The MacBook Pro has gained new life as Apple equipped it with the excellent M1 chip in 2020. It looks like it has an exciting future ahead of it, and with a lot of interesting rumors around the circle, there is a lot of debate as to what the next one might contain. a version of Apple laptops.
Recently reports have surfaced, with respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and eminent reporter Mark Gurman both shedding light on a brand new 14-inch version, as well as sharing updates to the current MacBook Pro 16. We’ve broken down their thoughts, as have other rumors of the industry, to summarize what you can expect from the MacBook Pro 2021 models. Here’s everything you need to know, from the price and design to battery life and more.
Price and release date
When Apple last redesigned its professional laptop range with the MacBook Pro 16 in 2019, it kept the price exactly the same as that of the previous MacBook Pro 15, despite introducing new features and a revamped design. The company did the same when it equipped the MacBook Pro 13 with the all-new M1 chip, despite the massive increase in performance the upgrade offered.
We expect the same to apply to the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that will take place this year. Apple seems to be happy with its current MacBook Pro pricing structure, and we don’t expect that to change any time soon. Ultimately, that could mean more of a hit for your dollar.
So when could you start using one of these new models? Originally the likelihood was that they will come out around the middle of 2021, and Kuo expects them to be released in the third quarter of 2021 (July 1 to September 30). Gurman proposed a similar timeline, saying they should appear “around the middle of the year.” However, this was doubted by a report from Nikkei Asia, which claimed that Apple had suspended production of two MacBook Pro models from May or June until later in the year. If true, this would delay the release date, perhaps to the more traditional October or November window, which usually sees major MacBook launches. Whatever the actual date, it seems likely that the launch will take place this year instead of in 2022.
New square design
In recent years, Apple has begun reverting many of its products to the square design last seen in the iPhone SE in 2016 – first the iPad Pro and then the iPhone 12. According to reports, the MacBook Pro will soon join them.
Kuo believes the design of the MacBook Pro 2021 will have square sides on both the top and bottom sections, instead of the slightly curved back found in the current MacBook Pro models. This may just be a small change, as the bottom half of the existing MacBook Pro could already be considered “squared”. Mark Gurman agrees that some design changes will be minor, but he nonetheless believes there will be some external changes compared to the current models.
Other than that, you may be wondering if the thermal architecture of the MacBook Pro 16 will make the leap to the MacBook Pro 14. Given the excellent thermal efficiency of the M1 chip in the current MacBook Pro 13 and MacBook Air, you might think that this is unnecessary – the new MacBook Air, after all, doesn’t even need a fan, such is the ability of its chip to keep itself cool under pressure. That said, the current MacBook Pro 16 comes with unobtrusive, powerful graphics cards that need more vigorous cooling. If Apple is to match that power with its own system-on-chip with a robust built-in GPU, it may need an equally brutal cooling system to control everything. With that in mind, we wouldn’t rule out the storage thermal system in the MacBook Pro 16.
The Magic Keyboard will almost certainly stay in place – no return to the unfortunate butterfly keyboard – but there’s one longtime MacBook loyalist that could finally be abandoned: The Touch Bar. Since it debuted in 2016, this touch-sensitive strip has split, and it seems that Apple may have finally lost patience with it instead of trying to fix it. Kuo claims that the next MacBook Pro will certainly remain without the Touchpad; Gurman initially only said Apple was testing models without a Touch Bar, but recently explained that the Touch Bar is definitely on the way. Both analysts seem to indicate that there isn’t much future for Apple’s OLED bar. Considering how little it has fulfilled its potential, that may not be a bad thing.
More port variety and the return of MagSafe
Since the 2016 redesign, which introduced the Touch Bar and the butterfly keyboard, Apple has firmly stuck at USB-C in its laptops – with the exception of all other port options. That may soon change.
Numerous reports have suggested that Apple will loosen the USB-C choke and allow a few more port variations on the MacBook Pro 2021. Kuo is touting an increase in the available “types of I / O” and, temptingly, suggests that “most users may not need to buy additional dongles. ” Specifically, he believes the HDMI port will return. Gurman believes the SD card slot is back for the first time since it was removed in 2016, which is sure to appeal to photographers and filmmakers who would otherwise need an adapter or the cloud to deliver their work to their Mac.
The rise of port variety means an apparent return for a much-loved MacBook feature that was first removed with the 12-inch MacBook in 2015: MagSafe. This handy technology magnetically connects the charging cable to your Mac, which means it quickly loosens if the cable is turned on, preventing your expensive laptop from falling to the ground and crashing. According to industry rumors, Apple will reintroduce MagSafe in the MacBook Pro 2021 and operate it using a tablet-shaped port, similar to its old incarnation. Considering how popular MagSafe has been – and how much we’ve missed it since it left – this is a welcome change of opinion from Apple.
Interestingly, in April, huge leak revealed exactly what Apple is planning for the ports – and it turns out Kuo and Gurman were right. According to 9to5Mac, code-breaking group REvil has apparently managed to steal technical specifications from Apple’s supplier Quanta, and among the documents – which are now being used to blackmail Quanta – is a drawing showing the port layout in an upcoming MacBook Pro model. It features an HDMI port, a USB-C slot and an SD card reader all on the same side of the device. Also among the documents was a list of ports and connectors that included MagSafe alongside HDMI and the SD card slot. The MacBooks in these files use the codenames J314 and J316, which according to Gurman refer to the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
Processor and battery life
Apple made a real splash when it released the first version of its own Apple Silicon processors, the M1, in the latest round of Mac. In our tests, they proved to be fast burning, with the 24-inch iMac offering the best performance of the lot.
There is good news on that front, as the 2021 MacBook Pro models will be waiting for the next generation of this chip (possibly called M2 or M1X). We already know from previous reports that Apple is working on processors with more than 32 CPU cores, although that chip in particular is almost certainly reserved for Mac Pro. However, expect the MacBook Pro 2021 models to come with more cores and more performance – the M1 was just the beginning.
Report of Bloomberg in December 2020 claimed that the next generation of Apple Silicon chips could have 16 high-quality cores and four high-performance cores. If those chips don’t fully meet the deadline, instead they could use chips with 12 or eight high-quality cores, according to Gurman. It now looks like this last option we’ll see in upcoming MacBook Pro models, like new report from Gurman published in May 2021 claimed that the next-generation Apple Silicon chips coming to the MacBook Pro will have eight high-quality cores and two high-quality cores, for a total of 10. These chips will be offered in 16 or 32 graphics core variants. .
Unlike the current MacBook line p – where every Mac uses the same M1 chip – we could see a split here, with the MacBook Pro 16 getting the more powerful chip with 32 graphics cores. That would certainly match the position of its current incarnation, which offers high-quality Intel Core i9 processors and discrete graphics cards that are not available on any other MacBook. On the other hand, Apple could decide that its current strategy of offering the same chip across different Mac models is the right one, and make this new chip available on both the MacBook Pro 14 and the MacBook Pro 16.
The processor also means good things for battery life. When we reviewed the M1 MacBook Pro, we got 21 hours of battery life in our gaming test and 16 hours on light browsing. That’s all around triple the battery life of the Intel MacBook Pro 2020. You can expect similar feats from the MacBook Pro 2021 thanks to the incredibly efficient ARM-based chip it will use. In fact, the MacBook Pro 16 could even surpass that, as its larger chassis could allow space for a correspondingly larger battery.
Brighter, more contrasting screen
Of all the rumors of a MacBook Pro, those on its screen have remained some of the most interesting. Kuo has maintained for some time that Apple is working to equip its professional laptop with a mini-LED display. This technique introduces thousands of small-scale LEDs into the screen, offering excellent contrast and dynamic range without the burning problems that OLED screens can suffer.
The latest reports on Apple’s MacBook Pro plans leave this mini-LED option open, apparently without confirming whether Apple will use it. Gurman, for example, says the MacBook Pro 2021 models will have “brighter, more contrasting panels.” This is in line with what we expect from mini-LED screens without alluding to them by name, so it remains to be seen what Apple will do. Now that Apple has unveiled its first mini-LED display on the iPad Pro, where it was called the Liquid Retina XDR display, we feel it’s only a matter of time before Apple delivers this to its MacBook line.
What’s more certain is that Apple will thin the bezels of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, allowing a larger 14-inch panel to insert the same-sized chassis. This is the same approach the company took when it replaced the MacBook Pro 15 with a 16-inch model without increasing its footprint. This change will result in a more modern looking laptop and more screen for your work.
MacBook Pro 2021: Our wish list
Despite the widespread rumors about what could be included in the MacBook Pro 2021, there are still a few other features we’d like to see appear. These are not guaranteed, but would certainly have a very positive impact if Apple gave them the green light.
In addition to more port variations, we’d like to see more ports, period. It’s still possible to buy a MacBook Pro with just two ports – in fact, the four-port MacBook Pro models are limited to Intel processors, and if you want the much better M1 chips, you’ll have to accept half the number of USB-C slots. When you pay $ 1,299 or more for a laptop, that’s not enough. Apple has only included two ports in the entry-level version of its new 24-inch iMac, however we don’t expect that here.
The second feature we would love to see is Face ID. This secure technology is already doing wonders on the iPhone and iPad, and it would be a welcome addition to the Mac. Imagine sitting in front of your laptop and it automatically unlocks without you having to do anything – that’s what Face ID might offer, and we know Apple is at least considering it.
However, the industry has been remarkably quiet about this lately, and neither Kuo nor Gurman mention it in their latest reports, so we think there’s unfortunately no feature in the MacBook Pro 2021 models. Is that due to delays caused by COVID-19 or Apple’s reluctance to add it to the Mac, we can not say.
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