Last month, Apple launched the M4-powered MacBook Pro laptops with two amazing options: high-end M4 Pro and M4 Max chipsets. Both are available in 14-inch and 16-inch and offer workstation levels of performance.
The launch also included the M4-powered MacBook Pro, which is relatively cheaper and offers fewer configurations and lower performance from the chipset, mainly focused on consumer needs.
Although the Apple Silicon M4 chipset delivers exceptional performance in terms of raw performance, battery life, and graphical capability, it is still considered “underpowered.”
The M4 Pro comes with Apple’s price premium, which is lower than the other models. However, the real issue is considered to be the M4 MacBook Air, which won’t be available till 2025 to make a fair comparison and make informed decisions.
The M4 MacBook Air is said to be the closest in performance to the M4 MacBook Pro and is expected to have all the M4 Pro’s features included, such as increased performance of the M4 chipset, offering 16 GB of RAM as a baseline, more I/O ports, and the addition of a new surface coating.
If it happens, the only difference between them would be the increased thermal performance of the MacBook Air and the fan-driven active cooling of the MacBook Pro. The differences between the two models will lessen, and the pricing will be more competitive.
However, Apple has been denying that comparison.
Many analysts think that the vanilla Apple Silicon of the M1, M2, and M3 chipsets is more than enough for consumers, and there’s no need for a “short” MacBook Pro. Despite that, Apple has rolled out M4 versions just to tempt consumers instead of offering them a genuine product.
In a nutshell, the M4 MacBook Pro is an adequate laptop compared to the M4 Pro and M4 Mac variants and is being overhyped with Apple Intelligence as the cherry on top.