Organizer
Gadget news
I used the Asus Chromebook CM14 for everything from productivity to gaming and found its performance as light as its weight
10:00 pm | February 8, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Chromebooks Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: | Comments: Off

Asus Chromebook CM14: Two-minute review

The Asus Chromebook CM14 occupies the lower end of the market with its low price and spec, but it aspires to nail the basics.

It boasts a thin and light design that’s impressive for a 14-inch Chromebook. The steely black colorway is fairly austere but it looks smart. Build quality is also good, although the lid is a little flimsy – still, it does recline all the way back to 180 degrees, so it’s certainly flexible.

The partially recycled materials feel solid, and the keyboard is laid nicely, with plenty of space between keys whilst remaining compact, which is a combination I prefer. There’s also a good selection of ports on the Asus Chromebook CM14, with two USB-C ports, a SuperSpeed (SS) USB-A port, a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone port.

What isn’t so good, however, is the display. It lacks the clarity and sharpness of some of the best Chromebook devices around, and it’s too reflective when it strays even marginally beyond the optimal viewing angle, either washing out or blacking out entirely.

Things are worse when it comes to performance. Although it can handle light productivity, general browsing, 2K video playback and some light gaming, it can struggle with these on occasion. What’s worse, though, is that it's severely hamstrung by multitasking, with stutters, slow downs, and crashes a frequent occurrence, at least when equipped with 4GB of RAM, which is low by today’s standards.

The typing experience of the Asus Chromebook CM14 is pleasant enough, thanks to the tactile feel of the keys and their low profile. However, the touchpad is another drawback, as there’s too much friction; the surface is nowhere near as smooth as that on, say, the best MacBook models. And no matter what you do with the sensitivity settings, it either travels too much – continuing to move even once your finger stops – or too slowly, making it feel sluggish and imprecise.

One of the saving graces of the Asus Chromebook CM14, though, is the battery life. It lasted over nine hours during our battery test, which isn’t that far off its claimed 15 hour figure. It’s also quite quick to charge, taking about four hours to replenish completely from empty, again close to Asus’ claim.

The Asus Chromebook CM14 is also very cheap, and undercuts many other Chromebooks, even those that are considered good value. But performance is sacrificed, especially when multitasking. If you’re on the lookout for Chromebooks that won’t break the bank, then the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook is the best in this regard, while the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is great for students.

Asus Chromebook CM14: Price and availability

Asus Chromebook CM14 closed on desk

(Image credit: Future)
  • $299 / £299 (about AU$473)
  • Available now in black
  • Cheaper than the competition

The Asus Chromebook CM14 costs $299 / £299 (about AU$473) and is available now in one color: black. It can be configured with 4GB or 8GB of RAM, but only one storage size: 64GB.

It’s cheaper than the best laptops in the budget-friendly realm, and even cheaper than the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook, which is the best Chromebook for those on a budget in our view. However, the IdeaPad Flex 3 is a 2-in-1 device, so can be used like a tablet when the mood strikes. It also has an even better battery life than the Asus Chromebook CM14, and is built like a tank to boot.

For about the same price or cheaper than the Asus Chromebook CM14 in some territories, you could have the Acer Chromebook 314, which is one of the best student Chromebook picks for those on a budget. Like the Asus Chromebook CM14, it has a great battery life, but with the added benefits of a 2-in-1 design and an impressive display – aspects the Asus Chromebook CM14 lacks.

  • Value: 3.5 / 5

Asus Chromebook CM14: Specs

The review unit of the Asus Chromebook CM14 I had was configured with 4GB of RAM.

Asus Chromebook CM14: Design

Close-up of webcam on Asus Chromebook CM14

(Image credit: Future)
  • Thin and light for its size
  • 180-degree opening
  • Not the sharpest display

The Asus Chromebook CM14 sports a smart, understated design. The dull black colorway does little to inject much interest, but it certainly fits in a professional environment. It’s also pleasantly light and thin given its 14-inch size, weighing just 1.45kg (3.20 lbs). Both these aspects make it easy to travel with.

The build quality seems quite good too, with the partially recycled materials appearing relatively robust for a Chromebook of this class. However, the hinge for the lid isn’t the tightest, causing the screen to feel a little flimsy, but I wouldn’t highlight this as a major concern.

The hinges also prop up the back of the chassis when the lid is open past 90 degrees, but thankfully the bottom remains stable enough to type on. The lid also reclines all the way to 180 degrees, which provides flexible usage options.

The two USB-C ports are a welcome addition considering their versatility, as they allow for power and data – including internet – to run through, as well as facilitating connections to a myriad of peripherals, including external displays. There’s also one USB-A port with SuperSpeed (SS) capability, a Micro SD slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack, useful for those using wired headphones or speakers.

The display, on the other hand, is a let down. The 1366 x 768 resolution looks outdated, with an ever-present blurriness plaguing the interface, no matter how you resize it in the system settings. It also looks a little washed out, lacking the vibrancy of other Chromebook displays. It’s quite reflective too, with certain angles causing the screen to turn almost completely white or black, depending on the ambient lighting.

  • Design score: 3.5 / 5

Asus Chromebook CM14: Performance

Close-up of Asus Chromebook CM14 ports on left side

(Image credit: Future)
  • Handles light work and gaming
  • Good for typing
  • Terrible for multitasking
Benchmarks

These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Asus Chromebook CM14:

TechRadar Battery Life Test: 9 hours and 26 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 86.506
Kraken Benchmark: 1769.0ms
Speedometer 3.0: 3.49 (±0.12)

The Asus Chromebook CM14 handles the kind of light productivity Chromebook users typically perform reasonably well. Word processing and spreadsheet creation are viable, as is video playback, even at 2K resolutions – but expect the occasional buffer and slowdown at this quality.

As for gaming, the Asus Chromebook CM14 can handle titles with low graphical demands smoothly. I was able to play Clash of Clans with no issue, and Asphalt Legends Unite was just about feasible on high settings; although it was prone to stutter and slowdowns, it wasn't enough to render it unplayable. At lower settings and 30fps, it ran much more smoothly. I was also able to connect a controller via Bluetooth with no issue. More demanding games would be out of the question, though, as the spec is certainly no match for the best gaming laptops out there.

Unfortunately, the Asus Chromebook CM14 falls flat when it comes to multitasking, with the 4GB of RAM installed in my test unit failing to handle even weak workloads. Lightweight applications, including Google’s own software, can create serious issues, with frequent slow-downs, freezes, and outright crashes.

If you hope to run even a couple of apps in tandem, then you’ll likely be disappointed with the performance. Even Chrome can struggle to run with a less-than-moderate amount of tabs open, and basic ChromeOS functions, such as entering task view, can result in freezes too.

Asus Chromebook CM14 on desk open 180 degrees

(Image credit: Future)

One of the more positive aspects of the performance, though, is the lack of heat and noise produced by the Asus Chromebook CM14. During my time with it, I never heard the fans whirring up under heavy loads, and it never got too hot to touch.

Typing on the Asus Chromebook CM14 is mostly a pleasant experience as well, as the keys are well-spaced and provide enough tactility. Their profile is low too, which makes gliding around them easy. And despite the corner of my right palm making contact with the touchpad while typing, gestures, swipes and clicks never unintentionally registered.

However, that’s about the only positive aspect of the touchpad, as it’s one of the more frustrating aspects of the Asus Chromebook CM14. No matter what sensitivity settings I used, cursor movements were either too sluggish or too fast, with the cursor continuing to move after my finger had stopped, making accurate navigation difficult. What’s more, the surface isn’t smooth enough and generates too much friction, causing a nasty rubbing sensation on the fingers.

As for the webcam, the 720p resolution provides just enough clarity, but there is certainly an element of graininess to images. My camera footage did freeze when making a call in Google Meet, but this could’ve been more of a software glitch rather than a hardware one.

The speakers on the Asus Chromebook CM14 provide reasonable playback quality, with little in the way of distortion and tinniness, as other Chromebook and laptop speakers can suffer from. However, as they’re located on its underside, audio is somewhat muffled, so those after the utmost clarity won’t be best pleased. However, I found them sufficient for calls and other content where sound quality isn’t a top priority.

  • Performance score: 2 / 5

Asus Chromebook CM14: Battery life

Close-up of underside corner of Asus Chromebook CM14

(Image credit: Future)
  • Great battery life
  • Better than rivals
  • Quick charging too

The Asus Chromebook CM14 redeems itself somewhat with its battery life. Asus claims it will last up to 15 hours, and during our benchmark, it lasted close to nine and a half hours, which is an admirable performance. Charging it from flat to full took about four hours, which is in line with what Asus claims.

It beats the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, our current pick as the best student laptop, which only managed five hours according to our test and was one of the biggest drawbacks of that particular Chromebook. However, it is bested by the best Chromebook overall in our view, the Acer Chromebook Spin 314, which managed over ten hours.

  • Battery life: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Asus Chromebook CM14?

Buy it if...

You want a long battery life
One of the most impressive aspects of the Asus Chromebook CM14 is its long battery life, and charging times are also conveniently quick.

You’ll want something easy to carry around
Thanks to its light and thin design, the Asus Chromebook CM14 is easy to travel with. That 180-degree lid opening gives it greater flexibility, too.

Don't buy it if...

You want to do any kind of multitasking
Word processing, streaming content, and light gaming it can handle – but as soon as you start doing multiple things at once, it grinds to a halt.

You want the best display
The 14-inch display isn’t the clearest, and even when you scale the resolution, things don’t improve. It’s also too reflective if the angle isn’t just so.

Asus Chromebook CM14 review: Also consider

If you're in the market for a new Chromebook, here are some alternatives to the Asus Chromebook CM14...

Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023)
As our current pick as the best Chromebook overall, the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023) gets most aspects right for this kind of device: it has a great display, is good for typing with and is easy to carry around. Battery life is also very good. Read our Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023) review.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook
If you’re looking for another budget-friendly offering, then you should consider the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3, as we think it’s the best Chromebook around in terms of value for money. It’s more expensive than the Asus Chromebook CM14, but we were impressed with its great build quality and battery life. The performance isn’t the best, but we still found it capable of running ChromeOS and Google apps reasonably well. Read our Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook review.

How I tested the Asus Chromebook CM14

  • Tested for about a week
  • Used in a variety of scenarios
  • Extensive laptop and Chromebook experience

I tested the Asus Chromebook CM14 for about a week, during which time I used it for working, browsing, watching video content and playing games. I also connected various peripherals to it via Bluetooth and USB, including a mouse and a gamepad.

I played games such as Clash of Clans and Asphalt Legends Unite. I used Google Docs and Google Sheets, and made use of third-party apps, including Steam and VLC. I also used other popular apps, including YouTube for watching video content in full-HD and ultra-HD. I also streamed video content via Twitch and made a video call to try out its webcam and inbuilt mic.

I have experience testing laptops and have owned a number of such devices, including other Chromebooks, Windows and Mac laptops.

MSI VenturePro 16 AI hands on: the perfect laptop for creatives
12:10 am | January 22, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: | Comments: Off

MSI VenturePro 16 AI laptop with its lid closed on display at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

While MSI is typically known for its gaming gear, that hasn’t stopped them from venturing into the productivity space in the form of the VenturePro (yes, the pun was intended). Premiered at CES 2025, the MSI VenturePro 16 AI is proof that MSI is just as good at making productivity laptops as they are gaming laptops.

Equipped with a powerful CPU as well as graphics card, a component which is typically missing from productivity laptops, this laptop provides you with exceptional performance for both professional and creative endeavors.

You also get to take advantage of MSI’s brand new battery boost feature, which can provide you with up to 4 to 5 hours of extra battery life. This is excellent for those who are always on the go and need their laptop to keep performing.

Price and availability

MSI VenturePro 16 AI laptop on display at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

While we don’t have a confirmed price or release date for this line of laptops yet, it’s likely that they’ll cost a pretty penny for the top end specifications which include Nvidia’s 40 series GPUs.

Other productivity laptops rarely feature dedicated GPUs, meaning having one included will likely come at a premium cost. Be prepared to shell out for this extra chunk of power baked in.

Design

MSI VenturePro 16 AI's keyboard and trackpad closeup at its display at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

Upon first looking at the MSI VenturePro 16 AI, nothing about it particularly stands out design wise. It’s a very simple looking laptop with a silver chassis. While it doesn’t particularly stand out, it remains sleek and attractive.

The MSI VenturePro 16 AI weighs 4.19 lbs (1.9kg) and is 22mm in thickness. While this isn’t the bulkiest of laptops, it’s not slimline by any means. If you’re planning to use it on the go often, or you need to get it between multiple locations like home and work, this laptop may not be the best option. Of course, it wont break your back, but there are definitely lighter options out there.

In terms of ports you get one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one RJ45 and one Kensington Lock. Everything you need and more.

Opening the VenturePro 16 AI, you’ll find a 16 inch, 2K display. It has a 120hz refresh rate and is an OLED panel making for some truly stunning visuals. Regardless of if you use this notebook for content creation, creativity purposes or just watching movies and videos, you’ll have an extremely pleasant experience thanks to this OLED screen.

Specs and Performance

You’re able to take advantage of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with up to an Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card, allowing you to get top end performance, particularly in creative applications which you wouldn’t be able to get from alternatives that lack dedicated GPUs.

Of course, for the "AI" in VenturePro 16 AI, you can also take advantage of CoPilot+ which provides you with assistance in a range of daily tasks, allowing you to save heaps of time and boost your productivity.

The 55Wh battery isn’t the largest of batteries available in productivity laptops. The amount of usage you get from your notebook will be down to what specifications you have. MSI have yet to release true figures and my hands-on session didn’t allow me to spend long enough with the laptop to track the battery usage.

MSI VenturePro 16 AI laptop with its lid closed on display at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

The MSI VenturePro 16 AI is also equipped with a superior cooling design allowing them to deliver higher and more stable performance without getting too hot or noisy. Perfect for a device you’re using on the go or in busy environments.

However, if the battery isn’t enough for you, you can also enable the battery boost feature which gives you an extra 4 to 5 hours of battery life according to MSI. While it’s not clear how this feature works for the moment, it’s a great option for professionals who are on the go and simply don’t have the time to charge their laptops very frequently.

Early Verdict

Overall the MSI VenturePro 16 AI is a fantastic laptop with great specifications, but it’s hard to judge whether or not its worth picking up without a price point.

Due to the graphics card in this machine, I’d expect this laptop to be on the pricey side. It has a simple design but some outstanding features like battery boost and a stunning screen.

Acer Aspire Vero 16 hands on: I tried the world’s first oyster shell laptop
6:00 am | January 12, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: , | Comments: Off

We’ve seen a wide range of new tech announced and showcased at CES 2025, including everything from gaming handhelds to electric scooters. The star of the show has certainly been AI, and the new Acer Aspire Vero 16 takes full advantage all while being encased in a blend of post-consumer recycled plastic and a brand-new oyster shell material.

Acer has stated that the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is committed to carbon neutrality for its entire life cycle. On top of using bio-based materials, it uses an easy to fix design in order to ensure that repairing is an option before replacing.

Price and availability

Acer Aspire Vero 16 laptop, screen closed to show off the oyster shell body

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is set to release in April in the US at $799.99 and then later on in Q2 in Europe at €1,199. These are starting prices which will fluctuate based on the specifications you’re looking for.

It’s definitely one of the more affordable options on the market, especially in the US. However, regional pricing puts it at a much higher price point elsewhere.

Design

Image 1 of 3

Acer Aspire Vero 16 laptop on a table at CES next to its Oyster Shell Plastic demonstration box

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
Image 2 of 3

Oyster shell chassis of the Acer Aspire Vero 16 laptop

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
Image 3 of 3

Acer Aspire Vero 16's trackpad and keyboard

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

When first laying-eyes on the Acer Aspire Vero 16, I think its quite clear that it’s made from recycled material due to the color and design. It looks pretty, with a marbled green chassis encasing the entire device including the trackpad. As well as recycled plastic, the chassis is also made from oyster shell material, making it carbon neutral and 100% recyclable.

Unfortunately, when holding and using the Acer Aspire Vero 16, it feels like cheap plastic. The casing has quite a light and fragile feel to it, and I wouldn’t entirely trust the Vero 16 in my backpack without an extra layer of protection like a case or sleeve - and even then, it’s a risk.

Despite being cased in plastic, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is actually a bit heavier than I was expecting. It weighs in at 3.97 lbs (1.8kg), which isn’t the most lightweight option out there, but isn’t too heavy for you to transport to and from work or keep with you on the go either. Just be sure to pack it up snug and secure.

Image 1 of 2

Port selection on the Acer Aspire Vero 16 laptop

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
Image 2 of 2

Port selection on the Acer Aspire Vero 16 laptop

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

The Acer Aspire Vero 16 measures in at less than 2cm and despite being so slim, it still comes packed full of ports. You get to take advantage of two Thunderbolt ports, as well as a USB-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port and an audio jack.

You get an LCD display panel on the Vero 16, which is 1920 x 1200 pixels. Despite not being OLED, the screen is actually very bright and vibrant. It looks absolutely stunning but did leave me wanting slightly more in terms of resolution, however at this price point you can’t complain too much.

Specifications

Performance

Acer Aspire Vero 16 laptop specs displayed on its screen

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

Picking up the Acer Aspire Vero 16 allows you to take advantage of up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor paired with Intel Arc graphics as well as 32GB of RAM. This machine offers absolutely insane performance, especially for its price point. Regardless of what you’re intending to use it for, it offers a high level of performance for a wide range of productivity and creativity tasks.

Of course, having this processor means you get to take advantage of a range of AI features including Copilot+ to help you speed up the process of everyday tasks. But as AI slowly takes over the laptop space, this is becoming more common.

With a 65Wh battery you’ll get a decent battery life out of this laptop. Acer states it’ll run approximately 10.5 hours, allowing you to get through a work day and then some on a full charge.

Early verdict

Overall the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is an amazing laptop, providing you with great performance at a low price point. As if that wasn’t already good enough, you get a clean conscience as the casing is made from 70% recycled materials and is gorgeous.

One downside is the material feels quite cheap, but this can easily be looked past when you consider all of the other benefits which are on offer. It’s somewhat frustrating that the regional pricing of this laptop makes it less affordable outside of the US and I hope Acer can adjust this prior to the laptop’s release in April.

Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) hands on: the new king of on-the-go functionality
10:31 pm | January 8, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Comments: Off

CES 2025 has been packed full of innovation, announcements and of course, talk of the town AI has taken center stage for the most part. In comes the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2025), a step up on the company’s flagship dual screen laptop which now features Intel AI Boost.

The Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) is pretty revolutionary device, allowing those who are on the go or don’t want to commit to a full desktop setup to still take advantage of multiple screens. You also get the flexibility to use the device as a normal laptop when two screens might be a bit overkill.

Thanks to Intel AI Boost, delivered by up the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, you get amazing efficiency for AI driven tasks. Pair this with some pretty hefty specifications all packed into a lightweight, slimline design, and you’ve got a powerhouse of a machine which you can easily stick in a backpack and use anywhere.

Price and availability

Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) dual-screen laptop on a table at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

With a starting price of $1,699.99 (UK and AUS pricing yet to be confirmed), the Asus Zenbook Duo isn’t the most expensive piece of kit on the market, but is by no means a budget option either.

Of course, you’re paying a premium for the dual screen option which in turn could save you money down the line as you won’t have to invest in a second monitor.

The ASUS Zenbook Duo will be available for purchase from February 10, 2025.

Design

Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) dual-screen laptop in landscape mode

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

On first inspection, the Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) resembles a normal laptop, but lift the wireless keyboard and underneath is a second screen, which is only activated when the keyboard is removed so you don’t have to worry about power draw.

As well as standard laptop mode, the Asus Zenbook Duo allows you to utilize dual screen mode - as you’d expect - as well as other options like desktop mode and even screen sharing. While it might sound intimidating at first, swapping between different modes is easy and seamless, allowing you to go from laptop mode to dual screen mode within seconds thanks to the built-in kickstand.

You get stunning dual 3K, 120Hz OLED panels which look absolutely breath taking. Visuals are gorgeous on this device, with amazing breadth of color and all the other advantages of OLED screens.

Image 1 of 2

Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) on a table at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)
Image 2 of 2

Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) on a table at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

Both displays are also touch screen and support the Asus Pen 2.0, meaning you could easily use one as a drawing tablet for photo editing or graphic design. Better yet, the Asus Pen 2.0 is included, meaning you don’t have to go out and spend extra cash to utilize the feature.

Weighing in a 2.98 lbs (1.35kg) and just 14.6mm thick, the Asus Zenbook Duo (2025) is heavier than some other lightweight options out there, but is by no means going to put a strain on your back when carried around. These measurements don’t include the keyboard; however it’s essentially paper thin and weighs next to nothing, and the device is still super compact with it thrown in.

On the keyboard, when separate from the device itself, it does feel somewhat flimsy but this isn’t the end of the world.

Despite its slimline design, you still get a whole load of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB type A port, an audio jack and a HDMI 2.1 out.

Specifications

Asus Zenbook DUO (2025) specs sheet at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

With a 75Wh battery life, you’ll supposedly get 8 hours of usage even when using both screens, which is by no means revolutionary but is made even better thanks to fast charging capabilities (allowing you to charge up to 60% charge in less than 50 mins).

Of course, one of the major benefits of the Asus Zenbook Duo 2025 edition is the (up to) Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor which utilizes Intel AI Boost. You get a range of AI ready features, as well as a dedicated NPU and graphics making tasks easier with AI enhancement. You get all the benefits of Copilot+ to help save time with day-to-day tasks.

All-in-all, the Asus Zenbook Duo is a stunning and versatile piece of kit. The flexibility the dual screen provides is fantastic and it’s simple to use and set up, allowing you to take advantage of two screens no matter where you are. The screens look stunning and are sure to catch eyes if you’re ever using this laptop on the go.

A downside is the battery life not being as powerful as some other laptops on the market, but its by no means disappointing, easily carrying you through a full workday with two displays in use. The keyboard is also a bit flimsy due to how thin it is but could easily be something I’m able to get used to.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: one of the best Pro laptops around just got better
5:05 pm | November 7, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Macbooks | Tags: | Comments: Off

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) : Two-minute review

Apple's MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 is the full package, a near-perfect blend of price, performance, and utility. The M4 is the base edition of the newest and most powerful generation of Apple silicon (it's the same chip that's already running in the iPad Pro 13-inch) but it's still bursting with power, and more than capable of doing most of the heavy-lifting you want from a pro-level portable machine, as ready to edit raw photos and 4K video as it is to stand in as an able gaming console.

I've long been a fan of the MacBook Pro design, especially since Apple refined it by removing the Touch Bar, a neat innovation that never reached its full potential. My M4 Pro review unit, supplied by Apple, is a sleek-looking Space Black that's both elegant and wonderfully functional. The Magic Keyboard is still a typing gem, and I love the massive trackpad and all that space for resting my hands. And the stereo speakers that straddle the keyboard deliver powerful, crisp, and clear audio that could provide the soundtrack for your party in a pinch.

When I think about the reasons why you'd buy an M4 14-inch Mac Pro over the cheaper M3-running MacBook Air, the list is smaller than when I've compared the Pro and Air options previously, but there are a handful of standout features that make this MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) a near-perfect choice.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

For starters, you have the ports. Where the Air tops out at a Thunderbolt 3 port, you get a trio of speedy Thunderbolt 4 ports with the MacBook Pro (you'll need to upgrade to the M4 Pro model for Thunderbolt 5). You also gain the SD card slot, an instant bonus for photo and video professionals. The larger body and ever-efficient 3-nanometer system-on-a-chip (SoC) means a promised 24 hours of battery life – for a Pro-level system, that's unheard of. Naturally, real-world usage times varied widely in my testing based on activity (AAA gaming can quickly eat up battery).

The biggest difference between Air and Pro might be the display. This Liquid Retina XDR is an inch larger than the MacBook Air's, and it offers a nano-texture option (an extra $150 / £150 / AU$230), something I highly recommend for cutting down on reflections in almost any situation.

With the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4, Apple has created a pro-grade portable that impresses in every respect. It joins Apple's pantheon of outstanding laptops, and is set to take a well-deserved place at or near the top of our best laptops rankings.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Price and availability

  • Starts at $1,599 / £2,149 / AU$3,199
  • Nano-texture (which you want) will run you another $150 / £150 / AU$230

Apple unveiled the M4 MacBook Pro 14-inch on October 30, along with the new MacBook Pro 16-inch, Mac mini, and iMac. All these new Macs are running variations of Apple's M4 silicon.

Pricing for the M4 MacBook Pro 14-inch starts at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 for the base configuration, which comes with the standard M4 chip and 16GB of unified memory. If you want the M4 Pro chip, pricing starts at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299, while the M4 Max model starts at $2,399 / £2,399 / AU$3,999.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

My Space Black review unit is the base model (10-core M4, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage) but with one key enhancement: the aforementioned nano-texture Liquid Retina XDR display coating, which costs an extra $150 / £150 / AU$230.

  • Value score: 4/5

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Specs

The MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) comes in three main configurations: our test unit, the base M4; a pair featuring the M4 Pro chip with options of 16- or 20-core GPU and up to 1TB storage; and at the high end, the M4 Max model, which offers one configuration with a 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 32GB of unified memory, and 1TB of SSD.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Design

  • Virtually the same design as the previous model
  • All the key ports you need
  • Fantastic screen

Over the last few years I've become an unabashed fan of Apple's increasingly iconic laptop design. Where competitors often try different and sometimes odd design flourishes, Apple carefully peeled away all but what matters, leaving a MacBook Pro that looks and feels as if it was carved from a couple of pieces of 100% recycled black aluminum. Nothing feels like, or works like, it was left to chance. That impression starts when you put your finger under the lip of the display and flip open the clamshell to reveal the screen and keyboard. That hinge is as sure as it gets, offering the perfect blend of tension and smooth movement.

At 3.4lbs / 1.55kg. the MacBook Pro 14 M4 is not the lightest laptop or even the lightest MacBook. The excellent MacBook Air holds that distinction, and if you prize portability over power you might be reading the wrong review. On the other hand, the MacBook Pro 14 is by no means heavy (the 16-inch MacBook Pro, by contrast, weighs nearly 5lbs / 2.27kg).

Folded close, the MacBook Pro 14 is just 0.61 inches tall, 12.3 inches wide, and 8.71 inches deep. It slips into my backpack and, even though I'm used to carrying the M3 MacBook Air, I mostly forget it's there.

Image 1 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 2 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 3 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 4 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 5 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 6 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 7 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 8 of 8

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Apple hasn't adjusted the ports since the M2 MacBook Pro, which is fine with me. We still have the HDMI-out port if you want to extend your display to a giant, high-resolution screen. Next to that is one of the three Thunderbolt 4 ports and an SD card slot, which I used to transfer some raw images from my DSLR. On the opposite side is the MagSafe charge port, two Thunderbolt 4 (40Gb/s) ports, and the 3.5mm headphone, although I generally connect my AirPods Pros 2 for audio. If you need Thunderbolt 5's 120Gb/s throughput speeds you'll want to upgrade to an M4 Pro chip.

The full-sized backlit Magic Keyboard is a pleasure to use (I'm composing this review on it), with ample travel and a satisfying typing feel. It includes the arrow keys and a full line of function keys. On the right side of that is the Touch ID power and sleep button. During setup, it took me a few moments to register my index finger which I now use to unlock the laptop and log into some online services. Below the keyboard is the massive, nearly 6-inch diagonal, and very responsive Forcetouch trackpad.

One of the benefits of a larger laptop is that Apple can fit a pair of speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard. They provide fantastic sound, especially when playing spatial audio (try Territory on Netflix).

The system features a pair of four-inch vents, one on each side. You usually won't hear the fan until you play AAA games or run benchmarks.

  • Design score: 5/5

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Display

  • It's gorgeous
  • Better brightness for SDR
  • The coating you want

While it might look like Apple left the Liquid Retina XDR display from the M2 MacBook Pro untouched, there are a couple of noteworthy differences. But let's start with what's the same.

It's still the same mini-LED technology offering a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and one billion colors with a P3 wide color and ProMotion with up to 120Hz refresh rate. The resolution is still nearly 4K at 3096 x 1964 pixels. However, Apple has boosted the brightness a bit, with SDR content now getting up to 1,000 nits. HDR still gets a peak brightness of 1600. These numbers primarily matter outdoors, where you might be battling back the sunshine, and I found that the display was quite effective at remaining viewable and usable in direct sunlight. I attribute this, however, only in part to the heightened SDR nit capabilities.

Image 1 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 2 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 3 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

My screen came with the optional nano-texture coating. This adds a fine texture across the entire screen that's meant to diffuse direct sunlight (the MacBook Pro comes with a special cloth for cleaning the screen). It costs an extra $150 / £150 / AU$230, but it's transformative technology. Not only does it effectively kill outdoor reflections, it also transforms how streaming and gaming content looks on the display. No more desk and overhead lamp bulbs peaking into the frame. No more window light killing your gaming groove. I honestly wonder why all laptops, Macs and otherwise, do not come with this texture. It's a game-changer.

Image 1 of 2

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 nano texture

The nano texture helps make the screen viewable in direct sunlight. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 2 of 2

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 nano texture

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The 14.2-inch screen is big enough for lots of side-by-side app work. It's the perfect canvas for photo editing in Adobe Lightroom and video work in FinalCut Pro. but is also well suited to lighter productivity (like my efforts to write this review), email, and web browsing. It's not a touch screen because Apple refuses to bring that technology to Macs, even as the touch-friendly iPad Pro becomes more and more Mac-like. The trackpad is large enough that I don't miss touching a screen (as I did for years for Microsoft Surface Pro) but I can't help but wonder how a MacBook Pro with a touch, and Apple Pencil-friendly, display would alter the way we use this laptop.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

Almost twins. The MacBook Pro 14 M4 is on the left, the MaxBook Pro 14 (2023) in on the right. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The other display change relates less to what you'll see on the Liquid Retina XDR panel and more to how others will see you through it. Apple has upgraded the FaceTime camera, which sits at the top of the display in a cutout notch, with a 12MP ultrawide that supports its Center Stage technology. Center Stage takes the full 12MP ultrawide frame and narrows the viewport so that you are always centered in the frame. It doesn't matter if you lean left or right or get up and walk around the room, Center Stage will follow. It's a useful feature in FaceTime – I tested it on a call with my wife who wondered why I kept moving around – and also on Zoom, where it worked well but was not useful in a broadcast video situation, so I turned it off. Center Stage did not work for me in Google Meet, where I conduct most of my video meetings.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

The new Center Stage Camera (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
  • Display score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Performance

  • M4 has the Pro power most need
  • macOS Sequoia is flexible and easy to use
  • AAA gaming on a Mac is real
Benchmarks

Here’s how the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2024) performed in our suite of TechRadar and Future Labs benchmark tests:

Cinebench R23 CPU: Single-Core: 2,180 Multi-Core: 13773
Geekbench 6.3 Single-Core: 3,845; Multi-Core: 15,136
Geekbench AI: Single: 4,764 Half Precision: 7,837 ; Quantized Score: 6.357

PugentBench Photoshop: 10,542
PugentBench Premier Pro: 4,618
Blender: Monster: 115.8; Junkshop: 73.17; Classroom: 188.1
Battery Life (web site surfing rundown): 18 hours and 31 minutes

The last time we reviewed a 14-inch MacBook Pro, it was running an M2 Pro. The base M4 inside my test unit has similar but not equal specs. It's still a 10-core CPU, but where the M2 Pro had a 16-core GPU, the M4 starts with 10 cores. However the M2 chips were all built on a 5-nanometer process, and the M4 line is on the more efficient three nanometers, which could lead to a better combination of power and efficiency.

The Neural Engine, which handles a lot of onboard machine learning and AI tasks, still has the same 16 cores.

Image 1 of 2

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 FPS test

The FPS ranged from low 40s to mid 60s on Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 FPS test

(Image credit: Future)

Apple is now backing all of its new Macs with at least 16GB of RAM. This pays dividends in AI (Apple Intelligence is on board) and graphically intense operations like ray tracing, which helps make games like Lies of P look incredible on the MacBook Pro 14.

In benchmark testing, I found the numbers in line with the M4 performance I saw from the iPad Pro 13 inch. Geekbench 6.3 numbers measurably exceed those of the M3 in my MacBook Air.

When I played Shadow of the Tomb Radar, Steam's internal frames per second counter showed I got anywhere between 42fps and 62fps. To my eyes, there was no tearing or dropped frames.

Image 1 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 2 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

I played games and dited RAW photos on the MacBook Pro. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Image 3 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Numbers only tell you so much, and what matters most is real-world experience. I did do a fair amount of gaming on this MacBook Pro. As I noted above, the nano-texture screen makes games look amazing. In my Lies of P sessions (I connected an X Box controller via Bluetooth), I took note of the rich atmospherics, from rain to fire, and the level of detail that never descended into unwatchable blurs. Gaming on the MacBook Pro benefits from macOS Sequoia's Game Mode, which prioritizes gaming tasks for truly smooth and responsive performance.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

The one time the M4 couldn't handle the task: four 4K 120fps streams playing back through FinalCut Pro. It had no trouble with four 4K 30fps streams. (Image credit: Future)

In FinalCut Pro, I edited four 4K 30fps streams at once, which played back smoothly in full-screen preview. However, when I tried the same thing with four 4K 120fps video clips shot on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, full-screen playback started dropping frames – an on-screen message confirmed this. It was one of the rare times I found the limits of Apple silicon.

Editing raw photos in Adobe Lightroom is a breeze. It's also worth noting that I rarely shut down other apps while I performed these operations, and as I noted earlier, the only times I heard the fans were during console-grade gameplay and Cinebench 23 benchmarking.

Keep in mind that my tests were all with the base M4 Apple silicon; imagine what you can expect from the M4 Pro and M4 Max.

Connectivity is mostly what you would expect, with support for Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. I am a bit disappointed, though, that Apple didn't future-proof the laptop a bit with Wi-Fi 7 support.

  • Performance score: 5/5

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Software

  • macOS 15.1
  • Some Apple Intelligence
Image 1 of 2

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

This is quite the long-form article boil-down. (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

(Image credit: Future)

macOS Sequoia (macOS 15.1) has a lot to offer. There's the new Passwords app, which gives you a full-blown application for managing your passwords, and there's the updated Notes, which can now transcribe recordings. It's not as good as the transcription in Voice Recorder on Android (it doesn't identify multiple speakers) but it's still useful.

There are now Highlights in Safari that can take a 3,000-word-plus New Yorker article and boil it down to a one-paragraph summary. I worry that loses the nuance of such a piece, but if you're in a hurry...

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

iPhone mirroring is impressive. (Image credit: Future)

There's also iPhone Mirroring, which lets you access and control your iPhone from the MacBook Pro. It's supposed to be useful when you don't have access to your iPhone (maybe it's just in another room), and I found it easy to connect an iPhone 16 Pro and then have a virtual version of the iPhone on my MacBook Pro 14 desktop. What's even wilder is how I can control the phone from the desktop system. I can message, browse the web, and even drag and drop between the desktop and the iPhone interface. I did notice that while I can open the iPhone camera, I cannot use the MacBook Pro 14 to take a picture with the phone.

Apple Intelligence is here within macOS 15.1, in the form of a redesigned Siri that supports Type to Siri and which can be dragged around the desktop. I found that I could ask Siri how to do things with the MacBook Pro, like find my Wi-Fi settings and opening an app like Notes.

Apple Intelligence puts email summaries at the top of email, and the writing tools are embedded throughout the system. In Notes, I asked the Writing Tools to rewrite my lengthy meeting notes. It did a really good job of boiling it all down to a concise bullet list, which I could also easily undo. This could be very useful.

This is not all of Apple Intelligence. There's no Image Playground for instance, but that will show up with macOS 15.2, possibly by early December.

A taste of AI

During my testing, I did install the macOS 15.2 Developer Beta so that I could get a sample of this MacBook Pro 14 M4's Apple Intelligence capabilities. Because this update is not intended for the public, my thoughts on this dev beta were not considered as part of my final software, performance and overall review score.

First, I was excited to see Clean Up now inside of the Photos app. It works just as it does in iOS 18 on the iPhone, and was useful for removing some unwanted items from my photos.

Image 1 of 4

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) Apple Intelligence

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff)
Image 2 of 4

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) Apple Intelligence

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff)
Image 3 of 4

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) Apple Intelligence

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff)
Image 4 of 4

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) Apple Intelligence

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff)

ChatGPT's Siri integration, which I had to enable, is quite smooth, and looks and works as if it's a part of Siri. I used it in the Type to Siri mode, entering my prompt about how to create a goods presentation. The answer I got from ChatGPT through Siri was solid.

Image 1 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) ChatGPT Siri integration.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) ChatGPT Siri integration.

(Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) ChatGPT Siri integration.

(Image credit: Future)

Image Playground, the generative AI image tool which lives in an adorable kitty app icon in the Dock, is also part of this beta, but it's still gated by an invite and, as I write this, I still await mine.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Battery life

  • Rated for 24-hour video streaming
  • Lasted more than 18 hours in our tests
  • Battery life is dependent on activity

The MacBook Pro 14 M4 is, according to Apple's promises, perhaps the first truly all-day laptop, rated to last up to 24 hours on a charge. Naturally, that's if you do nothing but stream seasons 1 through 3 of Stranger Things. Once you start adding in activities like web browsing, and emailing, Slack, gaming, and photo and video editing, those numbers change.

In our Future Labs tests, we found that we could get 18.5 hours of web browsing, which is two hours more than Apple is promising. Once I started gaming, though, battery life took a fast tumble; the system is clearly hard at work rendering the exquisite detail in Lies of P. I heard the fans going full-blast, and noticed the bottom of the laptop got quite warm. My advice is if you want to use the MacBook Pro 14 M4 as a gaming rig, keep the included 70W charger and woven USB-C to MagSafe cable close by.

Speaking of that charger; when I drained the system to zero, I was able to use it to recharge the MacBook Pro 14 M4 to 43% in 30 minutes. That's a bit less than the 50% I was expecting. To fully recharge, it took more than an hour.

I've had incredible battery experiences with the MacBook Air and its M3 chip. I can already see that, in normal use, the MacBook Pro 14 M4 is a sun-up-to-sun-down kind of system. That's impressive, and a big win for Pro fans.

  • Battery score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024)?

Buy it if...

You want portable power without breaking the bank
The MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) is a good blend of performance, portability, and reasonable price.

You want sunrise-to-sunset battery life
You can easily get a day of activity with the power-sipping system

You’re Team Apple
There are great benefits to adding a MacBook when you already have an iPhone and an Apple account.

Don't buy it if...

You want the ultimate performance
This is a baseline M4, but the new MacBook Pro comes in M4 flavors that run up to the new M4 Max and a 16-inch display.

You need a touch screen
No MacBook offers it. Try an iPad or a Surface Pro.

You have a 2024 MacBook Pro
Apple hasn't redesigned the MacBook Pro, and the M2 and M4 performance numbers are not that far apart.

MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: Also consider

If our Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) review leaves you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2022)
The follow-up to one of the best laptops ever released, the 2022 MacBook Air is svelte and sleek, with a larger screen and the same outstanding battery life. If you want a MacBook, but don't need the power of the MacBook Pro 14-inch, this is the one to get.

Check out our Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review

Dell XPS 13 Plus
Its sleek and slim design, combined with a gorgeous OLED screen, great sound quality, and lattice-free keyboard embodies the luxury inherent of an Ultrabook. However, it’s also prone to overheating, and the touch bar is annoyingly inaccessible.

Read more: Dell XPS 13 Plus review

How I tested the Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024)

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) in studio (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
  • I spent more than a week with the MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024)
  • I used it as an everyday productivity, creativity, and entertainment device
  • I ran benchmarks

Apple provided me with the base MacBook Pro 14 M4 system, and I used it every day to test and help craft this review. I set it up as a work system, and as one for production and play. I used it indoors and outdoors.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed November 2024

Apple Mac mini (M4, 2024): smaller, faster, better
5:02 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Macbooks | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Two-minute review

The new Mac mini (M4, 2024) doesn’t just prove that good things come in small packages – it also confirms the old adage that good things come to those who wait.

That’s because ever since Apple’s rather strange decision to debut the M4 chip in the iPad Pro in early 2024, myself – and I’m sure other Mac fans – have been not-so-patiently waiting for Apple devices that can take full advantage of the M4 chip (as good as the iPad Pro is, you can only run iPadOS apps on it – which by their very nature are not that demanding).

The fact that Apple has launched a new Mac mini that not only comes with the new M4 chip (or the more powerful M4 Pro), but has redesigned it to be smaller than ever – while also keeping the price of entry the same – is incredibly exciting. In my review of the Mac mini (2023), I gave a rare five stars and called it the best mini PC you can buy, and even before the launch I was banging on about how any rumored new Mac mini for 2024 would be more exciting than new MacBooks.

Now that I’ve actually got the Mac mini (M4, 2024) in my hands (and on my desk), I’m pleased to say that I’ve not been disappointed, and once again the Mac mini is the most affordable way to get into the Mac ecosystem, while also proving that if you’re looking for a small form factor desktop PC, there’s not a single Windows 11 PC out there that can even come close.

Perhaps the best news (apart from the mere fact that the M4 Mac mini exists) is that Apple has kept the price of the base model at just $599 / £599 / AU$999, a welcome decision that—combined with the new design and improved specs—means the Mac mini is now better value than ever. If you’ve been keen to join the macOS ecosystem but can’t afford a MacBook or iMac, then the Mac mini remains an excellent choice.

Mac mini M4 in studio

(Image credit: Future)

For people after even more power, there’s an M4 Pro model as well that costs $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,199. Both models come with 16GB unified memory as standard (double the amount as the previous model), and will receive Apple Intelligence AI features as they are rolled out.

Not only do you get the latest slice of Apple Silicon with the new Mac mini, but it has also had a major redesign – its biggest in over a decade – making it more compact than ever. It’s seriously impressive how small the new Mac mini is, and it makes placing it in any room of your home (or office) easier than ever. Thanks to two USB-C ports at the front, the Mac mini (M4, 2024) is an ideal mini PC for your front room – especially as gaming is a renewed focus for Apple. This could be the closest we ever come to an Apple games console – and with a price tag below the PS5 Pro, this could be the start of a resurgence for Mac gaming.

From my time with the Mac mini I was incredibly impressed with the performance of this tiny PC. The latest version of macOS, Sequoia, ran smoothly, and even advanced tasks such as video editing were handled with ease – and the Mac mini kept virtually silent throughout. The model I reviewed is the M4 version, and to be honest it performed so well for all the tasks I used it for that I would recommend this model over the far more expensive M4 Pro iteration.

So, Apple has done it again: it’s released the best small form factor PC in the world, and I can’t see Windows 11 or Linux alternatives coming close to the build quality, performance and value for money of the new Mac mini for a long, long time. If ever.

Mac mini M4 in studio

(Image credit: Future)

Mac mini (M4, 2024) (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Price and availability

  • Starts at $599 / £599 / AU$999
  • Same price as M2 model
  • M4 Pro model much more expensive at $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,199

When the Mac mini (M4, 2024) was announced and pre-orders went live on October 29, 2024, one of the most pleasant surprises was that the base M4 model comes with the same price tag as the M2 model - starting at $599 / £599 / AU$999.

The M2 Mac mini already represented excellent value for money – it would be extremely difficult to find a compact Windows 11 PC at that price range that offered the same level of performance – so the fact that you’re getting an upgrade in both performance and design for no extra cost is something to applaud – though if you recently bought an M2 Mac mini, you might feel a bit aggrieved.

The M4 chip inside the Mac mini is the same as the one in much more expensive devices, including the iPad Pro (starting at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU $2,199), iMac ($1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,999) and 14-inch MacBook Pro ($1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499). Sure, with the Mac mini you don’t get a screen, nor do you have the ability to work on it while traveling, but offering the same amount of power for around half the price still represents incredible value for money.

The M4 chip features up to a 10-core CPU (4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores) and a 10-core GPU, up from the 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU of the base M3 chip (Apple never released a Mac mini with the M3, it should be noted), and supports up to 38 trillion operations per second (TOPS) in its 16-core neural engine (Apple's version of an NPU) - so when Apple Intelligence, the company’s generative AI (artificial intelligence) feature does come to macOS, the M4 Mac mini will be more than prepared.

It’s not just the M4 chip that brings a performance upgrade, as the base model now comes with 16GB of unified memory, twice that of the M2 Mac mini’s base model. Not only does this mean the new Mac mini is much better at multitasking (as there’s more memory to support multiple apps running at once), but it’s also more future-proof.

Mac mini M4 in studio

(Image credit: Future)

You can also get the new Mac mini with the more powerful M4 Pro chip, which starts at $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,199. That’s quite a price jump, and while the M4 Pro is certainly a promising bit of silicon on paper, it’ll have to really outperform the M4 to justify the price difference.

We’ve been sent the M4 version to review, and for the majority of people, that should be more than capable enough for the kind of tasks they’ll need this tiny PC to perform. Having the M4 Pro option is nice, despite the price hike, as you are getting a seriously powerful PC in a tiny and almost silent form factor.

There was also a brief moment between Apple announcing the new Mac mini and it revealing the new MacBook Pros with M4 Pro where the M4 Pro Mac mini was arguably the most powerful Mac device ever. Remarkable.

  • Value score: 5/5

Mac mini (M4, 2024): Specs

Mac mini (M4, 2024): Design

  • Brilliant, smaller design
  • Front USB-C ports are welcome
  • Power button placement is a bit awkward

The Mac mini (M4, 2024) has received its biggest redesign since arguably 2011, and it’s now what Apple calls its “smallest computer ever”.

Where the previous model had dimensions of 197 x 197 x 35.8 mm (7.75 x 7.75 x 1.41 inches), the new Mac mini (M4, 2024) measures just 127 x 127 mm x 50 mm (5 x 5 x 2 inches). When taking it out of the box, it’s seriously impressive how small it is, easily fitting in the palm of your hand. Placing it on top of the M2 model, the older Mac mini looked big and bulky – something I’d never have imagined, as that was an impressively small bit of kit when it launched.

The new Mac mini is a bit taller than the older models, but if that’s the sacrifice that had to be made in order to shrink the overall footprint of the PC, while packing it with the latest tech, then it’s one I’m happy with. It’ll easily fit behind a monitor, and even in front of a screen, it’s unobtrusive enough that you’ll hardly notice it. Its small size also means you can plug it into your TV and it won’t look out of place in your lounge. For anyone holding out for an Apple games console, the Mac mini (M4, 2024) could end up being as close as you’re going to get.

As if to prove that the new Mac mini can be just as at home in a lounge as in an office or studio, it now comes with two USB-C ports at the front, alongside a headphone jack for easy access.

New Mac mini M4 in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

At the rear there’s a power port (impressively, despite the tiny size, there’s no bulky external PSU), an Ethernet port and an HDMI that’s capable of up to 8K at 60Hz, or 4K at 240Hz.

There are also three additional USB-C ports. While the front USB-C ports are limited to USB 3 speeds (10Gb/s), the three on the back are much faster. With the M4 model, the rear ports are Thunderbolt 4, with speeds of up to 40Gb/s. If you go for the M4 Pro model, those are upgraded to Thunderbolt 5, with speeds of up to 120Gb/s.

While it’s a shame that the front USB-C ports are slower than the rear ones, if you’re mainly using them for plugging in and charging peripherals, they’ll be fine, leaving the rear ports for tasks that need faster data transfer speeds – such as external hard drives or additional screens.

While the new design is a triumph on the whole, one element of the redesign has caused controversy – the placement of the power button. Rather than being on the rear right-hand corner of the Mac mini, as with previous models, it is now located on the bottom of the Mac mini by the rear left-hand corner. While the Mac mini is raised from the surface you place it on by a circular air vent bottom-center of the PC, you still need to lift it up to reach the button. As the new Mac mini is so small and light, and there are no moving parts inside, this isn’t too much of a problem, though if you’ve placed the Mac mini in a TV cabinet or somewhere where it’s hard to reach, it could be frustrating.

There are workarounds – you could just put the Mac mini to sleep rather than shutting it down, and waking it up by moving the mouse or tapping the keyboard, but even Macs need to be fully powered down every now and again. You could also use the Wake-on-LAN feature of macOS, which allows you to turn on the Mac mini by sending a command over the internet, though again you’ll need the Mac mini to be asleep, not fully turned off.

It’s certainly not the end of the world, but it’s not one of Apple’s better design choices. Placing the power button on the top or front of the Mac mini might ruin the aesthetics, but would have been easier to reach – or even having the power button still on the bottom, but on one of the front corners would have helped.

Mac mini M4 in studio

(Image credit: Future)

The new Mac mini only comes with the device itself and a power cord. Any other cables or peripherals will need to be bought separately (though if you’ve already got, say, an HDMI cable and a mouse and keyboard, then that shouldn’t be too much of a burden).

If you need peripherals to go with the Mac mini you can buy the Magic Keyboard for $99 / £99 / AU$149, the Magic Trackpad for $129 / £129 / AU$209, and the Magic Mouse for $79 / £79 / AU$149. These have had slight design changes as they now use the universal USB-C cable to plug in and charge, rather than Apple’s proprietary Lightning cable, which is good to see.

Sadly, Apple didn’t take the opportunity to move the charging port of the Magic Mouse – it’s still located at the bottom of the mouse, which is a baffling design choice as it means when you plug it in to charge you can’t continue using it.

Of course, you don’t need these new peripherals as any Mac-compatible mouse or keyboard (which is any mouse or keyboard, basically) will work – though there’s no full-size USB A port anymore, so if those peripherals aren’t USB-C or Bluetooth, then you might need to buy an adapter.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Mac mini (M4, 2024) review: Performance

  • Excellent performance
  • Virtually silent
  • Can even play some games

Once upon a time I was rather worried that Apple had fallen out of love with Macs, and especially the Mac mini, as the company seemed far more enamored with its iPhone and iPads, leaving its Macs to make do with incremental hardware updates within increasingly outdated designs.

Then Apple dumped Intel and made its own chips, starting with the M1 in 2020, and my doubts have pretty much vanished, as every major Mac device has not only been upgraded to an M-series chip, but they’ve also had noticeable redesigns as well, proving that Apple is committed to its Mac lineup. So, it’s with some relief that the Mac mini has not just got the latest M4 (and M4 Pro) chips, but also a major redesign as well, as it’s likely to be one of Apple’s more niche products.

It shouldn’t be – since getting M-Series chips, the Mac mini has become the best small form factor PC you can buy. Small PCs with either Windows 11 or Linux simply cannot match the build quality, performance, and price of Apple’s tiny machine, and with the M4 chip, that gap has become even wider.

Along with the 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU of the M4, the chip contains 28 billion transistors, up from 25 billion in the M3, but is still built on the same 3nm process node from TSMC, so a generational leap is out of the question.

In synthetic benchmarks there’s around a 20% increase in CPU performance when using Geekbench 6, though GPU performance upticks are more modest, with between 5% - 14% increases in benchmarks.

New Mac mini M4 in a studio

(Image credit: Future)

While any increase is always welcome, those kind of numbers mean if you have an M3 Mac mini, you won’t really see any major differences in performance, so upgrading might not be worth it (unless you absolutely have to have the smaller design of the newer Mac mini, which I wouldn’t blame you for).

Where things do get interesting when comparing performance between the M3 and M4 Mac mini is when it comes to AI – both artificial intelligence and Apple Intelligence. With the M4, Apple has included another 16-core Neural Engine dedicated to machine learning and AI tasks, and in AI benchmarks the results are pretty remarkable, with around a 35% increase in performance over the M3. Whether or not Apple Intelligence, or AI in general, will usher in the computing revolution we’ve been promised by many manufacturers has yet to be seen, but at the very least you know that if you buy an M4 Mac mini (or any M4 device), you’ll be in good stead should you wish to use future AI tools.

According to Apple, the M4 chip is capable of 38 TOPS - that's 38,000,000,000,000 operations per second – which is incredibly impressive and means on-device AI tasks should run well. However, the Snapdragon X Elite, like the M4 an ARM-based chip built for Windows 11 devices, offers 45 TOPS. That difference in operations per second isn’t huge, and it might not even be noticeable, especially when comparing Windows 11’s Copilot AI tool to Apple Intelligence, but it’s worth noting.

Apple Intelligence is introduced to Macs in macOS Sequoia 15.1 – and you’ll need to update the new Mac mini to get that version – thankfully, it’s quick and easy process.

The model I review here is the Mac mini with M4 chip, 16GB of unified memory, and a 512GB SSD. For day-to-day tasks, where I used the Mac mini for writing this review, browsing the web and general admin, it worked brilliantly. The operating system – macOS Sequoia – booted quickly, and every app I used loaded speedily and ran smoothly.

We’re now four years on from when Apple made the major move from Intel-based hardware to ARM-based, and that has allowed pretty much every major Mac application to make the move as well. This means it’s now very rare to have to use Apple’s Rosetta 2 tool, which allows apps made for Intel Macs to run on modern Apple Silicon Macs. That tool was essential in the early M1 days, and it meant you could still run your apps with minimal impact to performance.

Now that almost every Mac app, including those from third parties, runs natively on Apple Silicon means they can fully take advantage of the power of the M4 chip (though Steam, the popular store and launcher for PC games, still requires Rosetta to run).

Benchmarks

Here’s how the Mac mini (M4, 2024) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Cinebench 2024 CPU: Single-Core: 161; Multi-Core: 833
Geekbench 6.3 Single-Core: 3,838; Multi-Core: 14,838
Blender: Monster: 391; Junkshop: 187.6; Classroom: 185.2

One of the best things about Apple’s M-class chips is that the company has made a big commitment to making them as power-efficient as possible, and while this might benefit MacBooks more, as it means they can enjoy longer battery lives, the Mac mini also benefits, as the more efficient M4 chip runs cooler, which allowed Apple to shrink the body of the Mac mini – and it also means the built-in fans that are used to expel hot air when the components are being used rarely kick in. For almost all of my time using the new Mac mini, it was virtually silent. This is great when using it in an office or studio, and it also makes it an ideal mini PC for the front room.

Even when switching to more intensive tasks, such as editing videos in Adobe Premiere Pro, the Mac mini kept pace brilliantly as I added 4K footage and scrolled between scenes. When it comes to gaming, the Mac mini (M4, 2024) was surprisingly good – on high graphical settings, it ran Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 44fps, well above the 30fps I consider to be minimum for a game to be playable, and with a bit of tweaking I think you’d get to 60fps.

Running Total War: Warhammer 3 at Ultra scored just 22.1fps, however. This game is more strenuous on the CPU rather than the GPU, though when I set the visual settings to low it hit 55.4fps. These are modern and ambitious games, so for a compact PC that’s not designed for gaming at this price, that performance is pretty darn great, and you have access to a huge library of Mac games through Steam and other platforms. Throughout playing, the Mac mini remained completely silent.

While the M4 model isn’t going to trouble the PS5 Pro any time soon when it comes to playing games, the fact that such a small device can still give a decent experience is pretty cool, and I assume the M4 Pro model is an even more competent gaming device, though for the price that is a lot steeper than any console - and even many gaming laptops.

Apple has also made a big deal about the M4 chip and its AI abilities, and from my tests it's... fine. Apple Intelligence is in its infancy, so I could not try out all the features that are coming, but I was able to edit a photo in the included Photos app and use the AI-powered Clean Up feature to remove elements from a photo. It worked as well as you might expect these early AI features to perform - it was quick and easy to do, but the background the AI generates in order for the objects you select (by painting over them with a brush) left mistakes and errors that mean it's far from perfect, and you can easily tell AI has been used.

From the AI tools so far, they are interesting yet not essential - bascially the same problem many AI tools have at the moment. For the Mac mini's part, it performed those AI feats all on-device, and they were done quickly and speedily. This is an area where I can see the Mac mini improving.

  • Performance score: 4.5/5

Mac mini (M4, 2024): Should you buy it?

Buy it if…

You want an affordable Mac
This is the cheapest way to get into the Mac ecosystem, and it's worth every cent thanks to excellent performance and a gorgeous design.

You're looking for a mini PC
Put simply, if you want a small form factor PC, this is the one to get. No Windows 11 mini PC can come close.

You've been waiting for an Apple console
Thanks to its compact size, you can easily fit this below (or behind) a TV, and it does a decent job of playing games, though the M4 Pro model may offer a better experience with modern titles.

Don’t buy it if…

You want a gaming PC
While you can play a growing library of Mac-compatible games, if you want to play the latest titles at high definitions and graphical settings whacked up to the max, buy a dedicated gaming PC instead.

You like to tinker and upgrade your PCs
Due to the size, and Apple's general disdain for allowing its customers to open up their devices, this is not a PC you can upgrade yourself. A barebones mini PC like a NUC will be much better.

First reviewed November 2024

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): power refined
5:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Macbooks | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Two-minute review

Apple’s new MacBook Pro 16-inch isn’t a revolutionary release like the new, smaller, Mac mini (M4, 2024), and instead is more of a specs refresh for the company’s most powerful laptop.

So, you don’t get any new design tweaks with the new model – but you do get the very latest M4-series chips which represent the pinnacle of Apple’s mobile hardware.

This is good news for people who are looking for an incredibly powerful workstation laptop that offers exceptional build quality and the kind of performance that many desktop PCs would struggle to achieve. For those of us who have been waiting for the M4 chip to show up in a device that can take full advantage of its power (this year’s iPad Pro, which debuted the M4 chip, is limited by running iPadOS, an operating system designed for tablets, with rather basic apps to match), the 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple announced in October 2024 could be just what you’ve been waiting for – though there are caveats.

Both of the new 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pros feature, for the first time, the M4 Pro and M4 Max (depending on configuration), which are even more powerful versions of the M4 – which has already proved to be a powerful chip in its own right. The model Apple sent me to review comes with the M4 Pro, a chip with up to a 14-core CPU consisting of up to 10 performance cores and four efficiency cores, and a GPU with up to 20 cores (twice that of the base M4 chip).

While this isn’t the most powerful Apple chip (the M4 Max comes with a CPU with up to 16-cores, featuring 12 performance cores and four efficiency cores, and a GPU with 40 cores), the M4 Pro will likely be more than enough for people who want a laptop that can handle professional tasks such as code compilation, 3D animation and video editing.

For people who just want a laptop for browsing the web, creating documents, and editing home movies and photos, this will be complete overkill. As the core balance of the M4 Pro shows, with more performance cores than efficiency ones, Apple’s focus with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro is all about extreme performance (the chip will switch between cores depending on the kind of task you’re doing – if you want a lot of power, the performance cores are used, for lighter use, the efficiency cores kick in).

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

This means unless you’re a creative professional, the 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro, 2024) really won’t be for you. And, with a starting price of $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999 for the base configuration, which comes with the M4 Pro chip and 24GB of unified memory, this is the kind of investment that you should think very carefully about. That’s even more true of the M4 Max model, which starts at $3,499 / £3,499 / AU$5,699. Sure, you’re getting one of the most powerful laptops in the world for that price, but if you’re not going to need that kind of power, you’ll just be wasting money.

If you’re the kind of person who needs the very latest and most powerful hardware you might also be tempted – but don’t forget that it’s very likely we’ll see an M5 model next year. Should you buy the new MacBook Pro 16-inch, however, you should be confident in the knowledge that you’ll not need to upgrade again for a very long time.

For anyone hoping for a major redesign, then you will be disappointed. One thing I’ll say in Apple’s defense here is that the current design of the MacBook Pro 16-inch is pretty great – there’s not much I’d actually change about it. Even though the screen isn’t OLED (rumors suggest we could see that in 2026), the Liquid Retina XDR screen remains one of the finest you can get in a laptop – and there is at least a new nanotexture coating option that reduces reflections and screen glare, which will be welcome for people looking to use the new MacBook Pro out in daylight, or in brightly lit offices or studios – though this does come at an extra cost.

So, once again Apple has created an absolutely phenomenal laptop… that I can’t really recommend to everyone. If you’re a creative professional who is looking for a portable workstation to chew through some seriously taxing tasks, then this could be an excellent investment that could even save you money in the long run (with projects completing faster, you can take on more clients, and you won't need to buy a new laptop for many, many years).

That said, if you own an M2 Pro or M3 Pro model, the M4 Pro doesn’t offer enough of a performance leap to justify buying a new MacBook Pro just yet. The best move in that case would be to wait a few more years. If the M6 Pro MacBook Pro in 2026 does indeed come with a major redesign, then an upgrade is more justifiable, as the performance improvements should also be more noticeable. This isn’t a knock on the M4 Pro – it’s just that the M2 Pro and M3 Pro are just so good, you really shouldn’t feel like you need to upgrade just yet.

If you don’t need the kind of power that the new MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) offers, then I strongly recommend you look at the 15-inch MacBook Air (M3, 2024) instead, which is far more affordable, offers excellent performance and is all wrapped up in Apple’s iconic build quality and design.

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Price and availability

  • Starts at $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999
  • Same price in US as M3 model
  • Cheaper in UK and Australia than M3 model

It should come as no surprise that the new MacBook Pro 16-inch is a very expensive laptop. This is a workstation designed for professional use and packed with some of the most powerful and cutting-edge mobile technology you can get, along with a gorgeous and expansive 16-inch screen.

Still, with a starting price of $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,999 for the M4 Pro model with 24GB of unified memory, this is one heck of an investment and one that should be carefully considered.

As with previous MacBook Pros, there’s scope to configure the 16-inch MacBook Pro before you buy by adding more memory and a larger SSD (up to 128GB of memory and 8TB of SSD storage with some models), but the price rises exponentially. You can also get a base model with the more powerful M4 Max chip, which starts at $3,499 / £3,499 / AU$5,699, and again you can up the memory and storage.

You can also add a nano-texture display which reduces reflections and screen glare, which may prove very helpful for people who work in industries where graphics are essential (such as photography, digital arts, and filmmaking), but this is also an additional cost – it’ll add $150 / £150 / AU$230 to an already high price tag.

Interestingly, while the base model of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) remains the same price as the M3 Pro and M2 Pro models launched at in the US ($2,499), in both the UK and Australia the new M4 Pro base model is actually slightly cheaper by £100 and AU$300.

If you want something more affordable, your options are limited. There’s no 16-inch MacBook Pro with the base M4 chip – you’ll have to go for the 14-inch MacBook Pro for that. The smaller model, which starts at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 for a configuration with the M4 chip and 16GB of unified memory now occupies the space the now obsolete 13-inch MacBook Pro used to – a more affordable pro device with more modest specifications for people who want more power than a MacBook Air can provide, but without costing the sort of astronomical figures that high-end MacBook Pros demand.

The 14-inch model with M4 Pro starts at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299, so if you want to save $500 and don’t mind a smaller screen (the rest of the specs are the same as the 16-inch model), then this is worth considering.

Compared to Windows 11 alternatives, there’s the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8, which costs around $1,000 / £1,000, and offers some decent specs and a solid build quality, and a gorgeous screen – plus it’s a 2-in-1 laptop which you won’t get with any MacBook.

Other Windows 11 workstations offering similar performance are around the MacBook Pro’s price, such as the Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED, which comes with a second screen built above the keyboard (think the Touch Bar, but much larger). While this could also be dismissed as a gimmick, both Asus and Lenovo show that Windows 11 laptops have a far larger variety of form factors and designs.

  • Value score: 3.5/5

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): Specs

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): Design

  • No new design
  • Screen remains one of the best in a laptop
  • Awkward to use when commuting

Once again, Apple has kept the design of the MacBook Pro unchanged – so from first glance you won’t really notice any difference. It’s still got the rather chunky dimensions of 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches (356 x 248 x 17mm) and a weight of 4.7 lbs and 2.2kg. While it’s a stylish-looking laptop with that unmistakable Apple aesthetic, this is a large laptop that a lot of people might struggle with.

Whilst writing this review on the MacBook Pro 16-inch, I traveled into London on the train, and the sheer size of the laptop made using it on the drop-down desk quite awkward – it certainly made me miss my 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The size of the MacBook Pro 16-inch is understandable, as there are a lot of powerful components that need plenty of airflow to keep cool, and the large screen also means the overall size of the laptop needs to be on the bigger side. But if you’re looking for a portable laptop you can whip out while commuting, you may be better off looking at the 14-inch model, or going with a MacBook Air.

That said, when walking around with the MacBook Pro in my backpack, it didn’t feel uncomfortably heavy – and the 16-inch screen really is a joy to work on.

Superficially, port selection for the 16-inch MacBook Pro seems the same, with a MagSafe 3 port for attaching the power supply, two USB-C ports, and 3.5mm headphone jack on the left-hand side, and a USB-C port, HDMI and SDXC memory card slot on the right.

This is a decent selection of ports, though not mind-blowing. The memory card slot continues to be a welcome inclusion for photographers and videographers, as you won’t need an adaptor, and the HDMI port makes plugging the 16-inch MacBook Pro into a monitor, TV, or projector incredibly easy. The lack of USB-A ports means if you have older peripherals you’ll need an adapter to use them.

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

On the surface the ports may seem the same, but Apple’s made quite a drastic change with the USB-C ports, which are now all Thunderbolt 5 compatible. This offers far faster data transfer speeds (up to 120Gb/s) than the Thunderbolt 4 ports included in the previous model (which offered up to 40Gb/s). While Thunderbolt 5 devices are currently few and far between (and quite expensive), it does set the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) up as a future-proof device – and if you work with very large files, this new standard will be very welcome.

On the other hand, if you’re perfectly happy with the speeds your current USB-C SSD offers, then it’ll work just as well with the new MacBook Pro, and Thunderbolt 5 is backward compatible.

The 16-inch 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display remains the same (with mini-LED, 1,000 nits sustained brightness, wide color P3 gamut, ProMotion technology) as previous models. The screen offers a sharp image quality thanks to its 7.7 million pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 254ppi (pixels per inch). However, you can now configure the new MacBook Pro 16-inch to come with a nano-texture surface, which gives the screen a matte quality that minimizes reflections and glare.

The model of MacBook Pro that Apple sent me to test came with that nano-texture surface, and in the bright overhead lights of our London office, the effect was subtle yet pleasant – there was no glare or reflections, and I can imagine outside in direct sunlight the MacBook Pro 16-inch is just as comfortable to use (as it’s October and I’m in the UK, direct sunlight isn’t really a thing).

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

Whether or not it’s worth the extra $150/£150/AU$230 will really depend on personal taste and professional needs. While the nano-texture isn’t an upgrade that will immediately wow you, it can be useful if you work in bright environments. You might also feel that when spending the kind of money Apple is asking for the new MacBook, an extra $150 isn’t too egregious – and remember, once you’ve bought the MacBook Pro, you won’t be able to add the nano-texture.

This leads to an ongoing complaint about Apple devices. While there’s no doubt they look great, they are very difficult – if not impossible – to open up and repair. Upgrading components is also out of the question. While the fact that the unified memory is part of the M4 chip, so adding additional memory isn’t possible, it’d be nice to be able to add extra internal storage, for example.

Of course, this has never been the way Apple does things, but when even its competitors like Microsoft are getting better at allowing users to upgrade and fix their devices, Apple is increasingly out of touch – and the difficulty fixing a faulty MacBook Pro sits uneasily with Apple’s eco-friendly messaging in other departments.

There’s one final change to the design of the new MacBook Pro 16-inch that people might miss at first – but it’s a doozy. The webcam has been overhauled with a new 12MP ultra-wide sensor. Using the Center Stage feature, the MacBook Pro crops footage and uses machine learning to keep you centered on the screen – even if you move about. This is the first time Center Stage has been added to a MacBook – in the past the feature has been limited to iPads and the Studio Display monitor.

It works well, and while it’s far from essential if you sit still when on video calls, it’s nice to see it included in a MacBook. Even more impressive is the Desk View feature, which allows you to simultaneously record footage of yourself as normal, while also recording footage of your desk.

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

For tutorials, unboxing videos, and more it’s a nice feature and it’s very clever how the webcam captures the footage at the same time using a single camera – usually, you’d need to use two separate cameras for the different angles. This solution is easy and elegant, and while the quality of the footage won’t compare to using two external cameras, it’s a cool feature to have.

Overall the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) design doesn’t contain many surprises, but the ones it does are pretty nifty. If you’re after a more innovative laptop design, however, then you may still be disappointed.

  • Design score: 4/5

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Performance

  • Not a massive leap over M3 Pro
  • Still very impressive performance
  • Handles even the most intensive tasks well

Unlike the 14-inch model, there’s no base M4 option with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, making the M4 Pro-toting model the ‘entry level’ choice. It features a 14-core CPU with 10 performance cores four efficiency cores, and a 20-core GPU.

The base model also comes with 24GB of unified memory with a bandwidth of 273GB/s, and you can configure it to come with 48GB (though you’ll need to up the M4 Pro chip to the model with a 16-core CPU).

If you go for the M4 Max, that starts at 36GB of memory and can be configured with 48GB, 64GB, and 128GB. Memory bandwidth is also increased to 410GB/s for the 14-core CPU M4 Max and an absolutely huge 546GB/s bandwidth for the 16-core CPU model.

Putting jargon aside, any model of this year’s MacBook Pro 16-inch is going to offer excellent performance for pretty much any task. According to Apple’s own numbers (which should obviously be taken with a degree of salt), you should see around two to three times the performance of an Intel MacBook and double that of the M1 Pro MacBook. The gap between the M3 Pro and M4 Pro is less pronounced, which considering the M3 Pro only came out last year, is not too surprising.

Benchmarks

Here’s how the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Cinebench 2024 GPU: 9,122
Cinebench 2024 CPU: Single-Core:
175; Multi-Core: 1,688
Geekbench 6.3 Single-Core: 3,956; Multi-Core: 23,030
Blender: Monster: 873.2; Junkshop: 470.9; Classroom: 420.5
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 21 hours and 32 minutes

The model of 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple sent me to review is the version with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, and 48GB memory – so essentially the mid-range model.

In our benchmark tests, the M4 Pro MacBook Pro saw a decent bump in numbers compared to an M3 Max model, such as in Geekbench 6, where the multi-core score was 23,030 compared to the M3 Max’s 21,345. Not a groundbreaking difference, admittedly, but it shows a reliable increase in performance between generations. I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone with an M3 Pro MacBook Pro – or even an M2 Pro – shelling out to upgrade to the M4 Pro model based on these results.

Of course, synthetic benchmarks only tell a part of the story, and in my time using the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024), I was extremely impressed with the overall performance. macOS Sequoia ran fast and smooth, and there was no sign of lag or slowdown even when I had several apps open at once (including the Chrome web browser with almost 20 tabs open).

The new MacBook Pro 16-inch, as with previous models, is pretty overkill for day-to-day tasks. Still, it’s good to see those essential tasks performed so effortlessly – and there was not a single crash or error during my time using it – something I can’t always say about similarly-priced Windows 11 devices.

Apple’s complete control over both the software and hardware of MacBooks has again paid dividends, and even if you don’t like the way the company does some things, there’s no denying that it often results in extremely polished and dependable products – like the new MacBook Pro.

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

For more demanding tasks such as video editing, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) again barely broke a sweat as I stitched together 4K footage in Premiere Pro. To be honest, to really make use of the power of the M4 Pro – let alone the much more powerful M4 Max – you’re going to need to be a professional filmmaker or 3D animator working on Pixar-quality productions. Everything I threw at it barely gave the new MacBook Pro pause.

Of course, this is a great thing – it’s a workstation laptop that can rival pretty much any desktop PC and can handle even the hardest workloads. But then, there’s always that nagging feeling that you’re not making the most of it. It’s a strange contradiction that in the end is a testament to what Apple continues to achieve with its M-class chips.

Throughout my time, the fans barely kicked in, so while Apple’s focus with the M4 Pro is more about performance than efficiency, this is still a very efficient machine that is virtually silent when in use.

  • Performance score: 5/5

16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip in a studio being used

(Image credit: Future)

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Battery life

  • Over 21 hours in benchmark test
  • Slightly shorter than previous model
  • M4 Pro focuses on performance over efficiency

Ever since switching from Intel chips to its own M-class silicon, Apple’s MacBooks have benefited from industry-leading battery lives. While Windows 11 laptops are slowly catching up (especially ones with the new Snapdragon X Elite chip, which like the M4 Pro is ARM-based), if you want a laptop that can go through an entire workday without charging (and isn’t a basic Chromebook), then modern MacBooks are the way to go—and the new 16-inch MacBook Pro is no exception.

Thanks to a combination of the efficient M4 Pro chip and a larger body that allows Apple to include a bigger battery, the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers one of the longest battery lives of any MacBook or Windows laptop.

In our tests, it lasted a huge 21 hours and 32 minutes – an absolutely incredible result that suggests you could go multiple workdays on a single charge. However, it didn’t quite match the battery life of the M3 Max 16-inch MacBook that I reviewed last year, which lasted for 24 hours and 35 minutes in similar circumstances, but that could be down to the M4 Pro’s emphasis on performance over efficiency.

Still, it’s an incredible result considering the power on offer. I worked on the M4 Pro model for an entire train journey from Bath to London (around an hour and a half – England really is quite a small country), and the battery levels hardly dipped. It’s a workstation laptop that you can feel confident working on without having to search for a power supply, and when on battery power, it doesn’t feel like performance is sacrificed either.

  • Battery life score: 5/5

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): Should you buy it?

Buy it if…

You need a powerful workstation for heavy duty creative tasks
The MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro is one of the most powerful laptops out there, and will make short work of even the most demanding tasks.

You haven’t got an Apple Silicon Mac yet
If you’ve not experienced Apple’s M-series chips the new 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro is a brilliant showcase of why Apple Silicon has proved to be so revolutionary for not just MacBooks, but laptops as a whole.

You want a laptop that can go multiple days without charging
The battery life of the new MacBook Pro 16-inch can last almost an entire day of constant use - and that means you could work on it for multiple work days on a single charge.

Don’t buy it if…

You don’t need ultra-performance
While it can be tempting to go for the highest of the high-end when buying a laptop, the MacBook Pro 16-inch is a big investment - and it offers a level of performance that most people simply won’t need - go for an M3 MacBook Air or the new Mac mini M4 instead.

You want a compact laptop
The MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) is a large laptop, and while that has its benefits (bigger battery, nice large screen to work on), it’s a bit too big to work on when commuting or traveling.

You have an M3 Pro or M2 Pro MacBook
The M4 Pro is an upgrade over its predecessors, but not enough to make owners of the past two generations of MacBook Pro need to upgrade - they remain excellent laptops that continue to perform brilliantly.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) review: Also consider

If our Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...

MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 Pro 16GB
If you like the sound of the M4 Pro-powered 16-inch MacBook Pro, but are worried that the screen (and overall size of the laptop) is too large, then check out the 14-inch model, which offers similar performance but in a smaller (and slightly cheaper) package.
Check out our MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review

MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)
After a large-screen MacBook but don't need the power, and can't afford, the 16-inch MacBook Pro? Then consider the 15-inch MacBook Air. The M3 chip remains a great performer, and it's a lot less expensive, yet still offers that Apple build quality and design.
Check out our MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review

How I tested the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

  • Spent several days testing and using the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)
  • Ran our suite of benchmark tests
  • Used it to work while commuting

Ever since I received the new MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024), I've been using it as my main laptop for working on. This included day-to-day tasks, such as writing up articles in Microsoft Word and sending emails, as well as browsing the web in both Chrome and Safari (with multiple tabs open) - both at a desk in an office, and on a train travelling between cities.

I’ve been testing MacBooks for many years at TechRadar, including all the previous MacBook Pro 16-inch models, including the Intel-based one, and that experience has helped inform this review.

First reviewed November 2024

Mous Day backpack: a lightweight but still impressively protective tech-friendly backpack
7:23 pm | October 10, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Comments: Off

Mous Day backpack one-minute review

The Mous Day Backpack is the brand’s latest addition to its newest line of products – tech-first backpacks – and it’s a fantastic option for commuters who also want a bag that’s both relatively rugged and stylish. 

Whether you’re a tech fanatic or simply in need of a solid backpack to get you to and from work with your laptop, the best backpack should be lightweight while still offering solid protection, keeping your back cool on busy public transport, but also displaying some stylish flair. I’ve been using the Mous 25L backpack for about a year now, and it’s been a real boon for traveling. Unfortunately, though, it’s just a bit too bulky and heavy for day-to-day use – so I was thrilled to learn the brand was introducing the slightly smaller 20L Day Backpack that’s a bit lighter at just 1kg. 

Priced at $149.99 / £149.99 / roughly AU$240, the Mous Day Backpack arrives in four color options: Sage (green), Marine (blue), Stone (gray) and Midnight (black). I opted for the Sage colorway, which with its contrasting gray accents, offers a stylish yet understated finish. 

Mous Day backpack on a sofa

(Image credit: Future)

The materials are all water-resistant (420D recycled nylon and coated 600D polyester), meaning any contents will be protected from light rain and showers. The bag has an adjustable, sewn-in strap with a minimum strap length of 22 inches / 56cm and a max of 32.67 inches / 83cm, plus the back panel is padded to offer a comfortable experience all day long; however, this does mean it can get a little hot.

The Day Backpack’s greatest asset is its inclusion of nine compartments – although, of course, this doesn’t compare to its older sibling’s seventeen. You’ll find three on the outside, two zipped compartments on the outside of the case (one on its right-hand side at the front, and the other at the back), plus a water bottle pouch.

Open up the G-hook lid fastening and unzip its central base-to-lid YKK zip to reveal the main bag and the remaining compartments; two sleeves and a zipped pocket with two slip pockets sewn in. According to Mous, the laptop sleeve, which is the back-most pocket, is 14.9 x 11.6in / 380mm x 295mm (H x W), while the tablet pocket is 13.38 x 10.4in / 340mm x 265mm.

Mous Day backpack on a sofa

(Image credit: Future)

To protect your kit further, the bag has an elevated base, meaning that the edge of your device remains 1.18in / 30mm above ground, offering some drop and impact protection. However, unlike the Mous 25L backpack, there’s no AiroFoam, meaning extreme drops could still pose a risk of damage to any tech within – so no launching this bag down any stairwells.

The zip, it appears, isn’t for everyone. Personally, I love it – not having to rummage around from the neck of my backpack to the bottom every time I need to find my charger or whatever other odds and ends I’ve haphazardly launched into my bag is a huge boon.

However, whenever I opened my backpack on public transport, people looked on with a mix of horror and amazement as I practically gutted my bag. Among my friends and colleagues, there was a similar mix of intrigue, enthusiasm and disturbance – but most agreed that, at the very least, it’s a useful mechanism and that the discrete lining concealing it also retains the backpack’s overall stylish appearance. It will come down to personal taste, but I love it.

In my experience, the only slight design flaw is that, when more full, the Day Backpack’s embedded side panel magnets aren’t strong enough to snap the lip of the lid closed tightly, meaning that if the bag tips over, it’s possible smaller or loose contents may spill out. That’s only happened to me once, and in fairness, I was really pushing that 20L capacity to its limits – but it’s worth highlighting.

Mous 25L backpack: Specs

Should you buy the Mous Day backpack?

Buy it if...

You need a tech-focused commuting backpack, but not necessarily a rugged one

Rugged protection is often above and beyond what the average tech-fanatic will need, but if you still want some of the thoughtful design and protection inclusions, the Mous Day Backpack is an excellent choice. 

You want both form and function from your backpack

In all four color options, the Mous Day Backpack is chic and simple, while still offering great functionality thanks to its nine compartments.

You hate rummaging around in your bag

While drawing and quartering your backpack may feel a little odd at first, the full-length zip is an excellent addition if you often find yourself fishing around for loose items in your bag.

Don't buy it if...

You want to regularly fill it to the brim

Personally, I don’t trust the magnets and lid to fully protect all of my kit from slipping out of the sides when it’s full, so I’d say the capacity of the bag is more like 18L than 20L. 

Mous Day backpack: Also consider

How I tested the Mous Day backpack

  • I used the Mous Day backpack for a month
  • I made several long-haul journeys, as well as everyday trips, with it
  • I dropped it with my laptop inside... more times than I'd like to admit

I used the Mous Day 20L backpack for a month as my main commuting backpack, as well as my main travel bag for conferences and creative getaways. Inside, I stashed my laptop, iPad, various cables, headphones – name a gadget, it was in there – and I found its protections and compartments to be robust and useful.

During testing, I encountered various weather conditions from heatwaves to torrential rain, meaning I was able to test the bag’s environmental protections, too. To test its capacity and utility, I filled it with 2-3 days' worth of clothes while travelling, which is roughly the amount I’d expect a 20L backpack to be able to hold.

First reviewed October 2024

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review: all AMD, but is it any good?
11:02 pm | October 4, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Two-minute review

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Gaming Advantage Edition gaming laptop resting on a countertop with lid open

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Asus has gone with all-AMD hardware build for its new Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617XS) gaming laptop. As an Asus TUF model, that probably makes sense. After all, TUF is Asus's more accessible gaming brand.

Despite that, the specs and hardware look good. You get AMD's excellent Phoenix APU with eight Zen 4 CPU cores, plus AMD's latest entry-level mobile GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S.

Screen-wise, it's an expansive 16-inch IPS panel with 240Hz refresh and 2,560 by 1,600 pixels. It's a really punchy, crisp, and responsive display and definitely one of the highlights of this Asus lappie. Along with those headline features, there's 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

As for build quality, the base unit is all plastic but very sturdy with the exception of a whiff of flex just above the keyboard bed. Meanwhile the screen lid is alloy and lush to the touch. All told, it feels exactly like what it is, the slightly more affordable option from a premium brand.

The same goes for performance. For the most part, it's about on par with an RTX 4060 laptop in games. The proviso, of course, is that applies to conventional raster games. Enable ray tracing and the Nvidia GPU will have quite the edge. Nvidia graphics also offers superior scaling and frame generation technology.

It's worth noting that AMD's Smart Access Graphics tech which switches between the integrated and dedicated graphics can be slightly flakey. Still, the APU makes for fantastic battery life for web browsing and movies of well over 10 hours.

So, this is a pretty nice machine overall. But the more highly you value the gaming experience, the harder it is to ignore the obvious-for-a-reason Nvidia RTX 4060 options among our best gaming laptop options.

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Price and availability

Asus TUF

(Image credit: Future)
  • How much does it cost? £949.99
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the UK (other configurations available in the US and Australia)

The Asus TUF A16 FA617XS is currently only being offered in the UK for just under £950, but you can find some of the other configurations in the US and Australia for around the $1,000 range (closer to $2,000 AUD).

It's not a bad price for the overall specifications, build and performance. The only problem is that you can get similar laptops with Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics for only slightly more money, such as the Acer Predator Helios 16 and HP Victus 16. That's probably where we'd spend our cash.

Value: 4 / 5

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Specs

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition FA617XS comes in just one configuration (though the TUF A16 Gaming Advantage line has four configurations to choose from).

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Design

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Gaming Advantage Edition gaming laptop resting on a countertop with lid open

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
  • Solid build
  • Decent materials
  • Slim bezels

Asus has gone with its signature TUF design language, which means fairly gamery without being overtly adolescent. The Asus TUF A16 FA617XS's screen lid is made from lush alloy, which is a nice touch, while the rest of the system is hewn from sturdy plastic, including a particularly tough textured bottom cover.

The keyboard is smooth and tactile with a nice solid bed. The only exception is a whiff of flex in the top cover, just above the keyboard. The trackpad is nice and big, too, with a super-slick surface - it's nice to use. Incidentally, the keyboard is limited to white backlighting. There's no programmable RGB, but that's reasonable at this price point.

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition laptop keyboard and trackpad

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Asus has designed slim bezels for a 90% screen-to-body ratio. That's handy on a 16-inch laptop when it comes to maintaining portability. This isn't an excessively big or heavy system by gaming laptop standards.

Less successful is the port placement. The mix of USB4, USB-C and USB sockets, plus HDMI and LAN is fine. But they're all on the side of the chassis along with the barrel connector for the main power supply, which is located slap bang in the middle of the left side. Some ports of the rear of the chassis would be far preferable, albeit the TUF's screen hinge design precludes that.

Design: 3.5 / 5

Image 1 of 2

Asus TUF Gaming 16 Advantage Edition laptop left-side ports

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
Image 2 of 2

Asus TUF Gaming 16 Advantage Edition laptop right-side ports

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Performance

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Gaming Advantage Edition laptop with a closed shell

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
  • Decent all-round performance
  • Great screen
  • An RTX 4060 would still be preferable

Let's deal with the obvious question right away. How does the AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU stack up? It's basically a slightly cut down version of the desktop 7600 and it typically performs just below an Nvidia RTX 4060 mobile GPU in most games, though on occasion it can be a bit quicker.

The catch is that if you enable ray tracing in any game, such as Cyberpunk 2077 as an obvious example, the frame rates really do go south and much more so than with an RTX 4060.

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus TUF A16 FA617XS performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Night Raid: 56,533; Fire Strike: 22,648; Time Spy: 9,354; GeekBench 6: 2686 (single-core); 12281 (multi-core)
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 64 fps; (1080p, Low): 144 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 53 fps; (1080p, Ultra RT): 11; (1080p, Low): 78 fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 75 fps; (1080p, Low): 150 fps
TechRadar Movie Battery Life: 11h:03m

The Nvidia GPU also offers superior resolution scaling, plus better frame generation. So, for gaming, it's clear enough that a laptop with the RTX 4060 would be preferable. That said, the Asus TUF A16 FA617XS will handle pretty much any game at 1080p max settings (bar ray tracing) at a reasonable lick. For demanding titles, you're looking at about 60fps.

Of course, this laptop has a lovely 2,560 by 1,600 screen, and at that resolution you'll see the frame rates drop into the high 30s. You can, of course, use AMD's FSR scaling to improve that at a slight cost in terms of image quality. Arguably, that high-res screen is a bit more than the AMD GPU truly cope with. But it is a really gorgeous thing, super sharp thanks to all those pixels, fast in terms of both response and refresh, accurate and pretty bright. It's a clear cut above you're average budget gaming laptop screen, that's for sure.

Elsewhere, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS is all the CPU you're ever going to need, with eight powerful AMD Zen 4 cores and plenty of clockspeed with up to 5.2GHz boost speed. There's a quick 1TB SSD, too (though with SSD prices now so low, a 2TB drive would be nice), and 16GB of fast DDR5 RAM. Gaming aside, this thing has all the performance you could reasonably ask for.

Performance: 3.5 / 5

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition: Battery life

Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition gaming laptop resting on a counter with its lid open

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird)
  • Super-efficient AMD APU
  • Excellent battery life for a gaming laptop

Battery life obviously isn't normally a strong point for most gaming laptops. But this is where the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617XS)'s all-AMD technology really pays off. Thanks to the AMD APU's integrated graphics and Smart Access Graphics GPU-switching tech, which allows the TUF to automatically swap between the integrated GPU and the dedicated Radeon RX 7600S chip, this laptop is capable of well over 10 hours of light use and media consumption away from the mains. That's very impressive.

Battery life: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition?

Buy it if...

You want decent battery life

This Asus's all-AMD hardware makes for great battery life of well over 10 hours, much better than your average gaming laptop.

You appreciate a decent screen

There's no OLED panel, no mini-LED backlight, just a really nice 1600p IPS panel running at 240Hz for a rather lovely gaming experience.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best gaming features

Laptops with Nvidia's RTX 4060 GPU have better overall features, including superior upscaling and better ray-tracing performance.

You want future-proof performance

The AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU has reasonable performance today, but there's not much spare for future more demanding games.

Also consider

If our Asus TUF A16 FA617XS review has you thinking about other options, here are two laptops to consider...

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16

Acer's afforable 'Neo' gaming laptops are a good match for Asus's TUF models, with sensible pricing and good performance. This laptop also offers a nice display and good thermal performance - just be prepared for the fans to get noisy when you're gaming on it.

Read our full Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 review

View Deal

HP Omen 16

The new HP Omen 16 is a great choice for people looking to game on a budget. The slight snag is that it suffers from a variety of hardware and software quirks that may rub some people the wrong way.

Read our full HP Omen 16 review
View Deal

How I tested the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition

I gave the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (FA617XS) a solid workout for a full week of gaming and general computing. It took over all duties from basic web browsing to loading up my full Steam library and watching movies.

Games-wise, I ran all my favorites from Counter-Strike 2 to Cyberpunk 2077. It was interesting to get a feel for how this AMD GPU compares to the familiar RTX 4060 from Nvidia. Mostly, it's good news, but in the end, all those extra Nvidia features are hard to argue against.

Testing battery life was interesting, too. With most gaming laptops, you can almost see the remaining charge indicator shrink in real time. But this thing just kept on trucking. Seeing it show well over 90% after the first hour of movie playback was a revelation. Clearly, this laptop lasts longer than the vast majority of gaming portables.

First reviewed December 2023

HP EliteBook X review: can it stand up to the ‘most powerful’ AI laptop claims?
2:30 am | September 28, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Comments: Off

The HP EliteBook X was easily one of the highlights of the HP Imagine 2024 event, showcasing that despite the tech giant launching high-performing AI PCs with the latest in AI-powered CPUs and NPUs, it's not satisfied resting on its laurels. Instead, HP continues to push the envelope in terms of specs and performance, attempting to give us the best laptop on the market.

The EliteBook X was touted as the "most powerful AI device" available right now and, judging from the specs that HP has provided us with, I'm inclined to agree. At the very least, this AI PC outfitted with an AMD chip does feel like an evolution in terms of design as well as hardware.

HP EliteBook X: price and availability

As of right now, we don't have either an official price point, release date, or availability for the HP EliteBook X. However, judging from previous HP AI PCs, the laptop should be available in the US, UK, and Australia at the very least.

HP EliteBook X: specs

Here are the specs for the HP EliteBook X at a glance. 

HP EliteBook X: design

silver AI laptop

(Image credit: Future)

The outside of the laptop is a beautiful light silver, almost white, color. The chassis is lightweight yet feels sturdy and the hinges are solid. Opening it up, it has a standard keyboard with well-sized keys with a nice snap as you type, along with a responsive touchpad that's the perfect size.

One of the best features of the laptop is the fact that it has a manual switch for the webcam, which is ideal for proper security as it ensures that potential hackers can't hack into it and spy on you. It also has a pretty solid port selection, easily one of the best for an AI laptop so far, including two Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C ports, one Type-C port, one USB Type-A port, one headphone and mic combo jack, and one HDMI port. If it had an ethernet cable port and an SD card slot, it would be perfect.

It also has a lovely display, with two options for an LED screen and an OLED screen. One is a WUXGA (1920 x 1200) display and the other is a 2.8K (2880 x 1800). Both feature 400 nits, though the former has sRGB 100%, a touch screen, and a 120Hz refresh rate.

Not only does it boast an aesthetically pleasing design, but a sustainable one as well. According to HP, the EliteBook X is built with 60% of its major parts containing recycled material including up to 80% recycled aluminum in the covers, 21% recycled cooking oil in the bezel, 30% ocean-bound plastic on the speaker box, a heat plate made with 50% recycled copper, and 100% sustainable materials on the packaging.

HP EliteBook X: performance

Image 1 of 2

silver AI laptop

(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2

silver AI laptop

(Image credit: Future)

The most promoted part of the HP EliteBook X is that it has the highest performance of any AI PC currently on the market. Normally this claim would be hyperbole at best and completely unfounded at worst, but the fact that HP currently has the only NPU that runs at a staggering 55 TOPs as well as a much higher speed memory makes it clear why this boast is most likely true - for now.

That said, we can't fully verify these claims as of yet, at least until we get our hands on an EliteBook X and thoroughly test it ourselves.

It does have another feature that's sure to keep performance running as high as possible, which is Wolf Security. It comes with a host of tools and programs that will protect this laptop including external attacks and cyber threats. As a bonus, Wolf uses the NPU for AI security, which reduces the load on the CPU and GPU and prevents slowdown.

There are other features as well including a hyperbolic cooling system that should prevent overheating, Suresense to protect your laptop from malware, and Smart Hibernate that detects if the laptop is in a bag. Both are powered by an accelerometer sensor.  Finally, there's Onlooking detection which blurs the screen when someone approaches the laptop.

HP EliteBook X: early verdict

HP EliteBook X laptop open on a table

(Image credit: Future)

Though we still have yet to properly formulate a final verdict, so far the HP EliteBook X looks and sounds promising. Visually it's a beautiful laptop that's easy to transport with a stunning display. Its performance looks to match its appearance, fitting a ton of power in its thin frame.

I'm most excited to get my hands on an AMD-powered AI PC to see how well it compares to both Qualcomm and Intel's own chips. Coupled with it supposedly being the most powerful AI PC, it'll be fascinating to see how well that claim holds up. Regardless, this is definitely one laptop to keep an eye out for in the coming months.

Next Page »