Is MacBook Pro M4 worth the upgrade? 3 pros and 3 cons

Apple has updated almost its entire computer line. There are new iMacs and Mac minis with Apple M4 processors.

The MacBook Air remains remotely the same, but you now get 16GB of RAM even on the base models. Apple’s MacBook Pro gets the biggest upgrade, with new features in addition to the Apple M4 chipsets.

But should you upgrade if you own an older MacBook? Here are the arguments for and against a MacBook Pro with M4 chipset.

Pro: They now come standard with 16GB of RAM

Apple now offers double the RAM on its base MacBooks, 16 GB instead of 8 GB. This is bigger news than it would be from any other manufacturer, as Apple used to charge a small fortune, £200, for that extra 8GB of RAM.

That extra RAM makes your laptop run smoother when more processes are happening, allowing you to multitask better.

In the past, Apple has claimed that 8GB of RAM on a Mac is the same as 16GB of RAM on a Windows PC. But it clearly thinks that 8 GB is no longer enough. Why? Apple Intelligence probably.

Disadvantage: Older MacBooks still support Apple Intelligence

However, you don’t need one of these new MacBooks or Macs to use Apple Intelligence. MacBooks as old as 2020 M1 units can be used with Apple’s AI tools.

But do you also benefit from 16GB if you don’t have that amount yet? Certainly. Generative AI tools like chatbots consume a lot of RAM because you have to load the entire model into this kind of ultra-fast storage to make it remotely feel like it’s running in real time. A fast processor is not enough.

An older MacBook with 8GB of RAM may feel limited, but you’re not completely left out of Apple Intelligence.

Con: Performance improvement probably won’t mean much to many

The latest MacBook Pros are getting an upgrade to the Apple M4 processor family. Unless you’re a true power user, using pure performance as a reason to upgrade may be incorrect if you already have a Mac with an Apple M-series processor. They were introduced in 2020.

While there have been significant performance improvements with each successive generation, a 2020 Macbook with M1 CPU is still more than powerful enough for more light and work use. And even quite heavy, by mainstream standards.

If you own one of these and are experiencing basic performance issues, it could be because your storage space is too full, or you have apps that load automatically based on startup and storage resources.

Pro: Battery life gets a bump

Our favorite part of the Apple M4 isn’t the jump in raw performance, which is useful for some but not that exciting for most, but the increase in efficiency.

Apple says the MacBook Pro with M4 can deliver the performance levels of previous models while consuming less power. And that’s why the claimed battery life has increased to 24 hours in the base MacBook Pro with M4 (14 inches).

That’s four hours more than the original Apple M1 version of the MacBook Pro announced in 2020.

Con: It looks basically the same as before

Want an exterior style upgrade to match your interior upgrade? The MacBook Pro with M4 doesn’t offer one. At least not really.

The dimensions and weight of 1.55 kg (14 inch model) correspond exactly to those of last year’s version. MacBooks rarely get a visual update, but this point could go a way to ease the upgrade-itis anxiety.

There are three smaller external changes. You get one extra port (now specified to the faster Thunderbolt 5 standard in the top-spec models), while the Space Black finish is available across all specs. And the screen can now become brighter without having to show HDR content, from 600 nits last generation to 1,000 nits this time.

That means it’s now as bright as a good phone, although it won’t reach that level until the MacBook detects it’s in a very bright environment.

Pro: The webcam has improved a lot

The upgrade you might notice most, at least initially, when using a new MacBook Pro M4 is a feature you might think wouldn’t even factor into your decision: the webcam.

Earlier (but recent) MacBook Pros have 1080p webcams, which equates to two megapixels. The latest MacBook Pro has a 12 MP camera, the resolution Apple used to use in its iPhones, for the primary camera.

We are not all supposed to meet in 4K. It still only records video at 1080p. However, it has an extremely wide field of view that enables two useful functions.

Center Stage comes to you and follows you as you move around the room during a video call. Desk View is quite baffling. It provides an overhead view of the area in front of your MacBook – a view some content creators use – even though the camera itself is where webcams usually are.

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops are available for pre-order now and will be available from November 8. They start at £1,599 (14-inch) and £2,499 (16-inch).