Apple M3 series MacBook Pro rough-cut: Everything to know in 10 points

Well, that was fast, err… ‘scary fast’. Didn’t Apple just update the MacBook Pro? When was it, in January? With M2, the most powerful silicon it— had— ever created no less. To be fair, that model-set was delayed. It was supposed to launch much earlier, according to many reports. M3 and the MacBook Pro based on it appear to be right on schedule, going by that assumption.   

As expected, not a lot has changed on the outside which is to say that the new MacBook Pro looks exactly like the old MacBook Pro except that Apple is adding a “space black” version though you’ll only be able to get it on the top-shelf pro and max models. The price is getting lower (for a 14-inch pro) because Apple has basically killed the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar making the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 now the default entry-level option.

Here’s a quick first look at Apple’s new M3 series 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros:

1. While design-wise it may look the same as its predecessor, the M3 series MacBook Pro apparently uses more sustainable build materials than before. Apple says its custom alloy enclosure is made using 100 percent recycled aluminium. The M3 based 14-inch MacBook Pro comes in space gray and silver while the 16-inch model comes in space black and silver.
2. The MacBook Pro display— Liquid Retina XDR— uses mini-LED technology and supports ProMotion (up to 120Hz). The panel can peak 1600nits when playing HDR content.
3. The base 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro has an 8-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, 100GB/s memory bandwidth, 8GB of unified memory and 512GB of SSD storage. The top-end 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro has a 14-core CPU, a 30-core GPU, 300GB/s memory bandwidth, 128GB of unified memory and 1TB of SSD storage.
4. Apple claims the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 is up to 60 percent faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro is up to 40 percent faster than the 16-inch model with M1 Pro. The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max is billed as being up to 2.5x faster than the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max.
5. All the models come with an SDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack and MagSafe 3 port in addition to supporting Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
6. The M3-based 14-inch MacBook Pro gets two Thunderbolt ports while the M3 Pro/M3 Max options get you three (all version 4.0).
7. The M3 powered MacBook Pro can drive another external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz. The M3 Pro models can support two while the M3 Max based MacBook Pro can support up to four external displays.
8. You get a six-speaker setup with spatial audio support with dynamic head tracking, studio-quality three-mic array and 1080 webcam in these laptops.
9. Even with all the performance gains, Apple touts 22-hour battery life on devices like the 16-inch MacBook Pro powered by its new silicon.
10. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip starts at Rs 1,69,900 (Rs 1,58,900 for education). The M3 Pro-based model starts at Rs 1,99,900 (Rs 1,84,900 for education). The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at Rs 2,49,900 (Rs 2,29,900 for education). All the devices are available to order starting October 30 with general availability pegged for November 7.

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