avatarAndrew Zuo

Summary

The new M3 MacBook Pro has been found to have worse battery life and slower display response times compared to its M2 predecessor, leading to questions about its value proposition.

Abstract

The latest 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 chip has been introduced as a replacement for the 13-inch model, but it comes with a higher price tag and some significant drawbacks. Despite initial optimism, reviews have indicated that the M3 MacBook Pro's battery life is shorter by over an hour compared to the previous 16-inch M2 Max model. Furthermore, the Mini LED display's response times have regressed, resulting in slower performance and blurrier images, which is particularly disappointing given the high refresh rate. These issues, coupled with a higher cost and the presence of a notch, have led to suggestions that consumers might be better off purchasing a refurbished 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro instead, especially since the performance improvements of the M3 may not be necessary for most users.

Opinions

  • The M3 MacBook Pro's battery life does not meet the promised improvements and falls short of the previous M2 models.
  • The display response times of the M3 MacBook Pro have unexpectedly worsened compared to the M2 models, which is a significant step backward for a high refresh rate display.
  • The M3 MacBook Pro's higher price point and the availability of refurbished M2 models make it a less attractive option for consumers who prioritize battery life and display quality.
  • The performance gains of the M3 chip may not justify the trade-offs in battery life and display performance for the average user.
  • The inclusion of a notch in the M3 Pro model is seen as a negative feature by some users.
  • There is speculation that the MacBook Air line may not receive the M3 chip due to its tendency to run hotter, potentially leading to a skip in generational updates similar to the iMac.
Photo by Kamil S on Unsplash

M3 MacBook Pro Worse Than Predecessor?

So this year Apple killed the 13-inch MacBook Pro and replaced it with a new lower-end 14-inch MacBook Pro. And I was really positive on the news:

So I must reluctantly admit that the 14-inch Pro is a suitable replacement for the 13-inch Pro at $100 more. It would not surprise me if the M3 14-inch Pro is less profitable for them than a 13-inch Pro and they’re doing this just to simplify logistics.

But then the reviews came out and now I have to reconsider.

The first warning sign was the battery life. The M3 MacBook Pro gets significantly worse battery life compared to last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pros. This is a chart from Tom’s Guide:

Source: Tom’s Guide

And in the chart, you can see that the M3 MacBook Pro falls short by over an hour compared to last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max chip. Now this is still pretty impressive battery life. It’s almost 3 hours more than the M1 Air, which I have. But Apple promised that these new MacBook Pros would have the best battery life and, unfortunately, they don’t deliver on that promise.

It looks like if you want the best battery life you’re going to have to buy a 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro or a 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro. Wow, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro is a good buy in 2023?

“Wait”, you say, “The display! Isn’t that better?” I thought it would be but it looks like this year’s Mini LED displays are actually a regression from last year’s.

To see why you need to understand the problem with Apple’s Mini-LED displays. Ever since they were released they suffered from very bad response times. That is the time it takes for a pixel to change colour. This is the reason that it’s very difficult to tell that a 14-inch MacBook Pro is running at 120Hz. Slower response times mean that the image will be blurrier and less sharp which is the whole point of high refresh rate displays.

With the M2 generation the panels did get a lot better. Not great, but better than the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro which should be a minimum bar that any 120Hz display should cross: be better than the 60Hz version. And I expected the displays to get better than year over year. With M3 I was excited to see how the displays improved. But to my shock they not only did not improve but somehow got worse.

This is a chart from Notebook Check.

Source: notebook check

In the chart above you can clearly see the response times of the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro being worse than last year’s 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro. And not a little worse, a lot worse. In grey 50%-80% it now takes twice the time and in the black-white test it now takes three times as long. And that’s just last year’s model. If you compare it to Huawei’s Matebook X it is a whopping 10x slower in black/white. That’s just embarrassing.

These results are completely unacceptable for any modern 120Hz display. Also for what it’s worth the delta E also got worse, but it’s not too significant of a result. I’m now starting to seriously reconsider recommending the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro. I now think you should try to pick up a refurbished 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro.

“But what about the performance?” you ask. Yes, the M3 is significantly faster than the M1 and a bit faster than the M2. But do you really need that speed improvement? My M1 is already fast enough for everything.

Maybe if you are in some very specific fields then that increased performance is worth it. But for everyone else? Ask yourself what you want in a laptop. Do you want ridiculous performance that you probably will never notice? Or do you want a good screen and better battery life.

It’s a bit of a bummer. I was hyped for the M3 MacBook Pro. It just seemed like the perfect device. But now it looks like not only is the M3 MacBook Pro not an improvement over the M2 MacBook Pro but it’s also worse. I’m a big fan of the M3 chip. It’s faster and has so many improvements like AV1 support. But that display and battery life… it’s hard to recommend.

Plus the M3 Pro has a notch. Now I’m not going to judge but I’d really prefer not to have a notch.

Maybe I would still recommend M3 if it was the same price compared to the 13-inch Pro at launch but it’s not, it’s $100 more. And on the refurbished store you can get one for significantly cheaper. I’d recommend that instead. Unless you can wait for M4.

Also this is also pretty bad for the MacBook Airs. Are they going to get M3? There were rumours that they might not but I didn’t believe them. But now it looks like M3 runs hotter than M2 and all the MacBooks with M3 have fans so maybe the rumours could be true. Maybe they might skip a generation like the iMac did.

MacBook Pro
14 Inch Macbook Pro
Apple M3
Apple
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