 – Design: ups and downs

In terms of design, the MacBook Pros are clearlythe best in the laptop market. The aluminum chassis is very refined, although particularly friable and therefore sensitive to falls of all kinds. For the most clumsy, you will necessarily have to invest in a protective shell.

Two colors are now offered by the manufacturer: space black, or silver gray. At the top of the display sits a notch, which is of course reminiscent of that of the iPhone. Thisnotchunsightly cuts out the camera, and allows you to obtain a better size/screen ratio. It is therefore clearly not useless, and the competition would do well to take inspiration from it as long as sensors under the screen are not the norm.

With this, let us note that the differenttakenare located on the side of MacBook Pros, not the back. This is much more practical than when the layout installs them on the back. Finally, you should know that Apple has printed its logo behind the screen, only it is upside down when the device is closed. Skates are also glued under the keyboard to prevent the laptop from sliding.

3 – Performance, signature of the MacBook Pro range

Here is a quick comparison of the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, proprietary designs and offered by Apple on its new MacBook Pros from the end of 2023. The RAM is soldered to the rest of the motherboard (CPU + GPU), and it does not It is not possible to add bars after purchase without voiding the warranty.

M3 chip

• availability: on 14-inch MacBook Pros only
• processor: eight cores, including four cores for performance and four more energy-saving
• graphics card: ten cores
• artificial intelligence: sixteen-core Neural Engine
• memory bandwidth: one hundred gigabytes per second
• RAM: eight, sixteen or twenty-four gigabytes

M3 Pro chip

• availability: on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros
• processor: up to twelve cores, including six performance cores and six more power saving cores
• graphics card: up to eighteen cores
• artificial intelligence: sixteen-core Neural Engine
• memory bandwidth: one hundred and fifty gigabytes per second
• RAM: eighteen, thirty-six, forty-eight, sixty-four, ninety-six or one hundred and twenty-eight gigabytes

M3 Max chip

• availability: on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros
• processor: up to sixteen cores, including twelve cores for performance and four more power-saving cores
• graphics card: up to forty cores
• artificial intelligence: sixteen-core Neural Engine
• memory bandwidth: up to four hundred gigabytes per second
• RAM: eighteen, thirty-six, forty-eight, sixty-four, ninety-six or one hundred and twenty-eight gigabytes

4 – A certain effort on the connectivity and network side

Connections

Now let's move on to the list of ports available on the new MacBook Pros.

If you choose the M3 Pro or M3 Max chip on the 14-inch MacBook Pro as well as on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, you will be able to benefit from three universal USB-C ports, compatibleThunderbolt 4. There's one less entry on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip.

Each MacBook Pro from late 2023 also has a card readerSDXC, which will be very practical for photographers or amateur drone pilots. Finally, know that a portHDMIis also there, a rather surprising choice because USB-C already allows video streams to be transmitted.

MacBook Pros don't have room to accommodate an additional graphics card.

MacBook Pro M3 / M3 Pro / M3 Max: wireless networks

• no 4G
• Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
• Bluetooth 5.3
• AirPlay
• AirDrop

5 – MacBook Pro M3 / M3 Pro / M3 Max: autonomy

14-inch MacBook Pros with M3 chip offer up tofifteen o'clockautonomy in wireless web browsing, these measurements probably having been carried out with Safari. Same figure for 16-inch MacBook Pros with M3 Pro or M3 Max chip. On the other hand, you should know that the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or M3 Max chip has three hours less endurance, according to these same measurement criteria.

The power of the mains adapter also changes depending on the model, so that the most demanding ones do not necessarily recharge slower.

6 – macOS Sonoma, and later

In 2023, MacBook Pros aredelivered under macOS Sonoma. Around June 2024, a subsequent version of the operating system should be available.

This operating system is particularly renowned for its few guarantees ofcybersecurityadditional, which are not always found in Windows. For example, the computer sometimes prevents you from installing services that do not come directly from the App Store. Others, however, see this as a certain disadvantage, since the software we need is not all available on the Apple store.

Of course, the late 2023 MacBook Pros also come with many features that go hand in hand with other Apple devices. For example, you can start playing a video on your iPhone and continue it on Mac, without interruption, withHandoff. Another advantage is music playback via AirPlay, to a HomePod, which only takes a few seconds to pair. We can also cite the case of file transfer with AirDrop, which uses Wi-Fi and is even more efficient than usual Bluetooth.

With this, note that Apple offers many native apps. To read your emails, you can use Mail, which even offers personalized domain names with a paid iCloud+ plan. For streaming, Apple TV+ is there with hundreds of titles (films and series) while Apple Music offers tens of millions of tracks for 10.99 euros per month.

If you have an iPad, you can also use it as a second screen with the Sidecar functionality. Finally, those used to multitasking will appreciate Split View on the MacBook Pro M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max. This feature allows you to divide the screen in two, to use several apps at the same time.

7 – The price depends on many criteria

It is impossible to give a precise price for MacBook Pros from the end of 2023. In fact, it turns out that the price of each model depends on several criteria, as follows:

• screen size
• the processor (M3, M3 Pro or M3 Max)
• pre-installed paid software (Logic Pro or Final Cut Pro)
• the amount of RAM chosen
• the storage capacity of the SSD (from 512 GB to 8 TB)
• the power of the charger
• whether or not to add AppleCare+ insurance
• the country of purchase
• whether VAT and other potential taxes apply, depending on your region
• current promotions

What can be said, however, is that there is a base price below which Apple does not offer its M3, M3 or M3 Max MacBook Pros. Here are the figures in question:

• from 1,999 euros for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip
• from 2,499 euros for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or M3 Max chip
• from 2,999 euros for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or M3 Max chip

8 – Camera and sound

FaceTime Camera

The MacBook Pro M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max all benefit from a FaceTime sensor with Full HD definition on the front. Apple also explains that the lens in question benefits from an advanced image signal processor with computer video processing. On the other hand, no Centered Frame functionality unlike the Studio Display screen or some iPads, and that's a shame.

Audio on MacBook Pro M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max

There is no difference between the different late 2023 MacBook Pro models regarding sound. Just be aware that the speaker grille takes up more space on 16-inch MacBook Pros, but this doesn't change much in terms of sound quality.

Every MacBook Pro M3, M3 or M3 Max benefits from a high-fidelity six-speaker audio system with force-cancelling woofers. No active noise reduction on the menu, but it is possible to easily pair AirPods Pro via Bluetooth to qualify for it.

Three microphones are also included, with high signal-to-noise ratio and withdirectional beamforming. Finally, note that a 3.5 millimeter jack socket is still present on the edge, in order to connect headphones, EarPods or wired speakers. Phew, Apple hasn't removed it unlike the mishap experienced by the iPhone for several years!

9 – Conclusion: our opinion on the MacBook Pros at the end of 2023

It's time to give you our opinion on the late 2023 MacBook Pros.

First of all, what you need to know is that these are the most efficient laptops that Apple offers to date. We don't do any better at the Apple company. All generations of proprietary processors designed in Cupertino have been critically acclaimed, and the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max are clearly no exception to the rule. The MacBook Pros from the end of 2023 are aimed, as their name suggests, at workers. Whether for video editing, music production or even quantum computing, the device will not flinch.

But there's no point investing in a MacBook Pro M3, M3 or M3 Max either if you only need office work. Indeed, you might as well pay half as much and treat yourself, for example, toFifteen-inch MacBook Airunveiled by Apple just a few months ago.

To treat yourself to the MacBook Pro, you can consult the price comparison table below. The prices displayed are the best at the moment, taking into account in particular the reductions offered by certain French resellers. The amounts are also updated every hour, because of our in-house algorithm.

Please note that on each reseller site, you can also personalize the device with the amount of RAM or internal storage of your choice. We simply chose the most popular configurations.