The new MacBook Pro equipped with Apple’s M3 chip has been available since the end of October. We were able to test it in the editorial office to check its performance and whether it was really worth its starting price of 1,999 euros.
The iPhone 15 was not the only big announcement from Apple for the end of 2023. The Cupertino company also unveiled its new iMac home computers as well as the MacBook Pro equipped with M3, M3 Pro and M3 chips Max. Nearly a year and a half after the release of the MacBook Pro M2, Apple is renewing its laptops for professionals.
We were able to try out the latest MacBook Pro with a copy entrusted to us by the brand for several weeks. Our configuration was the most muscular in the range, namely the MacBook Pro equipped with an M3 Max chip and a 16-inch screen panel. Discover our test of the MacBook Pro M3 Max and whether it justifies a potential purchase.
Once we have received our MacBook Pro M3 Max, we make a first observation with the products present in the box. The latter therefore contains the MacBook Pro (phew), a MagSafe cable in the same color as the chosen product, documentation and Apple stickers. A formula unchanged since the appearance of the MacBook Pro M1 therefore.
The chassis of the MacBook Pro M3 is the same as that initiated in 2021 with the appearance of the very first in the range equipped with an in-house chip from Apple, the M1. Its very square format with rounded edges combined with the aluminum finishes give a real professional side to this machine. The case of the MacBook Pro M3 is also not very sensitive to fingerprints, unlike the MacBook Air in particular which is more resistant to everyday use.
The MacBook Pro M3 is still available in two formats: 14 and 16 inches. It is this last configuration that we have for our test. The 16-inch format clearly has its advantages: better battery, greater readability and display area… But also a big disadvantage: its size! Carrying the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 on a daily basis can quickly become complicated as the computer is large and heavy in a backpack.
The first new feature quickly visible on this MacBook Pro M3 is a color exclusive to the M3 Pro and M3 Pro Max models: space black. Although very pretty and more practical with its new manufacturing treatment which reduces fingerprints, this “space black” MacBook turns out to be less dark than the video of its announcement or the photos online on the website make you think. Apple website. Compared to the “midnight black” of the MacBook Air M2 released in 2022, this new color tends more towards “very dark gray” than “space black”.
In terms of connections, the MacBook Pro M3 has a left edge equipped with the MagSafe port, two Thunderbolt 4 (USB 3) ports and a mini Jack port ideal for music professionals who want to enjoy quality lossless audio. The right side of the device is equipped with a third Thunderbolt 4 (USB 3) port, an HDMI port and an SD card slot that will please photographers.
So much for the design of the MacBook Pro when closed. Once the computer is opened, there are still few surprises: there is a backlit keyboard that is still pleasant to use as well as a trackpad that is as precise as it is soft to the touch. Older owners of MacBook Pros equipped with an Intel processor will also notice the absence of the “Touch Bar”, abandoned by Apple when the first MacBook Pro M1 appeared in 2021.
On the screen side, we will also notice the presence of the notch on the upper edge which spoils the view a little. It is still surprising that the latter is still present despite the absence of integrated Face ID. An even more disappointing observation when we know that the integrated webcam only offers 1080p quality which barely does the job.
Few changes to note regarding the screen of the MacBook Pro M3 compared to that of its predecessor M2. There is still a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR panel with a resolution of 3,456 x 2,234 pixels. The only tiny difference: the maximum brightness in SDR (Standard Dynamic Range, a display which allows duller renderings, but also closer to reality) increases to 600 nits compared to 500 for the MacBook Pro M2 screen. This allows for even better display of colors and blacks for your content.
However, a small black spot tarnishes the picture: the resolution. The most expert will certainly have understood that the MacBook Pro M3 screen is not capable of displaying images in 4K resolution without scaling. A slight disappointment for this machine which is still very much aimed at image professionals. They can console themselves by connecting an external monitor compatible with 4K resolution and supported by the MacBook Pro M3.
Beyond this detail, the screen of the MacBook Pro M3 is sumptuous. Your content is always perfectly readable, even in direct sunlight or, conversely, if you lack a light source. The screen of the MacBook Pro M3 automatically adapts to the ambient brightness to offer you the best rendering and find the best balance between readability and saving energy (and your eyes). This setting, called “True Tone”, can however be deactivated in the device options.
The MacBook Pro M3’s screen has several refresh rates which can range from 48 Hz to 120 Hz. Note, however, that this last setting is limited to the adaptive “ProMotion” mode, and that it is therefore not possible to lock the MacBook’s screen at 120 Hz. The computer will automatically adapt its refresh rate (and therefore its fluidity) according to the content displayed on the screen.
We come to the most crucial part of this test: the performance of the MacBook Pro M3. Let us first remember that such an expensive computer is primarily aimed at professionals. The latter are also at the heart of Apple’s communication for the marketing of the MacBook Pro M3. We therefore expect convincing results capable of handling all kinds of complicated tasks such as 4K video renderings or 3D modeling.
Although we are not “power users” in the Linternaute editorial team, we still measured the performance of the MacBook Pro M3 Max with the processing of several video files in 4K resolution. Imported into the “Adobe Premiere Pro” software, we made some small edits and modifications to these files and exported them all at the same time in the same resolution. The MacBook Pro M3 handled this task very well without any freezes or slowdowns. The fans also remained surprisingly quiet throughout the export.
For the most tech-savvy of our readers, here are some benchmarks carried out to measure the performance of the MacBook M3 Max:
Let’s not beat around the bush: these are excellent results. When put in competition with high-performance PC configurations, the M3 Max chip performs extremely well. It’s difficult to bring the machine to its knees unless you run several large operations on it that use the chip to its full potential. With equal performance, several of our colleagues also noted that the MacBook Pro M3 still fared better than the competition in terms of energy and autonomy management. A point to which we will return in a few lines.
Among the big news mentioned by Apple regarding its new MacBook Pro M3, one part clearly caught our attention: the arrival of “Ray Tracing” technology in video games on Mac.
This is therefore a real call from Apple for video games on Mac. If the firm’s computers have always excelled for office automation and productivity, they have regularly been singled out for their lack of compatible applications, particularly video games. By adding Ray Tracing support to its machines, Apple is trying to attract developers and encourage them to release their productions on Mac.
We were able to try the recent Baldur’s Gate 3 on the MacBook Pro M3 in order to check the latter’s performance and its Ray Tracing support. No surprise: the game is magnificent and runs extremely well on MacBook Pro M3. Movements and cutscenes are fluid and we did not observe any pronounced heating of the device or any pronounced fan noise, even with the graphics pushed to maximum.
All these great advances, however, hide a flaw that still prevents Apple from establishing itself in the video game sector: the MacBook Pro still cruelly lacks compatible games. If you like playing the latest video games or small independent productions, there’s a good chance you’ll prefer to stay on a PC. Mac computers still do not have a large, extensive range of compatible games, even if this trend has greatly improved in recent years with the arrival of big hits like Baldur’s Gate or Death Stranding.
If there’s one thing that’s often overlooked when it comes to MacBooks, it’s the effectiveness of the device’s speakers. Apple’s latest computer, however, benefits from six integrated speakers with force-canceling woofers that help prevent extraneous noise.
What more can I say except that the audio quality of the MacBook Pro M3 speakers is simply excellent. Sound and image professionals will be able to work on their productions while enjoying a relatively balanced sound, with bass, midrange and treble well transcribed, even when pushing the sound all the way up.
This allows the MacBook Pro M3 to also establish itself as an excellent machine for watching films and series. By combining the excellent audio quality of its speakers with its Liquid Retina XDR screen, the MacBook Pro M3 allows you to fully enjoy your favorite content with superb rendering.
We used the MacBook Pro M3 for several weeks as our primary machine for both professional and personal activities. The latter particularly surprised us with its very good autonomy: turned on in the morning at 9 a.m. with 100% of its battery, the MacBook Pro M3 Max still displayed 17% battery at the end of the afternoon around 4:30 p.m. The battery finally gave out a few hours later, but was more than enough to last us through the day.
Our tests on the autonomy of the MacBook Pro M3 Max included several fairly standard everyday uses: social networks, writing articles, YouTube videos, editing images in Photoshop… A wide range of activities that we were able to take advantage of throughout the day before going through a recharge.
Once the MacBook Pro M3 is flat, it should be recharged. Apple provides a MagSafe compatible charger with a braided cord that looks great (and matches the color of the device). Allow a little less than 1h30 to fully recharge the MacBook Pro M3 Max with the charger provided in the box. Here are our readings taken over around thirty minutes:
It’s difficult to be choosy about all the power and arguments delivered by the MacBook Pro M3. Apple’s proposition has been the same since the inauguration of the range: to offer great performance to allow image and sound professionals to be able to work fully, even on the move.
The basic promise is respected: the MacBook Pro M3 is capable of delivering very solid performance while providing a real demonstration of autonomy compared to the competition. Professionals who like to play a few video games in their free time will also appreciate the addition of Ray Tracing on their machine, even if the latter cannot make us forget the small number of games available on Mac at the moment.
Excellent performance, excellent battery life, very good speakers… If the MacBook Pro M3 has solid arguments to establish itself as the reference machine for professionals, it is unfortunately not without its flaws. Its screen still suffers from the lack of 4K resolution and still has a webcam which is starting to seriously show its age. Finally, its (very) high price makes it a machine reserved for a restricted audience and which has a large budget to equip itself.
