Choosing a new MacBook Pro 14

[themaestro]

So this is my current model I bought in 2022.

MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications - Apple Support (IE)

support.apple.com

While it's working well what would be equivalent from today's models please? I use Pro Tools and Sibelius Ultimate, sometimes Final Cut Pro. Thank you

 

[okkibs]

If it's working well you don't need to replace it. But if you're on a 3 year upgrade schedule and really want to replace it: The current best bang for the buck would be the 14" with the cheapest M4 Pro option and one RAM upgrade for a total of 48GiB. Comes out at around $3k. You can get a non-glossy display option for these which I do recommend.

Anything beyond that increases cost significantly yet very few people really need the extra performance. M1 Pro to M4 Pro is an incredible upgrade.

Keep in mind that for the $3k you're buying the same keyboard, trackpad, housing, and display that you already have in your 2021/22 machine. It's merely the internals that were upgraded so the only real upgrade you get is the better performance with faster Thunderbolt 5 capable USB ports.

If you waited another two years or so there might be new models that could feature a better new Tandem OLED display which would increase battery life as well.

 

[themaestro]

Yes all working well thankfully. I'm not on an upgrade schedule. Thank you for the recommendation. I really like my current machine and probably don't need to change . . .yet!

 

[Fishrrman]

Wait for the m6 MacBook Pros, next year...

 

[dizmonk]

Yes all working well thankfully. I'm not on an upgrade schedule. Thank you for the recommendation. I really like my current machine and probably don't need to change . . .yet!

You know best what works for you. What I can say is that I got the M4 model (not the M4 Pro) and it's more the sufficient for everything I need. The battery life (in my real-world usage) is the best I've ever had. I was also super impressed with the Nanotech display which I believe is a worthwhile extra.

 

[Big_D]

If your current MBP is doing all you need, I'd wait until you need to replace it. There is always a better processor just around the corner...

I went from a Mac mini M1 to a MacBook Pro M4 Pro this year and the difference is incredible, but I really wanted to switch from a desktop to a portable device - and I gave up waiting for the MacBook Air M4. (Which came out just over 2 weeks later!)

Likewise, I went from an M1 MacBook Air to the M4 version at work, but the M1 was really underpowered (mainly in the RAM department, it was an 8GB model and starting to struggle under the normal workload - constant beachballing, especially in Outlook, opening an appointment took around 30 seconds of beachballing. That made the upgrade a no-brainer, but if your MBP is still coping well with your workload, I'd hang on and see what the M5 this year brings or the M6 next year, the M5 series should appear in the next few months, so probably worth waiting.