M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: What are the differences?

An M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro face-off is a must after Apple’s big week of Mac announcements.

The new M4 MacBook Pro is here, unsurprisingly including a more powerful M4 chip than last year’s M3 model. However, there are also bonuses to port selection, RAM, and even color choice this year. Here’s how the M4 MacBook Pro stacks up to the M3 version.

(Note: We’ll be focusing on the 14-inch models for this comparative analysis.)

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Price and specs

Like the M3 MacBook Pro at launch in 2023, the 14-inch M4 version starts at $1,599.

Here are the basic specs that you get for that price:

The biggest difference between M3 and M4 that should be noted immediately is the RAM. Last year’s MacBook Pro offered 8GB RAM in the base model, putting it behind some competitors. This year, there are no 8GB models; you get 16GB at minimum, which can go up to 24GB if you feel like paying more. Storage options have not changed from last year to this year, however.

On top of that, the new M4 chip should give performance boosts to the 2024 MacBook Pro, but since we haven’t tested it yet, it’s impossible to say for sure.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Display

These two displays are nearly identical:

• 3,024 x 1,964-pixel resolution

• 16:10 aspect ratio

• 254 pixels per inch

• ProMotion (i.e., up to 120Hz refresh rate)

Similar to the M3 MacBook Pro, the new M4 MacBook Pro continues to sport a notch (that still doesn’t have Face ID).

M3 MacBook Pro
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

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However, there are two differences to note. The peak SDR brightness on the M4 model is 1,000 nits, while the same metric came in at 600 nits on the M3 MacBook Pro. Plus, the M4 MacBook Pro offers the nano-texture display option that’s also available on the iPad Pro, Pro Display XDR, Studio Display, and iMac.

What’s a nano-texture display? It’s designed to dramatically reduce glare. As such, this option is best for users who often contend with challenging lighting conditions like sun-drenched offices.

I’ve had some experience with the nano-texture display on the iPad Pro, and while it does, indeed, significantly reduce glare and manages bright lighting conditions like a champ, there’s a chance that you may notice a drop in the panel’s vividness.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Design

As far as visual design, the biggest difference between these two MacBooks is that you can get the new one in Space Black as well as silver.

M4 MacBook Pro
Credit: Apple

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By contrast, the M3 model is silver or bust. Here are the physical dimensions of the new M4 MacBook Pro:

• Height: 0.61 inches

• Width: 12.31 inches

• Depth: 8.71 inches

• Weight: 3.5 pounds

Those are, in fact, the exact same dimensions as the M3 model. You may be thinking, “So they really just changed some internals, added a new color, and called it a day, huh?” Well, not exactly.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Ports

Another physical differentiator between the M3 and M4 MacBook Pros is the addition of a third Thunderbolt 4 port.

M3 MacBook Pro ports
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

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The M3 model only had two, while the M4 model has three, giving users more flexibility with external displays. Aside from that, the port selection is the same across both devices: an SD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an HDMI port, and a MagSafe port for charging.

No, there are no USB type-A ports.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Performance

We tested the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro’s Geekbench score, which tests for CPU performance, and it notched a multi-core score of 11,998, which offered an 18% performance uptick over the M2 chip.

M4 MacBook Pro
Credit: Apple

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Apple didn’t reveal performance delta figures between the M2 and M4 chips, but it did compare the M4 chip to the M1 chip. The Cupertino-based tech giant claims that the M4 chip is 1.8 times faster than the M1 chip for tasks like “editing gigapixel photos.” When it comes to rendering complex scenes via Blender, the M4 chip is reportedly 3.4 times faster.

For AI workloads (e.g., Apple Intelligence), the M4 chip is 3 times more powerful, according to Apple.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Battery life

As noted earlier, the M4 MacBook Pro promises 24 hours of battery life on a single charge.

M4 MacBook Pro
Credit: Apple

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This is a rating by Apple that can’t be verified yet, as we haven’t gotten the new MacBook in for testing at the time of writing. However, Apple rated last year’s model for 22 hours, meaning the M4 MacBook Pro should theoretically beat the M3 model in terms of battery longevity.

We tested the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro and it lasted 16 hours and 23 minutes. Once we test the battery life of the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro, we’ll update this face-off.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Which should you buy?

Battery life is an important aspect of making a purchase decision regarding buying laptops. We don’t know the runtime of the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro just yet, but even without this figure, the M3 MacBook Pro is impressive at 16 hours and 23 minutes.

If snagging a nano-texture display, getting three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and having a minor boost in power isn’t enough to sway you, the M3 MacBook Pro should be sufficient enough to meet your needs.