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For the 14" owners, what's your battery life like so far?
- Thread starter modernmoments
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I don't really think comparing the M1 Pro or M1 Max to the regular M1s in terms of battery life makes much sense.
M1 Pro/Max CPU=> 2 efficiency, 6 or 8 high performance | GPU => 14 core to 32 core
M1 CPU => 4 efficiency, 4 high performance | GPU => 7 or 8 core
If you are buying a 14" or 16", you are getting significantly more power thus expending more energy and reducing battery life. Not to mention the updated displays etc
I'd assume people are purchasing these M1 Pro/Max laptops with a reason justifying that purchase & understanding why the battery life is going to take a hit. Maybe you need the extra performance that the M1 doesn't offer, maybe you want the better screen, maybe more ports, maybe the ability to natively connect more than 1 monitor or all of the above!
The way Apple has the laptop lineup now makes sense. Base M chips for most users providing great performance and great battery life. Pro/Max M chips providing power users with exceptional performance and average battery life. There are always going to be compromises given one's own use case.
M1 Pro/Max CPU=> 2 efficiency, 6 or 8 high performance | GPU => 14 core to 32 core
M1 CPU => 4 efficiency, 4 high performance | GPU => 7 or 8 core
If you are buying a 14" or 16", you are getting significantly more power thus expending more energy and reducing battery life. Not to mention the updated displays etc
I'd assume people are purchasing these M1 Pro/Max laptops with a reason justifying that purchase & understanding why the battery life is going to take a hit. Maybe you need the extra performance that the M1 doesn't offer, maybe you want the better screen, maybe more ports, maybe the ability to natively connect more than 1 monitor or all of the above!
The way Apple has the laptop lineup now makes sense. Base M chips for most users providing great performance and great battery life. Pro/Max M chips providing power users with exceptional performance and average battery life. There are always going to be compromises given one's own use case.
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Agree with all of what techishi wrote above. I have an M1 MBA right now but making the move to an M1 Max 14 very soon due to the extra power and nicer screen etc.
My current MBA gets me anywhere between 10-14 hours of use and I don't expect the new M1 Max 14 to get me anywhere close to that, but would settle for 8 hours or so given the power.
Also, it would be really nice if people wrote the exact model they have when they post about their battery life, seeing as it may differ from the M1 Pro to the M1 Max.
My current MBA gets me anywhere between 10-14 hours of use and I don't expect the new M1 Max 14 to get me anywhere close to that, but would settle for 8 hours or so given the power.
Also, it would be really nice if people wrote the exact model they have when they post about their battery life, seeing as it may differ from the M1 Pro to the M1 Max.
Remember that the M1 Macs are severely constrained in other areas besides just raw CPU/GPU (not that they are really limited there).
Anyone who just wants a dual display system HAS to upgrade to the 14"/16" to get feature parity with earlier Intel laptops. The M1 macs also only have 2 ports. That can be a big deal even if you don't need crazy CPU/GPU performance.
So yes it absolutely does make sense to compare battery life when apple is basically forcing anyone with IO needs beyond 2 thunderbolt ports to upgrade to the Pro models.
If M2 provides a normal level of general IO then yes your point stands but that remains to be seen.
M1 Pro MBP - 10 core CPU, 16 core GPU.
Battery life on the 14" is excellent. I have connected an external monitor with Spotify open, YouTube, running slack, having meetings on Zoom & Meet, & having around 15-20 tabs open on Vivaldi. The battery dropped to 65% in about 3.5 hours. After that, I did some video editing on Movavi, and the battery dropped to 45% in 45 minutes.
I hope this helps.
Battery life on the 14" is excellent. I have connected an external monitor with Spotify open, YouTube, running slack, having meetings on Zoom & Meet, & having around 15-20 tabs open on Vivaldi. The battery dropped to 65% in about 3.5 hours. After that, I did some video editing on Movavi, and the battery dropped to 45% in 45 minutes.
I hope this helps.
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Looks like no one in this thread has a Max. I went ahead and ordered a Pro, even though it won't arrive until the 2nd week of December at the earliest 
. If we start getting reports that the Max battery life isn't as bad as the Verge review suggests it will be, I'll just cancel that order and keep the Max. But if there's a 40% drop in battery life from the Pro to the Max on the 16", I can't imagine there won't be a similar drop on the 14".
. If we start getting reports that the Max battery life isn't as bad as the Verge review suggests it will be, I'll just cancel that order and keep the Max. But if there's a 40% drop in battery life from the Pro to the Max on the 16", I can't imagine there won't be a similar drop on the 14".Looks like no one in this thread has a Max. I went ahead and ordered a Pro, even though it won't arrive until the 2nd week of December at the earliest
I’ve been trawling through the internet trying to find M1 Max 14s and I came across Gizmodo’s review:
The Ultra-Powerful New MacBook Pro Is Top Notch (Sorry, Sorry, Trying to Delete)
The MacBook Pro is finally everything you want a pro machine to be.
gizmodo.com
They say it lasted 8h39 on a video playback battery test, while the M1 MBA lasted 14h. Pretty abysmal I’d say :/
It's a fair point, I probably could have done without the first line of my post. It's fine to compare them but the power difference between machines should make it obvious the Pro/Max will take a hit on battery.
On that note about IO & displays, I came from a late 2016 i5 dual core MBP. It was 2 ports, but still was able to run my dual 4k setup albeit it wasn't the best... When the M1s dropped I was extremely close to pulling the trigger on the Air (16GB ram, 512GB ssd), it sounded like a dream with no fans and great battery (I'm a software dev fwiw). But once they said one native external display it was an immediate pass. I had to wait out for these new machines and I couldn't be happier with my 14".
Random musing and to your point about the M2s. I would think & hope they natively support dual 4k @ 60hz. Given that their predecessors were able to (the Intels before M1), it seems logical that's coming but again who knows.
I think the 13" M1 MBP is in a weird spot, because it's ultimately the same non-binned chip in the Air but with fans and a touch bar. It seems it's there to fill a price gap between the Air and the new Pros at the moment. In a dream, they replace that with a 13" or 14" M2, similar casing & a few less features than the current 14" pro. Hopefully once the ARM transition is over the lineup will sort itself out a bit better.
Right, because if it's only 8:39 on video playback, it would be what, 6:30 or something on wireless web browsing!I’ve been trawling through the internet trying to find M1 Max 14s and I came across Gizmodo’s review:
The Ultra-Powerful New MacBook Pro Is Top Notch (Sorry, Sorry, Trying to Delete)
The MacBook Pro is finally everything you want a pro machine to be.
They say it lasted 8h39 on a video playback battery test, while the M1 MBA lasted 14h. Pretty abysmal I’d say :/
Ugh. Really wish I had ordered the Pro. In my case, I don't need the extra power, it was more of a "future-proofing" thing. Which doesn't really make sense given that I tend up upgrade every 2 years or so!
Yes that’s what it seems like
However, there have been other threads where people are reporting fairly decent battery life. So it’s quite confusing at the moment.
I got mine to future proof as well and also run the few games I do play well (Total War series). I could do with the M1 Pro but it was like 10% price increase to just go for the Max 32c.
So keeping my fingers crossed for now!
Max Tech tests the 14" base model with the M1 MBA base model. After benchmarks and tests for 3-4 hours, the 14" came out slightly ahead at 46% and the MBA had 44%. He did mention that since the MBA is weaker and had to be pushed further, its battery life was depleted faster. But for more basic tasks like web browsing, he believes the MBA would come out ahead by 1-2 hours.
Still, I think this is quite promising and the concern for the 14-inch's battery life might be overblown. But of course, more real world testing would be great.
When do you receive yours? Mine comes next Wednesday. Maybe we can report back and compare notes.Yes that’s what it seems like
However, there have been other threads where people are reporting fairly decent battery life. So it’s quite confusing at the moment.
I got mine to future proof as well and also run the few games I do play well (Total War series). I could do with the M1 Pro but it was like 10% price increase to just go for the Max 32c.
So keeping my fingers crossed for now!
Currently slated to arrive on the 6th, which is a Saturday. So it looks like you’ll get yours first
but happy to compare notes and test battery.I agree with your points - they are very different devices in terms of capability and when pushed the max will definitely drain more battery but it also accomplishes a lot more in less time so it can balance out. I have been using the 16" max for Xcode for the last 2-3 days along with web browsing and I am getting good battery life - around 12 hrs on a charge. I believe that would be extended to over 14 for lighter work. I agree with others posts here about the Verge "tests". They were not very scientific and there is a lot of room for error. However I agree if you do push the max to the "max" it would drain the battery in the 4 hrs they reported but it would have ploughed through heaps of work in the process and the Pro would take longer to complete ( is this better battery life?) and be drained as well.
We need some controlled load tests to be conducted to get the facts.
I have a 14" max.
I've been using it for a few days but have only been able to run it for about 6 hours.
(I knew the first day would be short due to the spotlight)
I think this is way too short, what do you think?
I've been using it for a few days but have only been able to run it for about 6 hours.
(I knew the first day would be short due to the spotlight)
I think this is way too short, what do you think?
So after The Verge (which claimed 16 hour battery life for 16" on M1 Pro but only 10 hours for M1 Max 32-core variant) and Gizmodo review (14" M1 Max with only 8 hours of video playback!), I am actually seriously considering cancelling my own 14" M1 Max 24-core GPU order and going back to the beginning of the order queue with an M1 Pro 16-core GPU!
Could you guys (especially catalyst07 - you have literally the spec I ordered) please provide an update on how you've found battery life? I am not expecting miracles, but if I can get 8-9 hours of wireless web work then I will be thrilled.
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Chiming in to say I'm in the exact same situation. Would love to hear from users on here with 14 M1 Max. As long as I can get 8-9 hours of wireless web on days I am not running high-end GPU work I will be very happy. If not, then I definitely need to cancel but then delivery for me is just before Christmas!
I'm 14" M1 Max, 64gb RAM, 32-Core GPU, 2Tb.
I'm at 6h 30m on battery today, brightness 2 memories less than maximum.
Bluetooth on,Wireless Web,Desk work only (no video or image editing)
I'm at 6h 30m on battery today, brightness 2 memories less than maximum.
Bluetooth on,Wireless Web,Desk work only (no video or image editing)
Do you mind posting how many GPU you have and what's excellent for you? Workload and how many hours?
I agree that's too short personally. That's a big advantage of Apple Silicon gone.