Apple plans to update the MacBook Pro with M4 chips starting in late 2024, and this guide adds everything we know about Apple’s M4 MacBook Pro plans.
M4 upgrade
Apple built the M3 chip with a new 3-nanometer process and we don’t expect a node change for the M4. It will also be a 3-nanometer chip, but Apple supplier TSMC could introduce updates that make it more efficient and faster.
Apple’s upcoming products are rumored to include new AI capabilities, so the M4 will focus on AI. Apple wants to improve the performance of AI functionality, and rumors suggest that the M4 (and A18 chips for iPhone) will have an updated Neural Engine with “significantly” more cores.
All M3 chips have a 16-core Neural Engine, and Apple hasn’t increased Neural Engine cores for several years.
Basic 14-inch MacBook Pro
With the launch of the M3 chip last year, Apple killed off the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It has been replaced by the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which Apple now offers with three different chip options.
The base 14-inch MacBook Pro has an M3 chip and starts at $1,599, and this is the model that will get the standard M4 chip. The current M3 chip has an 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU, and the M4 could be similar.
High-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models
For customers who want a more “pro” machine, the higher-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will be updated with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, which are more powerful versions of the faster M4 chip.
The current M3 Pro has up to a 12-core CPU and up to an 18-core GPU, while the M3 Max has up to a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU. CPU and GPU improvements for the M4 Pro and M4 Max are not yet known.
/article-new/2024/04/M4-AI-Optimized-Feature-Siri.jpg "What to anticipate from Apple's upcoming M4 MacBook Pro lineup")
Design changes?
There are no rumors of a design change for the MacBook Pro at this time, and we’re not about to. Apple last updated the MacBook Pro design in 2021 with the transition to Apple silicon. In recent history, Apple redesigned the MacBook in 2012, 2016, and 2021, so following that pattern, we’ll see the next design change in 2025 or 2026.
This year’s M series refresh will likely be limited to the internals of the MacBook Pro.
Release date
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro could get an M4 chip in late 2024, while the timeline for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh is estimated between late 2024 and early 2025.
We could see the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max variants appear all at once like the M3 chip line, or Apple could space them out over several months.
The M3 MacBook Pro models came out in October 2023, so an update would occur around October 2024 when it turns one year old.
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