Hot on the heels of the iMac M4 and Mac Mini M4, Apple has announced the MacBook Pro M4 in 14- and 16-inch guises. And while the next-gen silicon chip is undoubtedly the headline news for the average consumer, Cupertino is also shouting about the Pro's 12MP Center Stage camera – a marked improvement over the previous gen's built-in 1080p device – which could turn out to be the best laptop webcam.
Previously, Center Stage was only available on the latest iPads, and Macs via the Apple Studio Display, which is a serious investment if you’re only interested in upgraded video calls. The new iMac M4 and Macbook Pro M4 are the first Apple computers to feature standalone Center Stage compatibility, making them a tantalizing prospect for professionals who rely on video calls.
As the name suggests, Center Stage centers the user as they move around and is compatible with the likes of FaceTime and Zoom. Apple has stated the Center Stage camera "delivers enhanced video quality in challenging lighting conditions." And with Desk View support – a long-time staple of the best iPhones – you can present to the camera while displaying a top-down view of your desk, too.
Details on the tech behind the 12MP camera are thin on the ground, but if the Studio Display's 12MP camera is anything to go by, you can expect an ultra-wide camera with a 122-degree field of view or similar. But the big selling point for most users will be those shiny new M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max silicon chips. It's hard not to be wooed by talk of the "world's fastest CPU core,"...
The Standard M4 boasts a 10-core CPU and GPU, with a Neural Engine with triple the power of the M1 and Unified Memory that maxes out at 32GB. Apple has clocked the M4 working with Affinity Photo and quoted it as being "up to 1.8x faster when compared to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1." As well as Adobe Premiere Pro's scene edit detection, with the chip working "up to 1.7x faster when compared to the 13‑inch MacBook Pro with M1."
The M4 Pro and Pro Max now sit at the top of the silicon food chain and they boast statistically significant improvements, too. The M4 Pro gets a 14-core CPU and up to 20-core GPU, with up to 48GB of Unified Memory, while the M4 Max gets a 16-core CPU and up to a whopping 40-core GPU and 128GB of Unified Memory. The M4 Pro is said to be "up to 3x faster than models with M1 Pro," while the M4 Max boasts "up to 3.5x the performance of M1 Max".
All of this sounds very tasty indeed, but I think it's telling that Apple keeps referring back to the first generation of its silicon chips for comparison. The tech giant has kind of backed itself into a corner when it comes to processing power, thanks to its own ingenuity. After all, the M1 was a game changer and every silicon chip since has been building on its incredible legacy.
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The problem is, the previous generation is already blisteringly fast and how much M3 users will notice the M4's advancements day-to-day remains to be seen. This is one of many reasons why the new Mac Mini M4 really shines. There was no Mac Mini M3 – skipping a silicon generation makes the upgrade much easier to justify.
Big news for M4 Pro and M4 Max users regardless of processing power is access to three Thunderbolt 5 ports. But while faster data transfer (much faster) is obviously a huge boon for content creators, the tech is still very much in its infancy and it's going to take a while for the industry to catch up. Do you have a Thunderbolt 5 card reader? Exactly…
Upgrades to the Liquid Retina XDR display will please photo and video editors. The MacBook Pro M4 can display 4K Standard Dynamic Range content at 1,000 nits, a notable upgrade over the previous gen's 600 nits. While HDR content is still capped at an exceedingly bright 1,600 nits. What's new is Apple's nano-texture display, which is said to "dramatically reduce glare and distractions from reflections," which should help those editing or working in bright lighting conditions.
The battery life is another worthy advancement, with up to 24 hours of juice, making the MacBook Pro M4 Apple's longest-lasting Mac. Good news for content creators on the go. And finally, the MacBook Pro M4 is compatible with the recently announced Apple Intelligence alongside macOS Sequoia 15.1. AI features include a redesigned Siri and Writing Tools, with additional features set for release in December.
Overall, I'm looking forward to the inevitable Digital Camera World MacBook Pro M4 review. But I suspect – as is often the case with Apple's penchant for incremental upgrades – whether or not it's an essential buy will depend on what generation of silicon you're currently using. Center Stage is a nice quality-of-life upgrade, but probably not essential unless you're glued to VCs all day. And while Thunderbolt 5 is evidently a great advancement for content creators shifting large amounts of data, the accessories market is still playing catch up.
But, if you're current Apple Mac setup isn't delivering the goods anymore and you're hankering for an upgrade. I'm sure any one of the M4 family will feel like a lightning rod up the Thunderbolt port! Review pending...
The 14-inch Macbook Pro M4 starts at $1,599 / £1,599 and the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 starts at $2,499 / £2,499. The 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 is available in all M4 chips, while the 16-inch model is only available with the M4 Pro and M4 Max.
If you're interested in everything Apple, check out the best iMac for photo and video editing and the best MacBook screen cleaners.
