MacBook Pro 14-inch — 5 reasons to buy and 3 reasons to skip

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Apple tree'due south new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops are now available to purchase. The M1 Pro and M1 Max processors found in each device stand for a new era for Apple silicon chips. These laptops are a vast comeback over its Intel-powered predecessors. Sporting crisp displays, durable bombardment life and exceptional functioning, the new MacBook Pros are worth getting excited about.

There's little doubt that hardcore Apple enthusiasts have already secured their orders for the new laptops. But what about those on the fence? Considering the power of the new devices — in this case, the 14-inch model — even those who've never purchased an Apple production might desire to give it serious consideration.

Here are reasons for purchasing the 14-inch MacBook Pro alongside a few arguments for considering another device. And if y'all practise decide to go for a MacBook Pro, y'all should likewise check out our list of 9 MacBook Pro tips anybody needs to know.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) review
MacBook Pro 2021 (sixteen-inch) review: Power beyond belief
Plus: The iPhone could soon save your life by stealing this Pixel feature

MacBook Pro xiv-inch: Reasons to buy

Awesome mini-LED brandish

The mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display produces clear, abrupt and vibrant images. 4K HDR movies wait stunning, with colors popping off the screen. The 120Hz refresh charge per unit provides smooth on-screen motion. Even fast-paced action scenes run buttery smoothen. It should come as no surprise that unproblematic acts similar scrolling through pages are likewise smooth thank you to the display and refresh rate.

The MacBook Pro 2021 (14-inch) — (Image credit: Henry T. Casey)

The screen is also quite bright, emitting up to 487.8 nits according to our light gun. Nosotros were only able to get the brightness upwardly to 520 nits, which is short of the advertised 1,600 nits. Despite that, the screen'due south effulgence is zippo to balk at.

Ports are back!

You'll discover virtually every kind of port you could recollect of in the MacBook Pro xiv-inch. This differs from previous MacBooks which only had USB-C ports.

The MagSafe charging port makes its triumphant return, much to the delight of Apple enthusiasts. Because the magnetically-attaching MagSafe detaches with a simple tug, you won't have to worry nigh someone accidentally yanking on the power cablevision and potentially destroying your new expensive toy.

You lot'll too find three Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port and an SD menu reader. The SD card reader is essential for transferring photos from one's camera to the MacBook Pro. Considering how both new MacBooks are astounding workstations for creatives, the SD card reader is extremely welcome.

Blazing M1 Pro functioning

The 14-inch MacBook Pro is, for lack of a better word, a beast when it comes to performance. In all only one category nosotros tested, the 14-inch MacBook, with its M1 Pro w 10 core CPU and 32GB of RAM, reigned supreme.

Information technology scored 12,477 on the Geekbench 5 general performance multi-core test. Compare this score with the 7,571 earned past the M1 MacBook Pro 2020 and it'south almost no competition. Laptops like the Razer Blade xiv (seven,471), XPS 15 (7,477), Surface Laptop Studio (five,820) and Dell XPS 13 (5,400) don't come close.

Our review has a thorough breakup of the fourteen-inch MacBook's functioning, but it'due south obviously to see that the M1 Pro-powered laptop is no joke. Though it, and its M1 Max-driven big brother, come up short when it comes to gaming performance, the laptop is all but unrivaled in most categories.

Finally, a 1080p webcam

Online video conferencing became an essential tool for those of us working from habitation during the height of the COVID-nineteen pandemic. As such, it's nifty that both new MacBook Pros come up with a 1080p camera. The camera produces bright and clear images, revealing more details than the 720p camera of the Intel-based 2020 MacBook Pro. Whether you lot're attending a work meeting or having a chat with a friend or significant other, the 1080p will brand you look your best.

Selfies shot on the MacBook Pro 2021 (14-inch) and MacBook Pro 2020 (Intel, 13-inch) — (Image credit: Henry T. Casey)

Stellar bombardment life

Related to the previous bespeak, if you're working from home, yous need a long-lasting laptop. The 14-inch delivers this in spades with its impressive bombardment life.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro lasted 14 hours and 9 minutes on our spider web browsing-based bombardment examination (fix to 150 nits). That's good enough to get you through an entire 24-hour interval. Previous MacBooks like the 13-inch (10:21), 15-inch (ten:21) and 16-inch (10:55) pale in comparison. If you lot wanted a long-laster MacBook, you got it.

MacBook Pro xiv-inch: Reasons to avoid

Um, in that location's a notch

One of the biggest gripes folks have with both new MacBook Pros is the notch located in the top heart of the display. The notch exists considering of the laptop's thinner bezels. As noted in our review, folks like tech enthusiast Quinn Nelson have reported that the notch doesn't play dainty with the iStat Menus utility — with Menu Bar options on the left and icons on the right hitting a breaking bespeak.

To be fair, you practise get used to the notch afterward some time, and the Menu Bar lines up well with the notch. Even so, it's clear that most are not happy with the notch. Information technology will be interesting to see what, if anything, Apple plans to do nigh this with time to come MacBook iterations.

Pricey

This is a complaint you tin anteroom at nearly all Apple products, but the $1,999 asking price for the 14-inch MacBook Pro is certainly a major investment. It costs $200 more than its $ane,799 MacBook Pro predecessor and $700 more than than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1. Granted, the M1 Pro-powered auto is superior to both of the same MacBooks. But if you're on a upkeep, the 14-inch laptop is hard to justify.

No USB-A ports

USB-C is effectively the default port used by most electronics nowadays. But there are all the same plenty of devices that utilize USB-A. If I wanted to plug my Samson mic into the MacBook Pro, I'd take to use a USB-A adapter. Like we said in our review, you shouldn't have to carry an adapter around to utilise these accessories while on the go.

MacBook Pro 14-inch outlook

It's no question that the MacBook Pro xiv-inch is the side by side generation of Apple silicon-based hardware. This is the MacBook fans accept long yearned for, with its vibrant display, blazing-fast performance, thinner bezels and more. Those on a budget may want to steer clear, just if you demand a work laptop with serious muscle nether the hood, y'all tin can't go wrong with this device.

More: The MacBook Pro M1 Max is an absolute beast — and a complete waste product for gamers

Tony is a calculating author at Tom's Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on Twitter. His not-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Stone/Heavy Metallic concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.