Friday, March 29, 2024

Apple | MacBook Pro M1 Max: observations after three weeks of everyday use | news | macbook


Apple | MacBook Pro M1 Max: observations after three weeks of everyday use | news | macbook | macbook pro 2021.563835Apple | MacBook Pro M1 Max: observations after three weeks of everyday use | news | macbook | macbook pro 2021.563835Almost exactly three weeks ago, our MacBook Pro 16″ arrived at the MacTechNews editorial office with almost the full maximum configuration (M1 Max, 32 GPU cores, 32 GB Ram, 4 TB SSD) – and since then the potent laptop has mainly been used for development in Apple’s programming environment Xcode is used. Usually it takes a few weeks to see how good or bad a new computer is. Read here how the device performs in everyday life.

Poor illumination of the screen at the edge, no blooming in everyday life
The MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ are the first Macs with an internal mini-LED screen. The advantage: black areas are completely darkened – the background lighting no longer “shimmers” through. The disadvantage: Since the “resolution” of the mini-LEDs is lower than the resolution of the screen, individual pixels cannot be switched off in a targeted manner, only areas. The consequence of this is blooming – light elements on a black background have a glowing edge. First the positives: there is no blooming during normal work – and desktop backgrounds with black borders look very good. However, if you look closely, you can see the mouse pointer blooming when it is on a black surface – but only if you pay close attention to it.

But the new backlighting has another disadvantage: the brightness is slightly lower in an area of ​​2 mm at the edge of the display. This is noticeable, for example, when a completely white area is displayed at the edge of the screen:

Apple | MacBook Pro M1 Max: observations after three weeks of everyday use | news | macbook | Bild.564478

However, this is a very small defect, which is only noticeable if you look very closely.

120 Hz – (currently) no real added value
For the first time Apple supports the display with more than 60 Hz with the new MacBook Pro models – Apple calls it ProMotion. Apple introduced this feature to the iPad Pro a few years ago, but so far Macs have had to settle for 60Hz. In everyday life, however, this advantage is negligible (at least for the moment): The higher refresh rate is actually only noticeable when moving windows, since hardly any apps have been adapted at the moment. Even Apple’s Safari still uses 60 Hz for scrolling.

Notch – Familiarization makes Notch go away
If you see a new MacBook Pro for the very first time, the “notch” in which the FaceTime camera is housed stands out, especially with light backgrounds. But just like using an iPhone with a notch for a long time, this is no longer noticeable after you get used to it – even with bright desktop images. The notch hardly gets in the way – most apps have so few menu bar entries that in most cases they are completely on the left side of the notch.

However, a system option to display the entire menu bar in black would be desirable. While there is Third Party Programswhich offer this option – but an option built into macOS would be useful.

Fast response when connecting external screens
Intel Macs usually need some time until external screens are found and controlled. Even if external screens are unplugged from an Intel MacBook, it sometimes takes a few seconds before the internal screen shows an image again. This is no longer the case with the MacBook Pro with M1: External screens are quickly found and controlled – and when unplugged, the internal screen immediately shows an image again. We tested this with an LG USB-C display, an HDMI display directly connected to the HDMI port, and a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

Battery life: Spectacular
The M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max are very efficient chips – this benefits both the heat development and the battery life. With a new MacBook Pro 16″ you hardly have to worry about this anymore: In our application (Xcode, constant compiling, assigned use of the iOS simulator, always playing movies at the same time), the MacBook still showed a battery level of 50% after five and a half hours This means that even as a developer you can easily do without the power adapter on a normal working day.In comparison: Intel-based MacBooks usually last three to four hours with similar tasks before the battery completely dies.

Fast wake up, fast Touch ID
Intel MacBooks usually need a few seconds before they are really ready to use after waking up from sleep mode. This is no longer noticeable with the MacBook Pro with M1 Max – the display comes on immediately after opening and the MacBook reacts to inputs.

Touch ID is also pleasantly fast: While an older MacBook Pro 15″ from 2016 always needed a certain amount of time before the fingerprint was recognized, with the new devices it is sufficient to briefly touch the (not particularly attractive) fingerprint sensor.

Conclusion
The MacBook Pro with M1 Max is a real workhorse: the fast MacBook handles every task of a software developer with flying colors – and completely without fan noise and unpleasant waste heat. Battery life is impressive, as is CPU and GPU performance. Apple has managed to build the almost perfect laptop for professional use.

Of course, there are also a few (small) points of criticism: the thickness is still annoying compared to the thinner predecessor models and some users don’t “get used to” the notch. However, these “little problems” fade into the background due to the sheer unbelievable performance of the mobile device – Apple has made a big hit for professional users here.

Tag: macbook issue, macbook pro, macbook release, macbook macos

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