Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2024) Laptop Review

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 is available in a Silver or Black Space colorway. See the bottom of the laptop.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's build quality is outstanding. The whole device feels very sturdy and well-assembled, with no obvious gaps in its construction. There's little to no flex on the lid or keyboard deck, and the display doesn't twist when manipulating it. The finish doesn't scratch easily. Though not as bad as other dark-color laptops, the Space Black model still picks up a fair amount of fingerprints and smudges—getting the Silver model is best if this bothers you. The feet feel solid and stick firmly to the bottom. The only minor complaint is that the keycaps pick up oil and smudges easily, and if identical to previous Apple-silicon MacBooks, they'll likely develop a shine within only a few months of regular use.

The hinge is outstanding. It feels smooth when opening and closing the lid, and it's very stable, exhibiting little to no wobble when moving the laptop or typing heavily.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's serviceability is bad, as the only user-replaceable component is the battery. Accessing the internals is relatively straightforward; you need to remove eight P5 screws (keep them organized, as there are two different sizes), pry open the bottom panel with a tool, then pull the panel towards the bottom and upwards to remove it.

See the repair manual on Apple's support page.

• 70W USB-C power adapter
• MagSafe to USB-C charging cable
• Documentation

Note: Models with a 14-core CPU M4 Pro or M4 Max SoC come with a 96W adapter. You can also get the 96W power adapter on lower-end configurations at an additional cost when purchasing directly from Apple.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 is available with the following displays:

• 14.2" Mini LED 3024 x 1964 120Hz (Standard Glossy)
• 14.2" Mini LED 3024 x 1964 120Hz (Nano-Texture)

Both are Liquid Retina XDR displays that look remarkably sharp. The only difference is the finish, as you can now get the display with Apple's glare-reducing nano-texture finish in addition to the standard glossy panel. The 16:10 aspect ratio is well-suited for productivity; it gives you more vertical space than a standard 16:9 screen, allowing you to see more information at once when reading a document, so you don't have to scroll as much. The downside is that you'll almost always have black bars at the top and bottom when watching standard 16:9 videos. You can hide the notch if it bothers you, but it'll push the menu bar down, reducing screen real estate.

We've performed additional tests on a model with the nano-texture display to show the effects of the finish on text clarity. In general, there's a slight drop in clarity on the nano-texture display. Whether or not this is bothersome is a matter of personal preference, so it's best to see it in person if you can. Here are macro shots of the pixels for both displays:

• Glossy with text
• Glossy (pixels only)
• Nano-texture with text
• Nano-texture (pixels only)

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's display supports ProMotion, meaning it can vary the refresh rate depending on whether you're actively navigating the desktop or looking at static content. However, ProMotion only works in supported applications. You can't set the refresh rate to a fixed 120Hz as there's only a 'ProMotion' setting for any refresh rate above 60Hz. As for the display's response time, it's better than the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023), though there's still some ghosting in fast-moving scenes.

Regarding the nano-texture finish, it doesn't seem to affect the response time, but again, everything looks a little softer. Here are motion videos and still pictures to compare the two displays:

• Glossy motion video
• Glossy still picture
• Nano-texture motion video
• Nano-texture still picture

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's display has an outstanding contrast ratio, thanks to the local dimming provided by its Mini LED backlight. This contrast level is well suited for dark room viewing and HDR content. That said, it isn't quite as good as the contrast on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023), which you can easily see when comparing the checkerboard picture above with the M3 MacBook Pro's.

The nano-texture display has a slight effect on the contrast ratio, lowering it to 20,460:1. This is likely because the nano-texture scatters light across darker areas, causing a rise in the black level. See the checkerboard picture taken on the nano-texture display.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's display gets bright enough for use in most settings. It can reach up to 943.9 cd/m² of brightness in SDR, but this is only achievable in very well-lit environments, like outdoors in broad daylight. It gets very dim at the lowest brightness setting, which helps reduce eye strain when viewing content in the dark.

The display doesn't quite reach the advertised 1600 cd/m² of brightness in HDR, though it's pretty close. Here are the results at various window sizes:

HDR Brightness (Glossy display)

• 2% Peak: 1425 cd/m²
• 2% Sustained: 1422 cd/m²
• 10% Peak: 1562 cd/m²
• 10% Sustained: 1554 cd/m²
• 25% Peak: 1566 cd/m²
• 25% Sustained: 1558 cd/m²
• 50% Peak: 1485 cd/m²
• 50% Sustained: 1464 cd/m²
• 100% Peak: 1061 cd/m²
• 100% Sustained: 1057 cd/m²

The nano-texture display reaches a maximum of 764 cd/m² in SDR (outdoors or in well-lit environments). While this is lower than the glossy display's 943.9 cd/m², the difference in perceived brightness is about the same as the glossy display. HDR brightness is in the same ballpark; here are the results:

HDR Brightness (Nano-texture display)

• 2% Peak: 1420 cd/m²
• 2% Sustained: 1411 cd/m²
• 10% Peak: 1544 cd/m²
• 10% Sustained: 1510 cd/m²
• 25% Peak: 1542 cd/m²
• 25% Sustained: 1530cd/m²
• 50% Peak: 1473 cd/m²
• 50% Sustained: 1456 cd/m²
• 100% Peak: 1061 cd/m²
• 100% Sustained: 1048 cd/m²

The standard glossy display handles reflections well. It mainly struggles with bright light sources, like a lamp or open window during the day. If you regularly work near a window or outdoors in broad daylight, the nano-texture display is likely a better option, as it's much more effective against direct, mirror-like reflections and bright lights. The nano-texture isn't a coating—it's an etching onto the glass itself. This etching scatters incoming light, reducing glare without creating the halo effect often seen on most matte coatings. The finish isn't as matte as true matte displays—it's closer to a semi-glossy finish. Here are the measurements and photos taken on the nano-texture display:

• Total Reflections: 1.69%
• Indirect Reflections: 1.37%
• Calculated Direct Reflections: 0.32%
• Reflections with screen off
• Reflections with screen at max brightness

Here are additional photos and videos comparing the glossy and nano-texture displays, as well as some comparisons with the Dell XPS 14 (2024) and the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023):

• Glossy vs Nano-texture
• Glossy vs Nano-texture 2
• Glossy vs Nano-texture (video)
• Comparison with XPS 14 and Zenbook 14x
• Comparison with XPS 14 and Zenbook 14x (video)

Though minimal, you may still see some blooming around bright objects in dark scenes, as Mini LED doesn't have the pixel-level control that OLEDs do. There's virtually no difference in uniformity between the glossy and nano-texture display. The standard deviation on the nano-texture display is 0.157%. See the nano-texture display's black uniformity picture.

The display's horizontal viewing angle is okay. The image quality is good enough from the sides for sharing casual content or text documents, but it's best to be close or directly in front of the screen if you need perfect accuracy for color-critical work. There's very little difference in the horizontal viewing angle on the nano texture display. Here are the results and the video:

• Color Washout From Left: 28°
• Color Washout From Right: 27°
• Color Shift From Left: 44°
• Color Shift From Right: 52°
• Brightness Loss From Left: 31°
• Brightness Loss From Right: 31°
• Black Level Raise From Left: 60°
• Black Level raise From Right: 60°
• Gamma Shift From Left: 36°
• Gamma Shift From Right: 37°
• See video

The display's vertical viewing angle is okay. Like the horizontal viewing angle, the image dims and washes out when viewed from above or below. You need to look at the screen more or less straight on to see an accurate image. The nano-texture finish affects the vertical viewing angle, causing a rise in the black level. Here are the results and video:

• Color Washout From Below: 31°
• Color Washout From Above: 26°
• Color Shift From Below: 41°
• Color Shift From Above: 45°
• Brightness Loss From Below: 34°
• Brightness Loss From Above: 31°
• Black Level Raise from Below: 22°
• Black Level Raise From Above: 20°
• Gamma Shift From Below: 34°
• Gamma Shift From Above: 31°
• See video

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's display accuracy is superb out of the box. Most white balance and color inaccuracies are extremely minor and hard to spot with the naked eye. The gamma sticks to an almost flat 2.2 instead of following the curve, over-darkening dark scenes and slightly over-brightening bright scenes. This accuracy level is suitable for color-critical work like photo and video editing without further calibration.

The white balance and color accuracies are slightly worse on the nano-texture display, though the overall results are still outstanding and adequate for color-critical work. Here are the measurements:

• Avg. White Balance dE: 2.0558
• Avg. Gamma: 2.22
• Avg. Color dE: 1.25
• Avg. Color temperature: 6364.7K

The display's color gamut is outstanding. It has full coverage of the sRGB and DCI P3 color spaces, making it suitable for general media consumption and HDR video production. Its Adobe RGB coverage is excellent, but it might not be wide enough for some professionals, as it's missing the highly saturated greens that define Adobe RGB.

Apple has added a quantum dot layer in this version of the MacBook Pro (see the spectrum measurement). The reason for the change is unclear, though it's likely to improve power efficiency and response time, as the QD layer has little effect on the color gamut.

The nano-texture display's color gamut is virtually identical to the glossy display. Here are the measurements:

• sRGB xy: 99.85%
• sRGB uv: 99.63%
• Adobe RGB xy: 89.32%
• Adobe RGB uv: 94.49%
• DCI P3 xy: 99.81%
• DCI P3 uv: 99.45%
• Rec. 2020 xy: 73.37%
• Rec. 2020 uv: 74.07%

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's display flickers; however, it isn't visible to most people, as the flicker frequency is extremely high (around 15KHz).

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 has a great keyboard. Its layout feels spacious and is the same as all other MacBooks, so it won't take long to get used to it if you've used one before. The keys are stable, require little force to actuate, and provide clear tactile feedback. However, the travel distance is very short, which heavy typers might not like, as when combined with the keyboard deck's stiffness, it can feel like typing on a hard surface and cause fatigue. The backlight shines well through the legends; you can adjust the brightness via the control panel or system settings.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4's touchpad is outstanding and among the best on the market. It's large, smooth, and responsive to all movements and gestures. Palm rejection works well, and there are no issues performing actions like dragging and dropping or zooming in and out of images. Like other MacBooks, it uses a haptic engine to simulate the clicks instead of physical buttons, allowing you to click anywhere on the touchpad. The haptic engine convincingly emulates the feel of a physical button and provides clear tactile feedback.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 has outstanding speakers. They're among the best-sounding speakers you can find on 14-inch laptops, producing a natural, clear, and full sound with a good amount of bass. They get pretty loud with minimal compression or distortion at high volume levels.

The webcam is outstanding. The image looks sharp and detailed, with true-to-life colors and proper exposure. Although the resolution hasn't changed, this M4 MacBook Pro sports a new 12 MP camera that supports Center Stage, a feature that keeps you centered in the camera frame. See more info about it on Apple's website. The microphone is equally impressive; voices sound loud and clear, with little to no static background noise.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 has an excellent port selection. There are a few notable changes from the M3 MacBook Pro: the base M4 model now has three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gbps data transfer speeds, DisplayPort 1.4) instead of two, while the M4 Pro and Max models get an upgrade from Thunderbolt 4 to Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120Gbps data transfer speeds, DisplayPort 2.1).

As for external displays, the M4 and M4 Pro models support up to two 6k @ 60Hz displays over Thunderbolt, or one 6k @ 60Hz display over Thunderbolt and one 4k @ 144Hz display over HDMI. Alternatively, it can output to one 8k @ 60Hz or 4k @ 240Hz display over HDMI. The M4 Max models support up to three 6k @ 60Hz displays over Thunderbolt and one 4k @ 144Hz display over HDMI or two 6k @ 60Hz displays over Thunderbolt and one 4k @ 240Hz (or 8k @ 60Hz) over HDMI.

If you need peripherals or an external monitor for your MacBook Pro, check out our recommendations for the best keyboards for Mac, the best mouse for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, and the best monitors for MacBook Pro.

We can't confirm the exact model of the wireless adapter. Wi-Fi 6E has faster speeds, lower latency, and less signal interference than previous Wi-Fi standards. However, you need a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E to benefit from these features. Check out our recommendations for the best routers if you want to upgrade your wireless setup.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 is available with the following SoCs:

• M4 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 120GB/s memory bandwidth
• M4 Pro 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 273GB/s memory bandwidth
• M4 Pro 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 273GB/s memory bandwidth
• M4 Max 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 410GB/s memory bandwidth
• M4 Max 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 546GB/s memory bandwidth

While the number of available SoCs remains the same as the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023), the core composition, core count, and memory bandwidth have changed, providing more processing power than the M3-series SoCs across the board. They can all handle demanding tasks to varying degrees, so the choice of the SoC depends on the complexity of your work and budget. Just remember that the available RAM and storage configurations change depending on the SoC. The only other difference between these chips is that the top-end M4 Max with 16 CPU and 40 GPU cores has additional media encoders and decoders, which will significantly improve performance in tasks like video editing. The Neural Engine, which handles AI tasks, is the same for all SoCs, with all five sporting 16 cores.

See Apple's product brief for more information about the M4 SoCs.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 technically uses an integrated GPU since it's part of the SoC. You can't change the GPU configuration without changing the CPU portion of the SoC. Again, choose based on your workflow and budget. The base M4 with a 10-core GPU is mostly for general productivity tasks, though it can handle some moderately intensive workloads, with performance roughly equivalent to the aging NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop GPU. Gaming is possible, even on the base M4 model; however, performance will vary significantly from one game to another, as it depends on whether the game runs natively on Apple silicon or through Rosetta 2 emulation.

You can configure the Apple MacBook Pro M4 with up to 128GB of RAM, but the options vary depending on the SoC:

• 16GB - M4 only
• 24GB - M4 or M4 Pro
• 32GB - M4 only
• 36GB - M4 Max with 32-core GPU only
• 48GB - M4 Pro or M4 Max with 40-core GPU
• 64GB - M4 Max with 40-core GPU only
• 128GB - M4 Max with 40-core GPU only

You can configure the Apple MacBook Pro M4 with up to 8TB of storage. Again, some limitations apply:

• 512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD (M4 and M4 Pro)
• 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
• 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
• 4TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD (M4 Pro or Max)
• 8TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD (M4 Max)

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 with an M4 Pro SoC (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU) scores remarkably well in the Geekbench 5 benchmarks. This performance level is more than adequate for general productivity tasks, heavy multitasking, and intensive, multi-threaded applications. Remember that this is only the base M4 Pro chip, so if you need even more performance, you can simply upgrade to the M4 Pro 14-core CPU or an M4 Max. Even the base M4 can handle demanding tasks, as it matches the base M3 Pro with 11 CPU cores in multi-thread performance and even beats it in single-thread (see scores below). The GPU compute score is roughly in the same ballpark as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, but take this number with a grain of salt. Real-world performance is likely better because the media engines do most of the heavy lifting in applications that can utilize them.

Here are additional benchmarks in Geekbench 6 in case you're more familiar with those numbers:

• CPU Single-Thread: 3,879
• CPU Multi-Thread: 20,551
• GPU Compute (Metal API): 98,654

We've also performed additional benchmarks on a model equipped with a base M4 SoC (10-core CPU and 10-core GPU) to give you a better idea of its performance. Here are the results:

Geekbench 5

• CPU Single-Thread: 2,643
• CPU Multi-Thread: 13,201
• GPU Compute (Metal API): 41,921

Geekbench 6

• CPU Single-Thread: 3,832
• CPU Multi-Thread: 15,075
• GPU Compute (Metal API): 57,985

Note: We've performed all benchmarks using the laptop's best-performing mode (High Power in this case) instead of the default Automatic mode, which usually throttles the performance to prolong battery life. That said, there's virtually no performance difference between these two modes. The base M4 model doesn't have a High Power mode.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 with an M4 Pro (12-core CPU) scores remarkably well in Cinebench R23. This level of performance is suitable for rendering, heavy multitasking, and other intensive, multi-threaded, sustained workloads. The multi-thread performance increase compared to the base M3 Pro with an 11-core CPU, which scored 13,072, is particularly noteworthy. Again, you can go with one of the higher-end M4 Pro or Max SoCs if you need even more performance.

Here are additional numbers obtained in Cinebench 2024, in case you're more familiar with those numbers:

• Single-Thread: 174
• Multi-Thread: 1,475

The base M4 model with a 10-core is expectedly slower in multi-threaded workloads but still capable of handling fairly demanding tasks. Here are the results:

Cinebench R23

• Single-Thread: 2,181
• Multi-Thread: 13,873

Cinebench 2024:

• Single-Thread: 173
• Multi-Thread: 975

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 is outstanding for 3D rendering work in Blender. Every configuration can handle this type of workload, though the base M4 model might struggle a bit if the material is extremely complex.

Here are our results from the base M4 model with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU:

• CPU: 2.40 min
• GPU: 0.21 min

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 with an M4 Pro SoC (16-core GPU) has an outstanding score in the Basemark GPU benchmark, performing in the same ballpark as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, a discrete GPU designed primarily for 1080p gaming. The base M4 model is roughly equivalent to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, an entry-level discrete GPU designed for 1080p gaming (with low settings only), while the top-end M4 Max with a 40-core GPU is closer to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 in performance, making it better suited for 1440p gaming. That said, as mentioned in the GPU section, performance will vary depending on the game, as many titles haven't been optimized for Apple silicon. Some will run just fine through emulation, but some may not even start.

The base M4 model with a 10-core GPU scores 50,985.

Drive speeds vary depending on the SoC configuration and the SSD's capacity.

Below are our results obtained on the base M4 model with a 1TB SSD:

• Sequential Write: 4,047 MB/s
• Sequential Read: 1,426MB/s
• Random Write: 40.33 MB/s
• Random Read: 46.59 MB/s

As there's virtually no performance difference between the Automatic and High Power modes, we've performed the battery tests in the Automatic mode. Models with a base M4 chip will have a longer battery life, while models with an M4 Pro (14-core CPU) or M4 Max chip will have a shorter battery life.

Here are the results of the web browsing and video playback battery tests on the base M4 model:

• Web browsing: 16.7 hours
• Video Playback: 15.8 hours

Performance in Borderlands 3 is mediocre on the Apple MacBook Pro M4 with an M4 Pro (12-core CPU/16-core GPU) SoC. You can get over 60 fps with some tweaks in the settings, but there are fairly frequent, noticeable stutters, which isn't ideal for an FPS title. The higher-end M4 Pro and Max SoCs will fare better, though it isn't a guarantee that the gameplay will be smooth, as this title doesn't run natively on Apple silicon.

Civilization VI runs well on the Apple MacBook Pro M4. In terms of graphics performance, every configuration can handle this game without issue, as this is a strategy game that isn't very demanding on the GPU. The average turn time is very impressive and among the fastest compared to other current-gen CPUs.

Counter-Strike 2 doesn't run on macOS, as Valve has discontinued support.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider runs well on the Apple MacBook Pro M4 with an M4 Pro SoC (12-core CPU/16-core GPU). The gameplay is very smooth overall, with only occasional stutters. That said, this is one of the few games that actually run well through emulation, so don't expect this to be the case in other similarly demanding titles. The base M4 model can push over 60 fps with a few tweaks in the settings.

The keyboard is only mildly warm under load, and the bottom of the laptop also remains relatively cool, reaching only 39.3 °C (102.74 °F). The fans are audible but not overly distracting, producing only a low-pitch sound.

The posted results are measurements taken in the High Power mode. Switching to the Automatic mode results in higher temperatures and may cause some discomfort, as the hot spot is in the middle of the keyboard. Here are the results in the Automatic and Low Power modes:

Automatic

• Keyboard Temp Under Load: 49.4 °C (120.92 °F)
• Bottom of the laptop: 41.2 °C (106.16 °F)
• Fan Noise Under Load: 47.7 dBA

Low Power

• Keyboard Temp Under Load: 38.4 °C (101.12 °F)
• Bottom of the laptop: 35.8 °C (96.44 °F)
• Fan Noise Under Load: 31 dBA

The base M4 model has a single fan, resulting in the following measurements:

• Keyboard Temp Under Load: 44.8 °C (112.64 °F)
• Bottom of the laptop: 38 °C (100.4 °F)
• Fan Noise Under Load: 47.7 dBA

We've performed this test using the High Power mode instead of the default Automatic mode.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 ships with macOS Sequoia. There aren't any pre-installed applications other than those that typically come with macOS. Learn more about macOS Sequoia on Apple's website.

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 has a fingerprint sensor built into the power button at the top right corner of the keyboard. You can use it to log in quickly and authorize App Store purchases and payments via Apple Pay.