Safe bet to buy MacBook Pro 14" now?

[ProQuiz]

I am planning on buying my first Mac: MacBook Pro 14" with the M2 Pro chip, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD.

Since the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro was just updated last January, I assume it is safe to assume there won't be any update or refresh until 2024.

Are there any known "issues" or concerns with the current model that I should be aware of? Or is it a "safe buy" to buy right now?

Questions

1. Is it okay to use the MacBook Pro on a desk plugged into the charger 24/7? Will this hurt the battery? If yes, what can be done to minimize battery wear and tear in this situation?

2. Is it likely that the 2024 14" and 16" MacBook Pro will still have the notch or will it move the "pill" shaped cut out of the iPhone 14 Pro?

3. Other than the M3 chip, what other changes is the 2024 MacBook Pro 14" and 16" likely to have? I know we don't really know anything, but I'll take good guesses. An OLED screen is not due on the 2024 model, correct?

 

[spyguy10709]

There's honestly very little difference between the M1 pro and M2 pro systems, and the deals for "leftover" m1pro units have been remarkable as of late. I'd consider going that route - Amazon for example has that spec available for 20% off MSRP https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JQWSQK7

 

[McScooby]

I am planning on buying my first Mac: MacBook Pro 14" with the M2 Pro chip, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD.

Since the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro was just updated last January, I assume it is safe to assume there won't be any update or refresh until 2024.

Are there any known "issues" or concerns with the current model that I should be aware of? Or is it a "safe buy" to buy right now?

Questions

1. Is it okay to use the MacBook Pro on a desk plugged into the charger 24/7? Will this hurt the battery? If yes, what can be done to minimize battery wear and tear in this situation?

2. Is it likely that the 2024 14" and 16" MacBook Pro will still have the notch or will it move the "pill" shaped cut out of the iPhone 14 Pro?

3. Other than the M3 chip, what other changes is the 2024 MacBook Pro 14" and 16" likely to have? I know we don't really know anything, but I'll take good guesses. An OLED screen is not due on the 2024 model, correct?

Unless you have serious need for the pro chips (in my case I got the M1 Pro for the dedicated encoders, base M1 didn't have 2) as your first Mac, save your cash & get the rumoured 15" M2 MacBook Air. You may find the M2 Pro is approx 20-25% higher priced that the M1 Pro, is it really worth it to you?

With the money saved between the M1/M2 Pro & likely pricing vs an Air, you could probably get a M2 mini also for the desk, & purchase external SSD storage if needed.

Battery on the M2 MBAir would likely be phenomenal compared to the 14", all the M2's have the same encoder iirc. & if you're desk based get an external screen to dock to if it bothers you that much (if it doesn't have mini led / ProMotion & you don't like it).

Only issue with being plugged in the whole time & not letting it drain & recharge is although it doesn't affect cycle count, it can wear out the capacity when off charge, unless they've fixed that now - had this issue with a 2nd hand MB Air, cycle count was low, on battery was poor despite the system info count.

As for the notch, who knows. If it's anything like the phones, it could stay but shrink, it might be bumped to include Face ID, it could go underscreen, if you need it now, just buy it.

There's something new always coming & if it really bothers you not missing out, get the cheapest base model you can & upgrade more frequently. Base models always hold their respective values compared to customised, in my experience.

 

[Andain]

I second the m1 route. Just got mine (10 core m1 pro/16/16 gpu/1tb) for $1550 after tax, the guy also threw me the 140W 16" charger, so I got fast charge as well and saved me an extra $80. Battery at 28 cycles too.

Pretty much the config you are trying to get but for your m2. a $800-1000 premium is simply not worth it for 15-20% performance improvement. Would rather save the money and prepare for the 3nm upgrade (that's going to be a real upgrade, especially for laptops, thermals/battery/performance). Might as well drag it until m4.

Also, apparently the m1 has slightly better battery life too. (might be wrong)

Might be the best value/money balance computer right now.

 

[donawalt]

If you run Al Dente and keep the battery at 65%-70%, battery will be fine long term plugged in a lot. They also suggest and support a periodic calibration, check that out. Lots of people here use Al Dente.

 

[McScooby]

I second the m1 route. Just got mine (10 core m1 pro/16/16 gpu/1tb) for $1550 after tax, the guy also threw me the 140W 16" charger, so I got fast charge as well and saved me an extra $80. Battery at 28 cycles too.

Pretty much the config you are trying to get but for your m2. a $800-1000 premium is simply not worth it for 15-20% performance improvement. Would rather save the money and prepare for the 3nm upgrade (that's going to be a real upgrade, especially for laptops, thermals/battery/performance). Might as well drag it until m4.

Also, apparently the m1 has slightly better battery life too. (might be wrong)

Might be the best value/money balance computer right now.

The 140W charger was default on the 16", it was only the 8 core 14" that didn't have the option of MagSafe.

Mac - Compare Models

See what makes each Mac notebook and desktop different. And find the one that’s perfect for your life, your work and your budget.

web.archive.org

Edit - U mean it was the MagSafe u got, sorry.

 

[slythfox]

1. Is it okay to use the MacBook Pro on a desk plugged into the charger 24/7? Will this hurt the battery? If yes, what can be done to minimize battery wear and tear in this situation?

My experience is I alternated between the 140W and ~95W chargers and always kept it plugged in and turned off. Within 12 charge cycles I was at 92% battery health on my 2021 14" MBP. I had a similar issue same issue with my 2015 MBP using higher-than-designed Apple chargers from my other work laptop.

 

[russell_314]

I am planning on buying my first Mac: MacBook Pro 14" with the M2 Pro chip, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD.

Since the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro was just updated last January, I assume it is safe to assume there won't be any update or refresh until 2024.

Are there any known "issues" or concerns with the current model that I should be aware of? Or is it a "safe buy" to buy right now?

Questions

1. Is it okay to use the MacBook Pro on a desk plugged into the charger 24/7? Will this hurt the battery? If yes, what can be done to minimize battery wear and tear in this situation?

It's OK. The built-in battery management system will keep the battery between 75 and 80% so this helps out significantly. If you’re leaving a computer plugged in 24 seven, then a laptop is probably not the best choice for you. Consider a Mac mini or a Mac studio. Even keeping the battery at 75% it's not going to last forever so if you're not using that component then I would go for a desktop. This would be cheaper and you could get a very nice and much larger screen. If you're at a desk a 27" display is so much better than even a 16" laptop screen.

2. Is it likely that the 2024 14" and 16" MacBook Pro will still have the notch or will it move the "pill" shaped cut out of the iPhone 14 Pro?

Only Apple knows this, but I don't see it making a significant difference. I don't have a MacBook Pro but on my MacBook Air the notch is in the menu bar so it doesn't really do anything negative for me. You could use an app like Bartender

3. Other than the M3 chip, what other changes is the 2024 MacBook Pro 14" and 16" likely to have? I know we don't really know anything, but I'll take good guesses. An OLED screen is not due on the 2024 model, correct?

Who knows on this one. It's a gamble. If I were a betting man I would bet that any changes wouldn't come till after the next iteration. Of course sometimes you lose with gambling.

 

[gren81]

I went from MBP 13” late 2012 to a full-featured MBA M2. My only regret with the MBA M2 is the lack of onboard ports. Of course, I can and likely will buy a docking station, but I truly miss the onboard ports - mostly for external monitors.

If I did it again, I would get the MBP 14” or now the MBP 15”. My motto is get what you want for future as much as you and your budget are willing. Don’t be discouraged with getting MBP 14 M1 Pro if that is what you want and there are good deals.

 

[ProQuiz]

Thanks for the replies.

While I did say that it would probably get 24/7 desk usage while plugged in all the time, I probably exaggerated as I will sometimes also use it casually on the couch or bed while consuming media or just browsing the Internet.

Secondly, I much prefer the much better screen of the Pro over the Air as I want the best possible screen for movie and other content consumption. The Air's screen doesn't support HDR which I want after experiencing it on my iPhone 14 Pro's screen.

Also, I'd prefer to buy a current model instead of the previous M1 model (while I know it probably won't make a difference in my use case) just for "longevity's" sake.

Also, the one I selected is not a customized model but a pre-built/spec'd model on the online Apple Store. It's the middle model between the lowest spec'd and highest spec'd pre-built models prior to customization.

Lastly, since I've been a Windows user my whole life (I'm 38 years old), will adjusting to and getting used to macOS take much effort? I've been using iPhones since 2016 though. If I like iOS, will I like macOS?

 

[frqunzfltr]

Best for the battery is to use it. Don't leave it plugged in all the time.

 

[donawalt]

Best for the battery is to use it. Don't leave it plugged in all the time.

Not true, and not always practical. That's why I recommended AlDente, it has some excellent features that greatly slow down battery degradation. If someone just used their MacBook Pro at their desk unplugged a lot, all day, all that charging would use cycles, and would introduce more heat possibly during times of heavier use when the unit was already hotter than normal, which would further degrade the battery. Apple's battery optimization is unreliable (read the posts on this forum), so unplugging and using the laptop all day will result in charges to 100% which is also not ideal for longer battery life.

AlDente is a way better option than this approach:

(1) It is able to disconnect the battery from being used, so power comes strictly from the power supply; when little surges of power are needed, you can set it to let the charge level drift down a predefined amount, but the battery is not connected all the time (it gets better - see #3) (2) You can limit charging to times when the laptop is not experiencing higher heat levels, as this degrades batteries much quicker. This can happen because of how fast the battery is charging or from CPU/GPU usage (3) "Sailing mode" - lets the user pick a range below their desired battery limit - say 10% below an 80% battery charge goal. At the set charge limit, normally the power supply is primarily used as a power source. However, small discharges of the battery still occur when a lot of power is needed for a short time. Then the battery of the MacBook steps in as a buffer. If the charge level drops below the charge limit due to these short discharges, AlDente will charge the laptop up to the desired level. So you get a lot of 1% charges. But with Sailing mode, this "range" keeps the battery disconnected internally by AlDente until it drops to the level below the desired charge level - because it is theoretically healthier for the battery to be charged 10% once instead of 1% 10 times.

These and more features really do a lot to help battery health. They have a lot of descriptions of their features and how they help on their web site. You do need to get the Pro version to have access to all features. In my case, my MacBook Pro M2 mfr date is 1/2/2003, battery design capacity 8694 mAh, current full charge capacity is 8679 - only 15 mAh lower, yet I use my laptop steadily 10 hours a day plugged in.

 

[joehohoho]

Lastly, since I've been a Windows user my whole life (I'm 38 years old), will adjusting to and getting used to macOS take much effort? I've been using iPhones since 2016 though. If I like iOS, will I like macOS?

No there's not a massive learning curve moving from Windows to MacOS especially if you are already used to iOS.

If like me though your experience is the same with both, you'll never look back! Enjoy...

 

[JaraCz]

I have 16” M2Max plugged to Apple Studio Display 24/7. There is not possible to turn off charging feature when connected to ASD. So I set Aldente for 80 % but I have only free version.

My 16” Macbook is mostly in sleep mode and I use the computer 3x per week for 2 hours. Should I disconnect it or leave it plugged to ASD all the time?

 

[Mr. Dee]

With current Mac sales down, I would say Apple is in no rush to bring M3 MacBook Pro's to market anytime soon. The next rev is not likely until WWDC 2024. They also will need to introduce entry level M3 SoC's for the iMac and MacBook Air's first before we see them in 'Pro' level systems.

The next major redesign I personally believe we won't see until 2025 that will have a pill like notch with Dynamic Island like functionality. For some reason, I don't see Apple ever bringing Face ID to the Mac. My M1 MacBook Pro is still performing well and its just over 2 years. For 2021 and 2022 MacBook Pro's, those could very well carry you to the end of the decade before you would really need to consider an upgrade.

 

[ProQuiz]

Any idea if there will be a new 27” iMac Pro? If yes, when can we expect to see it?

 

[okkibs]

There might be a new 27" iMac in June, there might not be a new one in June, or this year at all. Since there is a 24" version we can assume that Apple wants to keep the iMac line alive and will follow up with a 27" model but nobody can really say when that's coming. It's the 25 year iMac anniversary this year so it could likely come out this year, but when exactly is unknown.

A "Pro" iMac would likely be a version with the M2 Ultra chip. Whether they'll offer that or limit the iMac to a M2 Max, we don't know either. I am assuming M2 Max will be the limit, as they wouldn't want to cripple their own Mac Studio sales.