New MacBook Pros Offer Up to 10 Hours Longer Battery Life Than Prior-Generation

Apple's new MacBook Pro machines are equipped with super efficient M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, which means improvements in both performance and efficiency. The new machines have much improved battery life compared to prior-generation Intel machines.

m1 pro battery life
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with ‌M1 Pro‌/Max chip offers up to 17 hours of movie playback with the Apple TV app and up to 11 hours of wireless web browsing. The prior 2020 Intel model offered 10 hours of movie playback and 10 hours of wireless web browsing.

‌M1 Pro‌/Max performance is on par with M1 performance, but it can't quite match wireless web battery life. The ‌M1‌ chip in the entry-level MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air offers 20 hours of movie playback and up to 17 hours of wireless web browsing.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has far more impressive performance than the prior-generation Intel model. It offers up to 21 hours of movie playback and 14 hours of wireless web browsing. The 16-inch Intel machine offered 11 hours of movie playback and 11 hours of wireless web usage.

According to Apple, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with a 70-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery, while the 16-inch model includes a 100-watt hour battery. The 16-inch MacBook Pro uses a 140W power adapter, while the 14-inch model uses a 67W power adapter for the 8-core machine and a 96W power adapter for the 10-core machine. Both models can charge over Thunderbolt or MagSafe.

The 10-core 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are also capable of charging from zero to 50 percent within 30 minutes through a new fast charge feature. The 14-inch model can fast charge over Thunderbolt or ‌MagSafe‌, while the 16-inch model needs the ‌MagSafe‌ connection for fast charging.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro 14 & 16"
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Top Rated Comments

_Spinn_ Avatar
21 months ago
That's a pretty big jump in battery life. The return of MagSafe and addition of fast charging is great too.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalsta Avatar
21 months ago
This laptop is pure functionality and pretty much everything users have been asking for, which shows that Apple is (finally) listening. MagSafe alone is one of the best hardware features Apple ever designed in a laptop—who knows how many cord-tripping Mac owners have been saved by it. Yes, they sacrificed form a little bit—it’s heavier and there’s that thing everyone else is talking about. I say, well played Apple, well played.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macpot Avatar
21 months ago

I notice Apple compares the M1 Pro and M1 Max GPU performance to Laptop graphics. Apple chooses to ignore the fact they won't support eGPUs with the ARM architecture whereas the Intel MacBook Pros support up to a Radeon 6900 XT desktop graphics card in an eGPU enclosure. Until we get back the level of performance of what was taken away by the move to ARM then I will be sticking with Intel.

The ProRes acceleration is nice but the price is not. Looking at almost $6000 AUD for a M1 Max 14 inch MBP in Australia. Whereas I paid less than that for my 32GB Intel MBP with external AMD Radeon 6900 XT eGPU.

Has Apple said whether the laptop includes a Hi-Res capable DAC for Apple Music? Is this a "Pro" machine or not?
The new M1 Max 32-core is as fast as an RTX 2080 while on Battery... why would you want to connect an eGPU to it?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chrjy Avatar
21 months ago
No doubt the complainers will mention that it's down to the notch that allows the battery to last longer due to the fact it's not having to power part of the screen!! :rolleyes:
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Leon Ze Professional Avatar
21 months ago
Virtually on every metric, Apple have really hit the mark with these unleashed beasts. So glad to finally see a 1080p webcam on an Apple laptop. Can't wait to see the reviews for these.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chrjy Avatar
21 months ago
I have to say that it looks so retro compared to the last X years...it takes a bit of getting used to but I love its look. It just oozes old MacBook Pros and those machines were awesome. I think people will love these things.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)