I think Apple has a problem with the M3 series MacBook Pros,
including the M3 Max 14 inch MacBook Pro that I have right here.
Why else would they compare it with the M1 Max, like the one I have in the 16 inch M1
Max MacBook Pro, and the Intel Max of old?
Are they trying to hide something from us?
Why aren't they comparing it with the M two max?
In this video, I'll review the 14 inch M3 Max MacBook Pro rough name, and compare
it with my experience using the 16 inch M1 Max MacBook Pro, and determine if it'll
upgrade to the M3 max or keep my M1 max.
That will hopefully help you decide what you should do
yourself and through all that.
I'll show you why Apple has a problem and answer those questions I proposed earlier.
Of course, if you'd like to pick up anything discussed in this video,
there are links in the description.
You may be thinking, Brandon, why are you comparing a 16 inch
with a 14 inch MacBook Pro?
Well, it's not to have an unequal comparison, but a
practical one for my needs.
When I purchased the M1 Max MacBook Pro, I thought I would prefer a
16 inch laptop, but in practice, especially while traveling, having
a large laptop on a small airplane tray table and carrying a heavier
laptop in my backpack while walking over 20 miles a day at CS is rough.
Seeing that I mostly use my laptop when I'm traveling and my MacStudio is at home,
a 14 inch laptop seems nice, and I do have to admit, the solar form factor is really
fantastic to use, it just feels nice.
The M3 series of MacBook Pro's design is the same as before, which is great.
The design of the MacBook Pro has been exceptionally great, with plenty of ports.
That MagSafe port that so many of us begged for, and after the fact realized
it would have been better to have another USB C Thunderbolt port, uh, sorry
for being wrong about that one Apple.
And then a full size SD card slot, which we were right about Apple.
A great keyboard that doesn't have issues and a glorious
trackpad that is amazing to use.
As has been the case for many generations, the build quality is premium.
I can't think of any part of this that feels cheap.
and despite not being OLED, the mini LED screen is still
fantastic and calibrated well.
The one thing that needs to be improved is that the notch remains
and only hosts a webcam rather than Face ID, which you'll find on Windows
laptops in the form of Windows Hello.
I think that would justify the notch more, plus Apple's face ID is excellent, at
least the display is a touch brighter on the N3 models hitting 600 nits compared
to 500 nits on previous models, which I definitely appreciate, especially outside.
And as those of you who are in my discord server, you know, I like
my screens get really bright.
I always say burn my retinas.
Anyways, link to the discord in the description.
Here's what the M1 max 16 inch MacBook Pro webcam looks like and how the microphone
sound like if you are on a zoom call.
Here is what the M three max 14 inch MacBook Pro looks like and sounds
like if you are on a zoom call.
Do you notice any differences in the way that they look or sound between the M1
16 inch model and the 14 inch M3 model?
Let me know any comments.
The most significant difference this year comes from the space black colorway, which
isn't as black as, say, a razor blade laptop, but it is darker than space gray.
And I have to say I really like it a lot.
In the right light, it looks pretty dark and honestly just
sleek and just, ah fantastic.
Fingerprints aren't as bad as a true black like on the Razer, but you can still
see them if you really look for them.
If you don't like the color options or can't stand fingerprints,
you can always check out a skin from channel sponsor dbrand.
They have some awesome xray skins based upon actual scans of every
device that they make the skin for.
So you can see what's on the inside of your device And they have many
other options for skins available for other devices, so make sure you
find the one that fits your tastes the most by clicking the link in the
description and thanks to dbrand for sponsoring this portion of the video.
In terms of sound quality, the Apple MacBook Pro has some insane audio quality
that surpasses the quality of any other laptop I've had a chance to listen to.
Still, one of the downsides of having a 14 inch model over, well,
a 16 inch model is the difference in sound quality, specifically
for how much bass it can produce.
There's more room for larger speakers on the 16 inch model.
Still, the quality of the 14 inch model is ahead of the competition,
which is quite surprising.
Here's a quick sample to hear the difference between models.
Did you hear that?
You let me know what you prefer.
Also, the DAC or digital audio converter for the headphone jack on Apple laptops
is insanely good because it can power fancy headphones and sound amazing.
It's perfect for the audiophile out there, including me.
One of the biggest things Apple has been increasingly
emphasizing is gaming on the Mac.
This has long been an area that Apple has yet to crack like
what we've seen on Windows.
So an interesting thing, when Halo was being developed, it was supposed to
come out for the Mac, until Windows came and poached it for the Xbox.
But all that to say, Apple wanted gaming to be something in the past, but only a
little bit has materialized since then.
Until now.
With the M3 series of chips, a great emphasis has been placed on the
GPUs to increase performance and capability, which includes ray tracing.
So can you game on a Mac and what is it like?
Opening up Resident Evil 4 and seeing a game look this good on a
Mac on this beautiful screen and at a solid refresh rate is impressive.
It's not hitting 120 Hertz like the display can support, but everything
was smooth and looks great.
But connecting a controller to a Mac is the move.
For a more ideal experience, the only time I ever heard fans kick up has
been when I've been playing an intense game like Resident Evil four, which is
noticeable in terms of volume and it reaches about 117 degrees when measuring
surface temperature, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable to the touch while
graphical performance and frame rates still aren't on the same level as what is.
obtainable on Windows, it's hard to argue that there's something
impressive going on here because it's happening on a super thin laptop
without experiencing a dramatic performance drop off when off the plug.
That's honestly a big problem that I've noticed on Windows laptops.
I can only imagine what Apple can do when they continue beefing up their Mac's GPUs.
I think there's also Assassin's Creed and Death Stranding coming
out for the Mac, so hopefully they will keep incentivizing developers
to develop for and port to the Mac.
Maybe they'll even release their own gaming controller.
I think it would be kind of cool to see what Apple's take would be on that.
The M3 Mac's MacBook Pro flies.
It is fast.
It's one of the most insane laptops I've ever used for my needs, which consists
of editing videos, photos, social media, writing, email, and whatnot.
Anything I throw at it, it just can handle it with a breeze.
Moving through DaVinci Resolve is smooth without any hiccups or
stutters, and exporting a nearly 12 minute video file can be done
in just a second shy of 3 minutes.
Again, the fact that I can do this while not being plugged into power
is astounding, and battery life is still as solid as it has been in the
past, getting me through an entire day or a long flight with many hours
to spare, regardless of whether I'm pushing hard or just doing emails.
But, everything I said can be said about my M1 Max MacBook
Pro, well, except for gaming.
When I exported the same 12 minute long video file, the shocking
difference between the two was, um, a meager four seconds.
Four seconds longer to export, that's it.
While I could run benchmarks and see many numbers that look higher than my
current M1 Max MacBook Pro, and those have value in their own way, but in
my practical use, they don't matter.
You see, the numbers on a benchmark have a lower value to me than practical
results, and the results show that the M3 Max is only four seconds faster for
the type of videos that I'm making.
So maybe it doesn't make a lot of sense to upgrade to the M3 Max for video
editors, but this is an excellent upgrade if you're running advanced AI tasks.
My friend Max Weinbeck has noticed a notable speed improvement for these
AI tasks because of the M3 chip.
The higher RAM ceiling than on prior MacBook models is also helpful
if you're loading large models.
The M3 Max is a fantastic laptop So what problem does Apple face?
This is the problem.
The reason Apple compared the M3 series processors with Intel Macs
and the M1 generation of chips is because they wanted to convince
Intel users and people like me.
to upgrade.
Apple's not the same as AMD or Intel where they're trying to sell chips
to consumers and manufacturers.
Apple sells products, cohesive, complete products, and Apple
Silicon just happens to be in it.
So they have to convince someone like me to pay thousands of dollars to
upgrade from an M1 Max MacBook Pro.
So did they succeed?
No.
And that's the problem that Apple faces.
It's not because their M3 MacBook Pros are bad.
That's far from the truth.
They're amazing.
The jump from Intel to Apple Silicon with the M1 Macs has been so good
that I have everything I realistically want and need regarding performance on
the Mac I already have, and I imagine many others are in the same spot.
So the problem Apple has is an upgrade problem, which isn't great
for them, but it's fantastic for us.
Sure, I can shave off some time off of exports, but, uh, it's only a few seconds.
I'm not getting much added practical value for my specific
needs by saving a few seconds.
I also don't run into issues with playback or editing, so what pain
point is it fixing for me by upgrading?
Honestly, it's just the size and I just can't justify thousands
of dollars just for that.
But many other M1 Pro and Max owners are in the same spot.
It's easier to save money and wait for something that adds enough
value to justify the upgrade.
Later on, like when we upgraded from our Intel Macs until then
I'm happy with what I have now, save for the size and the weight.
But what are your thoughts?
Are you in the same spot as me?
If you're on an Intel Mac behind this laptop, you have no idea how
insane of an upgrade it is for you.
It's truly incredible and worth it.
And as always, there are links in the description to pick it up.
If you want to help support the channel, let me know if you have any
other questions or thoughts I'd love to hear from you in the comments.
And then This is Tech Today discord chat server.
Thanks for watching This is Tech Today.
Until next time.