M1 Max with maximum power
Apple’s most powerful processor was in the test model M1 Max. The difference to the M1 Pro: More cores make the graphics unit even faster. Also are up to 64 gigabytes of RAM possible, with the M1 Pro only 32 GB. Sure: The M1 Max is not faster than the M1 Pro with Office programs – such tasks understrain the chip. But if you want to edit photos and videos or play games, the Max will give you a real boost in speed: Games can even run in full screen resolution (3456×2234 pixels) fluid. That didn’t quite work with the MacBook Pro 14 inch with M1 Pro – it “only” managed 40 frames per second, while the M1 Max managed 66 frames per second. The difference in speed was not quite as great in video editing: Here the M1 Max was only 13 percent faster than the M1 Pro. Overall, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the fastest Apple notebook tested by COMPUTER BILD to date.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 camera is located at the top of the screen in the menu bar. This increases the usable screen area.
Quiet and persistent
The power adapter of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 inch 2021 has plenty of power (140 watts) and charges the battery really quickly. The connection cable comes with a USB-C Magsafe connector combination.
The display is really great!
Like the smaller 14-inch model, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has a Mini LED display, in which the backlighting of the LC screen is divided into more than 2,000 zones. In this way, the brightness distribution can be controlled very finely, and the display achieves a Contrast ratio of over 10,000:1 – otherwise only OLED screens are this good. But the display has even more to offer: 7.7 million pixels (3456 x 2234 pixels) ensure an extremely detailed and super-sharp display. When it comes to color reproduction, it impresses with extreme accuracy and a very large color space (97.2 percent of the cinema standard DCI-P3). Its only weakness: like most glossy displays, it is reflective. However, annoying reflections can be faded out with a higher display brightness – the MacBook Pro manages here up to 1,534 candelas per square meter.
Also present again: SD card reader (left) and HDMI socket (right). In between is a Thunderbolt 4 socket (with USB 4).
Sounds really good
One thing it has in common with the smaller 14-inch model is the speaker system. This is very large for a notebook and uses the ventilation slots for bass reproduction. It’s no substitute for full-blown hi-fi speakers, but it’s better than most notebooks and good enough for video conferencing or an impromptu kitchen party.
Tempo with office programs / in video editing
Game speed (display resolution / 1920 x 1200 pixels)
Image quality (contrast / color fidelity / extended DCI-P3 color space)
Battery life video / charging time
Operating noise ( video / games)
Heat development after 30 minutes of full load (rear)
RAM (built-in / expandable)
Memory: usable size, type
Biometric access locks
Those connections are back
The new MacBook Pro brings back a few ports that many Apple users have been missing: the Magsafe connector for the power adapter, HDMI, and an SD card reader (pictured above). The three USB-C sockets are thanks usb 4 and thunderbolt really fast and can also be used to connect a monitor. are there up to three external screens possible.
Test conclusion: Apple MacBook Pro 16 inch
A top screen, good sound and plenty of computing power without noise, plus a whopping seven hours of battery life: the new one MacBook Pro 16 inch (Test rating 1.5) is clearly ahead of the predecessor and shares first place in the list with the smaller and lighter 14-inch model. However, the 16-inch MacBook also has to put up with two points of criticism: It is really expensive – memory in particular costs a lot more. In addition, it cannot be upgraded after purchase.