**The M4 MacBook Pro: A Valuable Enhancement**
Last October, Apple revealed the M4 MacBook Pro. While it might seem like merely another upgrade in the MacBook Pro series, several standout features render it a persuasive enhancement, even for users of the earlier 14″ MacBook Pro.
### Why M4?
Recently, there has been a considerable change in MacBook Pro pricing. In 2023, Apple launched a new entry-level MacBook Pro priced at $1599 featuring the base M3 chip, elevating the base memory to 16GB and eliminating some major compromises seen in the M4. This allows you to acquire a MacBook Pro with 512GB of storage and 16GB of memory for $1599, a notable decrease from the earlier starting price of $1999. Although this version lacks a Pro chip, the benefits it brings make it a smart investment, particularly with the impressive offers available in the current market.
### Significantly Better Battery Life
A remarkable enhancement in the M4 MacBook Pro is its battery duration. The baseline Apple Silicon shows significant improvement in power efficiency. According to Apple, the M1 Pro 14″ MacBook Pro lasts up to 11 hours of web browsing on one charge, whereas the M4 can achieve up to 16 hours, indicating an improvement of nearly 50%. Users have reported even extended battery life due to minimized power drain from background apps, thanks to the increased number of efficiency cores in the M4.
### Display Enhancements
The M4 MacBook Pro boasts substantial advancements in display technology. Earlier models provided up to 500 nits of standard brightness, while the M4 can achieve up to 1000 nits, greatly enhancing outdoor visibility. Although third-party applications permitted users to unlock extra brightness on older versions, having a high standard brightness significantly elevates the user experience, making the M4 more similar to the M4 iPad Pro.
### Upgraded Webcam
The M4 series brings a 12MP Center Stage camera to the MacBook Pro, which enhances video calls by using an ultra-wide lens for a wider field of view and face tracking features. This improvement positions the MacBook Pro as a more feasible option for video conferencing, which was previously more suitable for iPads.
### Performance
Moving from an M1 Pro chip to an M4 chip may appear to be a performance downgrade, especially for GPU-heavy tasks. Nonetheless, for the majority of users, the M4 provides a significant performance boost due to three years of technological progress. In Geekbench 6, the M4 surpasses the M1 Pro with a 57% increase in single-core performance and a 19% increase in multi-core performance, all while using less energy. This makes the M4 a strong choice for those focused on AI and machine learning tasks.
### Conclusion
Though upgrading between two MacBooks within the same design generation may seem unexciting, the contrasts between the M1 Pro and M4 MacBook Pro are considerable. With varying tariff policies and potential price hikes from Apple, now might be the opportune moment to invest in a new MacBook Pro. The M5 MacBook Pro is not anticipated to provide significant upgrades and is unlikely to be released until early next year.
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