Buzz
When compared to the Pro 16 inch M2, this year's version has seen superior performance upgrades, but is it attractive enough when all other factors remain virtually unchanged?
Configuration Options and Performance
Both MacBook Pro 16 inch M3 and MacBook Pro 16 inch M2 offer three different processor options, specifically:
Configuration options for MacBook Pro 16 inchLooking at the configuration options above, it's evident that the most worthwhile upgrade lies in configurations using the M3 Max chip, thanks to significantly more CPU cores for stronger performance. However, the M3 Pro configuration seems more like a step back than an improvement, with fewer high-performance cores, fewer GPU cores, and lower memory bandwidth.
Recent performance leaks also indicate that the Apple M3 Pro has significantly higher single-core performance compared to the M2 Pro. However, multi-core performance only increases by 6%, despite being manufactured on a more advanced process. GPU performance, as announced by Apple, only increases 'up to 10%.' Therefore, it's evident that the MacBook Pro 16 inch M3 Pro version doesn't really have any significant improvements or upgrades.
The MacBook Pro 16 inch M3 Pro doesn't show significant performance improvements.However, when switching to options using the M3 Max chip, the difference becomes more apparent as the number of CPU cores has increased from 2 to 4 compared to the previous generation. The evenly increased CPU cores are high-performance cores, ensuring superior performance compared to the M2 Max. For easy comparison, the M2 Max has 8 high-performance cores, while the highest-end M3 Max version has 12 high-performance cores, meaning more than 50% more promising performance.
Recent performance leaks also show that the Apple M3 Max has multi-core performance almost equivalent to the M2 Ultra (with 24 cores with 16 high-performance cores). Compared to the M2 Max, the leaked performance of the M3 Max is about 45% higher, and surely this is still not the best score this processor achieves because the product has not yet been released to the market.
Apple M3 Max boasts powerful performance, on par with M2 UltraAnother noteworthy aspect of the new MacBook Pro 16-inch with the M3 chip is the RAM option. The M3 Pro can opt for 18GB or 36GB instead of 16GB or 32GB. The M3 Max, on the other hand, goes even further with options of 36GB or 96GB - no intermediate options. The highest-end M3 Max version starts from 48GB, with the option to go up to 64GB or 128GB. So, all versions this year have more memory, and the highest option is significantly higher.
Along with these superior upgrades, the prices are also significantly higher. If the Max 38GPU 32GB/1TB is priced at around 93 million VND, then the Max 40GPU 48GB/1TB starts from 102.5 million VND, nearly 10 million VND higher.
Read more: Apple officially unveils Apple M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max with impressive performanceDesign, Display, and Other Factors
The overall design and most other factors on the MacBook Pro 16-inch remain unchanged except that Apple has replaced the gray version with an attractive and impressive black version. It can be said that this is the only distinguishing feature between the MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 and M3. If you choose the silver version, there is no way to differentiate except by checking the configuration.
Black color is the only design changeAdditionally, Apple also mentions that the new version is brighter when displaying SDR content. This means that when used for web browsing, work, or viewing regular content, it is about 20% brighter. However, the maximum brightness and brightness when viewing HDR content remain unchanged. This is still a worthwhile upgrade, but it's not really significant enough for users to consider when choosing between the two generations.
The rest, almost every other factor, remains largely similar between the two generations.
Conclusion
Overall, the MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 remains an extremely impressive performance upgrade, with the performance difference between two consecutive generations reaching up to 50%, a particularly large figure when comparing a machine released early in the year to one released near the end.
MacBook Pro M3 series. Image: AppleHowever, if you're planning to buy the MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 series, opt for the M3 Max configuration; this is the version that truly upgrades performance. Meanwhile, with the M3 Pro version, it seems to be only optimized for energy efficiency; you may consider choosing the M2 Pro to save costs.
