Apple’s new MacBook Pro with the M4 family of chips, is expected to be faster, offer more ports and increased memory, while offering the same design.
Apple has confirmed that it will begin a series of announcements starting Monday, 28 October, and one of these is likely to be the new MacBook Pro models featuring the M4 chipset lineup. This refresh is said to be incremental, with mostly a spec bump expected, at least according to a significant leak that surfaced in Russia, when Wylsacom, a Russian YouTuber unboxed what is allegedly the base model of the MacBook Pro M4, sporting 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Since then, other sources, including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, have confirmed that the leak is indeed genuine. Based on this, here’s what we know about the new MacBooks expected to launch next week.
Base Model with 16GB RAM?
Apple is going big with its Apple Intelligence features, but these aren’t limited to the iPhones; they will also be making their way to Macs and iPads. This is why Apple may finally jump the gun and offer 16GB of RAM as standard for the MacBook Pro lineup. Until last year, the MacBook Pro with the M3 chip shipped with 8GB of RAM as the base, but now things are expected to change for good. Last year, we saw Apple bump up the base storage to 512GB, and this time, memory could be where the improvements lie.
This would open up a host of possibilities for users with intensive workflows who aren’t willing to splurge on higher memory variants. Though it remains to be seen if Apple will increase the price to accommodate this alleged upgrade.
Same Design
Based on YouTuber Wylsacom’s unboxing video, we can see that the MacBook Pro M4 features the same design as the current model with the M3 family of chipsets. The model in the video is particularly the Space Black variant, so it remains to be seen what other finishes we will get, alongside the classic Silver and Space Grey, if any at all.
More Ports, More Possibilities
The YouTuber also points out that there are now more ports in the base 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chipset. A new Thunderbolt-enabled USB-C port can be found on the right side of the MacBook—something that was only available with the M3 Pro or M3 Max variants of the currently available MacBook Pro with the M3 chipset family. So, if you have been complaining about the lack of ports in base models, Apple may have finally listened to user feedback.
M4 Vs M3: Power Gains Expected
When comparing the M3 chip found in the base MacBook Air and the base MacBook Pro with the M4 chip in the iPad M4, you’ll notice that both are built on 3nm technology. However, there are significant differences in their core configurations and memory bandwidth. The M3 features 8 cores, whereas the M4 offers up to 10 cores. Additionally, the M4 includes 6 efficient cores, compared to just 4 in the M3. In terms of GPU performance, the M4 also has the advantage, as it boasts 10 GPU cores, while the M3 can have either 8 or 10. The memory bandwidth further distinguishes them, with the M4 offering approximately 20% faster speeds.
