In addition to a new iMac<\/a>, Apple announced new M3-powered versions<\/a> of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro during its\u00a0\u201cScary Fast\u201d event<\/a> on Monday. The new laptops can be configured with either the M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max chip, all of which should offer larger performance gains than the last-gen M2 chip. Each MacBook Pro is currently available to preorder online<\/a> ahead of its release date in November, with the M3 and M3 Pro<\/a> models due to arrive on November 7th, while the M3 Max will ship later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If you\u2019re wondering how the new laptops compare with the M2 models on paper, we\u2019ve rounded up everything we know so far based on specs and statements from Apple. Stay tuned as well for our full reviews, in which we\u2019ll let you know how well the laptops truly stack up in reality against Apple’s claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n First, the MacBook Pro pricing structure has changed now that Apple\u2019s dropped the $1,299 Touch Bar-equipped 13-inch M2-powered MacBook Pro<\/a> from its lineup. Before, the 14-inch model only came with Pro and Max-series chips and started at $1,999. This time, though, the base 14-inch laptop arrives with the M3 chip, half the RAM, 4TB less storage, and fewer GPU and CPU cores, lowering its price to $1,599. Thus, it is now the new entry-level MacBook Pro, one that offers a longer battery life, a better display, MagSafe charging, and no controversial Touch Bar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In addition, the gray laptop in the Pro and Max series has been replaced by a black shade, which Apple says is built with material that should reduce fingerprints. (You can also still get it in silver as well.) The base 14-inch model, however, doesn\u2019t come in black \u2014 you can buy it in gray and silver. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Otherwise, though, the MacBook Pros are very similar in design to their predecessors. For example, all share the same Liquid\u00a0Retina XDR displays.\u00a0The 14-inch Pro continues to feature a maximum resolution of\u00a03024 x 1964, while the 16-inch version has a 3456 x 2234 resolution. They also retain the same port selection, offering two or three USB-C ports (depending on which size you buy), in addition to an SD card reader, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Beyond price and some aesthetic changes, though, the real changes take place under the hood. Unified memory on the Pro and Max chips have increased, for example. The M3 Pro chips now support up to 36GB of RAM, a small increase from the M2 Pro\u2019s 32GB maximum. Meanwhile, the M3 Max boasts up to 128GB of RAM as opposed to the previous 96GB, which is a first for an Apple laptop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Perhaps the most notable change comes down to performance. The M3 chips were built based on the\u00a03-nanometer process, the same that is used in the iPhone 15 Pro\u2019s new A17 Pro chips. That translates to faster performance than the prior models. At the same time, according to Apple, it also means the M3 lineup is more power-efficient, offering the\u00a0same multithreaded performance as the M1 while consuming about half the power. Altogether, each laptop in the M3 family should last up to 22 hours, longer than their predecessors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When it comes to GPU and CPU cores, the M3 Max chips offer more than their predecessor. The M3 Max features a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, with a GPU performance that\u2019s 80 faster than the M1 Max, according to Apple. Apple doesn\u2019t provide a direct comparison between the M2 and M3, but that still represents a substantial improvement given that\u00a0Apple claimed<\/a>\u00a0the M2 Max \u2014 whose CPU and GPU maxed out at 12 cores and 38 cores \u2014 was up to 30 percent faster than the M1 Max in graphics. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The picture looks slightly different when it comes to the Pro-series chips. The 16-inch M3 Pro and M2 Pro chips both offer 12 CPU cores, but the M2 Pro actually offers one extra GPU core over the M3 Pro. Still, Apple claims it\u2019s 10 percent faster than the M2 Pro\u2019s GPU and 40 percent faster than the M1 Pro\u2019s GPU.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nA new entry-level MacBook Pro<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Same look, different color<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
More memory and power-efficient performance<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
GPUs and CPUs<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n