Alongside higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, Apple today announced a handful of upgrades for the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, including the standard M4 chip, a minimum of 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB, an additional Thunderbolt port, a Space Black color option, and more.
In the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, the M4 chip is available with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, and it has a 16-core Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence. For the 10-core CPU, there are four performance cores and six efficiency cores. Memory bandwidth has increased to 120 GB/s for this model, up from 100 GB/s previously.
Apple already introduced the M4 chip in the iPad Pro earlier this year, and in the new iMac and Mac mini models this week. Geekbench 6 benchmark results showed the M4 chip is up to 25% faster than the M3 chip in the iPad Pro, and performance improvements should be similar for Macs with the M4 chip compared to previous models with the M3 chip.
Just like the new iMac, the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro now comes with a minimum of 16GB of RAM, compared to 8GB for previous models. The base model is now available with up to 32GB of RAM, up from the previous 24GB limit.
Storage capacity options remain 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
The base-model 14-inch MacBook Pro is now equipped with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, whereas the previous model has two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The laptop now supports up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution, even when the lid is open.
The base-model 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with a nano-texture display, which has a special coating that better scatters light to further minimize glare on the screen. And the base model's display brightness has also increased from 600 nits to 1,000 nits for standard non-HDR content in outdoor environments, according to Apple's tech specs.
The base model also gets an upgraded 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage support to keep you centered in the frame, and a Desk View feature can show others your face and an overhead view of your desk at the same time.
Apple says the MacBook Pro now offers up to 24 hours of battery life for "video streaming," the "longest ever in a Mac."
Apple has made the darker Space Black finish available for the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro this year, alongside Silver. Space Black was previously exclusive to 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models configured with M3 Pro or M3 Max chips.
The base model 14-inch MacBook Pro has no major external design changes, and some specs are the same as the previous model, such as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. In addition to three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port and an SD card slot remain.
Apple says the new MacBook Pro models are available to pre-order starting today, and they will launch in many countries on Friday, November 8. In the U.S., the base 14-inch MacBook Pro continues to start at $1,599.
