Apple has unveiled its latest MacBook Pro lineup featuring the new M3 chip, promising huge performance gains over previous models. Early benchmarks reveal the M3 can outpace even the mighty M1 Max, delivering blistering speeds for intensive workloads.
M3 Smashes Performance Records in Early Testing
According to early Geekbench testing by 9to5Toys, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro scored 1931 in single-core performance and 15,547 multi-core. This represents a 20% improvement over the already blazing fast M1 Max in multi-threaded work, cementing the M3 as the fastest chip ever in a pro notebook.
Apple is touting the M3’s industry-leading performance and efficiency capabilities, made possible by its cutting-edge 3nm manufacturing process:
“M3 sets a new standard for power and performance. With superfast unified memory and increased efficiency, M3 Pro and M3 Max represent astonishing gains for the most demanding workloads.”
The smaller 10-core M3 Pro is 80% faster than M1 Pro for intensive tasks like video editing, 3D rendering, and coding compilation. The monstrous 12-core M3 Max can deliver up to 6x faster Final Cut Pro rendering performance over M1.
New Liquid Retina XDR Display Dazzles
In addition to raw speed, the new MacBook Pro lineup brings a stunning 120Hz Liquid Retina XDR display. With 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio and extreme dynamic range, creative professionals will be blown away by the level of detail and vibrancy.
John Scalzi, novelist and long-time creative Mac user, shared his first impressions:
“The increased sharpness and contrast make HD video pop off the screen…and the buttery smooth scrolling and animations are a joy to interact with.”
The mini-LED backlit panels can sustain peak brightness up to 2000 nits, enabling an unparalleled HDR viewing experience.
Costs and Configurations
The base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU) starts at $1,999, with upgrades up to 96GB memory and 8TB SSD storage available. Stepping up to the 14-inch M3 Max (12-core CPU, 38-core GPU) pushes the pricing to $3,099 and up.
For those wanting something more portable, Apple also released refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro models with M3 inside, starting at $1,799. Configuration options are similar but max out at 64GB memory and 4TB storage.
| Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|
| 14″ MacBook Pro M3 Pro | $1,999 |
| 14″ MacBook Pro M3 Max | $3,099 |
| 13″ MacBook Pro M3 Pro | $1,799 |
Early Adopters Overwhelmingly Positive So Far
Those lucky enough to get their hands on the new M3 MacBook Pro already are raving about the performance. Tech journalist Chuong Nguyen highlights the staggering efficiency gains:
“I can now leave more browser tabs open, have multiple apps running, and still get through a full day on a charge. With M1, I usually topped out around 6 hours.”
Software engineer Thomas Ricouard saw compile times cut by more than half:
“Swift builds that took 5-7 minutes on M1 Max finish in under 3 minutes on M3. It’s astonishing.”
For Windows switchers, the refinement and build quality of MacBook Pro continues to impress. Photographer Josh Ross writes:
“The overall polish and ecosystem integration is ahead of anything in the Windows world. And the new Liquid Retina XDR screen makes my photos look incredible.”
Supply Constraints Already Looming
Within hours of pre-orders opening, shipping estimates for M3 MacBook Pros have already slipped to 3-4 weeks out.
Given massive pent-up demand and the global chip shortage still dragging on, buyers should brace for extended wait times. ids But based on the early reviews, the next-gen performance will be well worth the patience.
Scalzi perhaps sums it up best:
“The M3 era has arrived. Once you work on this thing, you can’t go back.”
What’s Next for Apple Silicon?
With M3 setting blistering new benchmarks for pro notebook performance, attention now turns to the M4 likely coming in 2025. Already rumors are swirling that M4 will make an appearance in higher-end Mac Pro workstations to replace Intel Xeon chips.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that M4 variants could scale up to 40 CPU cores and 128 GPU cores to rival server-class hardware. Other speculation points to Apple’s custom silicon expanding into areas like networking, security, and wireless modems to enable greater platform integration.
For now, the M3 cements Apple’s dominance in mobile computing. But clearly Cupertino has much bigger ambitions to conquer the computing world with its in-house Arm silicon. The next few years promise to be very exciting as Apple flexes its silicon muscles across new product segments.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
