Hands-on with the Powerful MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021): M1 Max Chip, Sleek Design

The familiar design of the MacBook Pro 16 inch (2021) welcomes you with an array of enhanced connectivity ports.

Weighing at 2.2 kg and measuring 16.7 mm thick, the MacBook Pro 16 inch (2021) is slightly bulkier compared to its 2019 predecessor. However, this weight and thickness do not significantly impact user experience.

The MacBook Pro 16 inch (2021) features rounded edges and corners for comfortable handling and portability. While the top lid bears the iconic Apple logo, the bottom reveals a distinctive touch with four rubber feet and engraved MacBook Pro lettering on the aluminum casing.

On the left side, you'll find an array of ports including HDMI, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and an SD card slot. Meanwhile, the right side houses the MagSafe port, 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, and a headphone jack. Overall, the 2021 MacBook Pro 16-inch is equipped with more connectivity options, facilitating your work and peripheral device connections.

The rabbit ears display has made its debut on the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021).

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) boasts a 16.2-inch Mini LED display with a resolution of 3,456 x 2,234 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz (dubbed Promotion by Apple). This screen also offers a continuous maximum brightness of up to 1,000 nits, surpassing both the MacBook Pro 2019 and some of its competitors as per XDA Developers' reviewers.

With this display, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) delivers outstanding sharpness and high visibility, ensuring comfortable usage outdoors or in brightly lit conditions. Additionally, it provides a vibrant, vivid media viewing experience with high contrast and smooth transition effects.

A point causing much debate on the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) screen is the webcam housed within the notch. While Apple claims this design optimizes screen real estate, it also enhances video call quality, especially crucial during these times of frequent online work.

Apple has upgraded the webcam of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) to 1080p and equipped it with TrueTone sensor, ensuring consistent skin tones in various lighting conditions. Photos and videos taken with the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) appear better than its predecessors, especially in low-light conditions. Hence, I personally believe that the redesigned webcam on the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) enhances user experience.

Keyboard and trackpad

Finally, after much controversy and user complaints, Apple has decided to ditch the butterfly keyboard and replace it with Magic Keyboards. This change promises a better typing experience, free from stuck keys or hand fatigue due to the previous short key travel. Additionally, Apple has eliminated the touch bar on the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) and brought back the familiar F keys, which will be welcomed by those who frequently use shortcuts, optimizing your work speed.

Regarding the trackpad, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) continues to excel just like its predecessors with a large and highly responsive touchpad, allowing comfortable and efficient usage. Personally, when using a MacBook, I rarely need to use a mouse because I enjoy the touchpad experience on these devices too much.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) delivers powerful performance with the Apple M1 Max chip

Here are the technical specifications of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021):

• Display: 16.2-inch size, Liquid Retina XDR panel, 3,456 x 2,234 pixel resolution, mini-LED technology, Pro Motion 120 Hz.
• CPU: Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max 10-core (8 high-performance cores, 2 power-efficient cores).
• GPU: 16 cores.
• RAM: 16 GB or 32 GB (support for maximum upgrade to 64 GB).
• SSD storage capacity: 512 GB or 1 TB (support for upgrades to 2 TB, 4 TB, and up to 8 TB).

In this article, I'll focus on the version featuring Apple's highest-end chip, the M1 Max, with 64 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD. The M1 Max boasts a 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU, and up to 64 GB of RAM. Built on the 5nm process and containing up to 57 billion transistors, the performance of the Apple M1 Max speaks for itself, doesn't it?

Scoring the performance on Geekbench, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) achieved 1,783 single-core and 12,693 multi-core scores. With Cinebench R32, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) scored 1,524 single-core and 12,281 multi-core. In terms of data read/write speed, the machine achieved 5.1 GB/s and 6.2 GB/s respectively. Compared to the MacBook Pro 14-inch, MacBook Pro 13-inch 2020 running on M1 chip, Dell XPS 15 (Intel i7-11800H, RTX 3050 Ti), and Razer Blade 14 (AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, RTX 3080), the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) outperforms in all aspects.

From these tests, it's evident that the performance delivered by the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) is robust, handling all your daily tasks from light to heavy with ease. You can perform office tasks, entertainment, video editing, 3D modeling, graphic design, and more on the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) without encountering any difficulties or lags.

Battery life on the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021)

One aspect highlighted by Apple during the launch event of the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) is the energy efficiency of the M1 Max chip compared to its competitors. In the test conducted by XDA below, you'll see this clearly.

When both the MacBook Pro M1 Max 2021 and MacBook Pro 2019 Intel i9 play the same 4K YouTube video at maximum screen brightness and 50% volume, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) lasts for 8 hours and 39 minutes while the MacBook Pro 2019 Intel i9 only lasts for 5 hours and 31 minutes.

In engadget's test, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) achieved a battery life of 16 hours and 34 minutes. This demonstrates Apple's excellent battery optimization for the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021), promising longer usage and the freedom to work in various locations without worrying about the battery running out. Additionally, with the MagSafe 140W charger, your MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) will charge more quickly, ensuring you're not tethered to the charger for too long waiting for a full charge.

Conclusion

With the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) and the Apple M1 Max chip, Apple showcases its development and research capabilities by providing users with a device boasting outstanding performance and optimized battery life. Furthermore, Apple has demonstrated its attentiveness to user feedback by reintroducing essential ports, convenient F-keys, and replacing the butterfly keyboard that caused many difficulties for users.

It can be said that the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021) is the culmination of the most advanced research achievements and the purest refinement from previous MacBook Pro generations, delivering users a product approaching perfection.

What's your take on the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021)? Leave your comments below! We appreciate you reading through our article.