Mentions of High Power Mode Possibly for New MacBook Pros Again Found in macOS Monterey

Back in late September, mentions of a "High Power" mode were spotted in macOS Monterey code, and it appears Apple is still working on the feature. Battery code in the macOS Monterey release candidate mentions a "High Power" option, and this time, includes additional detail.

macOS Monterey on MBP Feature
"Your Mac will optimize performance to better support resource-intensive tasks. This may result in louder fan noise," reads the code. The mention was discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser.

There is no High Power mode that appears to be present in the macOS Monterey beta on an M1 Mac, so it's possible that this is something that's exclusive to the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro machines that are launching next week. Such a feature was not mentioned on stage today.

monterey high power mention
It's also possible that this is a forthcoming feature that's not quite ready to launch and that's why we're not yet seeing it as a consumer-facing option in macOS Monterey.

macOS Monterey is set to be released to the public on Monday, October 25, and the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will begin arriving to customers the next day, so we won't have long to wait to find out if there's a hidden High Power mode.

Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
macbook air march 2020

Apple Says Final Intel MacBook Air and Apple Watch Series 5 Now 'Vintage'

Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September. The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...

Top Rated Comments

zorinlynx Avatar
55 months ago
Hopefully you can just configure it to tie "high power mode" to being plugged in. If my Macbook is plugged in, it can have all the chunky watts it wants. I don't want to have to think about it. :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
55 months ago
The beast has been unleashed!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
55 months ago
Toasty Testies mode
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Leon Ze Professional Avatar
55 months ago
Apple certainly have put Intel further into the rear view mirror. At this point Intel are just eating dust.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
julesme Avatar
55 months ago
They are throwing a kitchen sink's worth of features at this laptop
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
55 months ago
Might be available on day 1 or maybe atleast as a software update later on
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)