Last year, Apple released a new generation of MacBook Pro featuring the M3 chip, and now they’ve extended the same chip to the MacBook Air. However, it appears that the company is already developing a new MacBook Pro with the upcoming M4 chip. In this article, we will discuss everything we know about the M4 MacBook Pro, including its release date and specs.
Expected M4 MacBook Pro release date
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman hosted a Q&A session centered on the Apple Car recently. In the session, he disclosed that the vehicle’s chip would be like four M2 Ultra chips combined. He also mentioned an underlying “safetyOS” system within the overall operating system, though he didn’t go into specifics.
Gurman briefly mentioned other topics, including Apple’s recent commencement of formal development on a new MacBook Pro with an M4 chip. However, he didn’t provide further details about the chip, as it hasn’t been officially announced by Apple yet.
Apple unveiled the M1 chip for Macs in November 2020, followed by the M2 chip in June 2022, and the M3 chip towards the end of October 2023. Based on this pattern, the M4 chip could be anticipated for release in the first half of 2025. However, there’s also a possibility of a late 2024 release if the interval between chip releases shortens to one year.
With the upcoming releases of iOS 18 and macOS 15 planned to introduce significant advancements in Apple’s AI capabilities. The next generation of hardware, including the M4 MacBook Pro and forthcoming iPhone 16 models, stands to reap the greatest benefits from these advancements.
However, more details are likely to emerge leading up to WWDC 2024 in June. Till then, we can look at the expected features and rumors about the upcoming MacBook Pro.
M4 MacBook Pro specs
The M4 chip is said to offer even greater speed and capability compared to the M3 chip. It could allow users to breeze through everyday tasks, multitask across apps, and handle complex content with ease.
While details about the M4 chip remain limited, there are good reasons to anticipate that the M4 MacBook Pro could be a big upgrade for users of Apple Silicon Macs. Particularly those who purchased the initial batch of M1 computers.
Performance Boost
While Gurman didn’t share more details about the Apple M4 MacBook Pro beyond its confirmation, we can speculate a bit. In the Geekbench 6 performance test, the M3 MacBook Pro scored around 11,870 in multi-core performance. In comparison, the M2 MacBook Pro achieved about 8,911 in Geekbench 5.4. And the original M1 MacBook Pro scored around 5,882 on Geekbench 5.0.
Although these versions can’t be directly compared, the performance differences are quite clear. We expect the M4 MacBook Pro to show an improvement of roughly 3,000 points over the M3, reaching close to 15,000. Additionally, we expect Apple to further enhance AI capabilities, suggesting that the M4 will continue to refine its neural capabilities.
If the smaller size of processor nodes for 2nm could lead to a potential 30% increase in performance, it suggests there’s still a lot of potential for boosting performance and energy efficiency in the existing setup.
Advanced Graphics Performance
The M4 chip may come equipped with upgraded GPU cores to deliver enhanced graphics performance, allowing users to edit high-resolution videos, manipulate gigapixel panoramas, and render intricate 3D content effortlessly.
Additionally, the M4 chip may feature dedicated AI-powered graphics processing units (GPUs), enhancing performance in AI-driven applications and enabling innovative features such as real-time image enhancement and object recognition.
More Memory Options
The M4 MacBook Pro will offer various memory configurations, including larger unified memory capacity compared to its predecessor. This means smoother performance and better handling of demanding apps and tasks. Users can choose from a range of memory options to suit their needs, ensuring optimal performance for their specific workflows. With expanded memory capacity, multitasking across multiple applications will allow users to switch between tasks seamlessly without experiencing slowdowns.
M4 MacBook Pro rumors
Support for External Displays
Just like the M3 Pro chip, the M4 will support multiple external displays. This lets users expand their workspace and do more tasks at once, improving productivity. Whether you’re working on a project or streaming content, having multiple displays will enhance your multitasking capabilities, enabling you to stay organized and focused on your work.
Improved Energy Efficiency
The M4 chip will use energy more efficiently, giving longer battery life and smoother performance. It means you can work for longer without needing to recharge as often. With improved energy efficiency, users can enjoy extended battery life, allowing them to work on the go without worrying about running out of power. Additionally, enhanced energy efficiency contributes to a more environmentally friendly device, reducing overall energy consumption and carbon footprint.
Enhanced Neural Engine
Rumors suggest that the M4 chip may feature an upgraded Neural Engine with a significantly higher number of cores dedicated to AI tasks, as reported by Economic Daily News. The M4 chip will have a better Neural Engine for advanced AI features like real-time translation and photo editing. This will make tasks easier and more efficient. To put it into perspective, the Neural Engine in the A17 Pro chip can handle upto 35 trillion operations per second.
With an enhanced Neural Engine, users can expect improved performance in AI-driven tasks such as voice recognition and image processing. The advanced AI capabilities of the M4 chip will enable users to accomplish tasks more quickly and accurately, enhancing productivity and creativity.
Chip Manufacturing Technology
TSMC, Apple’s chip manufacturing partner, is expected to commence mass production of chips using its 2nm process in late 2025. Although the M4 chip will likely maintain the 3nm architecture like the M3, it is anticipated to utilize an improved version of TSMC’s 3nm process. And it will offer enhanced performance and power efficiency.
In simpler terms, the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro is built using an N3E manufacturing process. It is seen as a transitional design. The next-generation N3B process is expected to be more cost-effective and have better production yields than the current one.
Future MacBook Design Changes
Apple is anticipated to revamp the MacBook design around 2026 or 2027, transitioning from miniLED displays to OLED technology, indicating potential design shifts in future MacBook models.
Details about the upcoming M4 chip and its arrival in the MacBook Pro are still unclear. There’s speculation that it could launch either later this year or possibly next year. Until we receive more concrete information, it’s best to be cautious and wait for official announcements.
