The MacBook Pro managed 389 tracks, not far from the Mac Studio (418 tracks). Once again this needs to be stable over continuous looping. The second test uses Logic Pro’s ChromaVerb inserted on multiple audio tracks processing a snippet of audio. This is only a few less than the 85 tracks the Mac Studio (M1 Max, 10-core CPU/24-core GPU, 32GB memory) achieved. The MacBook Pro managed 78 tracks consistently, so playing constantly on a looped basis without any overloading. The first test uses multiple instances of the Alchemy synth playing a series of five-note chords. We also set Logic’s processing option to ‘12 threads’ rather than ‘automatic’. We ran the same tests using Logic Pro X and its stock plugins. A more realistic spec starts at around £1K. Powered by a variety of M2 processors, much like the new MacBook Pro, if you can cope with the small 256GB drive and 8GB memory the base model offers excellent value. Each unit has plenty of connectivity and despite the fans, which generate a very low but audible whirr, it’s quiet enough to sit on your desktop.

These sound pretty good for a laptop and also support Spatial Audio for Dolby Atmos content, although you’ll need to position your chin over the trackpad to really get the full effect of the spatial audio.Ĭouple this powerhouse unit with a quality monitor to deliver awesome performance from either an M1 Max or M1 Ultra Processor. You also get the six-speaker sound with force-cancelling woofers. Further onboard features include a backlit Magic keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, Touch ID button, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera and an integrated three-mic array. In addition to Thunderbolt 4, the USB-C ports support USB 4 (up to 40GB/s) and also DisplayPort, An M2 Pro-equipped machine can support up to two additional monitors and the M2 Max up to four additional monitors. Battery life is quoted as up to 12 hours for wireless web use and up to 18 hours if watching Apple TV. The included PSU can use the included MagSafe lead or a regular USB-C lead to power any of the USB-C ports.

The left side includes a 3.5mm headphone output and the latest MagSafe 3 port. The right side also includes an HDMI output and SDXC card slot. This model includes three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports (two on the left, one on the right). For added screen real estate you can activate a higher resolution option (1800x1169), which we found surprisingly workable given the tiny text sizing. This has a native resolution of 3024x1964, which is a real life equivalent of 1512x982 when you factor in pixel doubling. The review model is reasonably light (1.6kg) and has a beautiful 14.2” Liquid Retina XDR display. Apple’s laptops are well engineered, beautiful devices that perform very well.

Macbook used