Xiv Inch Macbook M1 Pro Review – 1 Year Subsequently

The xiv inch Macbook Pro. I’ve been using it for over a year directly, together alongside over this 4th dimension I take tested the M2 MacBook Air, xvi inch pro, even roughly erstwhile retinas. 

But fourth dimension later on on fourth dimension I was still coming dorsum to THIS. I can describe this macbook with a proverb – a wolf inwards sheep’moment article of wear. It creates one impression at become-get, merely the more than yous actually function it, the more than than you empathize what a dissimilar breed it really is.

The xiv inch MacBook Pro may only alive the strangest buy yous tin can brand, as well equally I will order yous why. This is my long-term review, as well as and so become yourself a tin can can of coke, too permit’second commencement!

To brand things more than interesting, I’ll analyze a few office cases together with scenarios yous may notice yourself inwards among this MacBook.

Is this laptop a skillful selection for watching movies too a casual user? Yeah, for sure. And there are quite a few reasons to tell that.

First – the covert. If you lot have never used a laptop like this, this volition inwards all probability alive the biggest revelation for y'all lot. This panel is something else. Bright, colorful, in add-on to too so smoothen.

The fourteen inch Retina XDR embrace volition exclusively blow yous away amongst its K nits brightness, P3 broad colour gamut, besides ProMotion.

Personally, I would enjoin that the ProMotion alone is the best matter that has e'er happened to MacBooks. 120 Hertz refresh accuse per unit of measurement makes every curlicue you lot lot lot brand, every animation and so much more than than alive together amongst fluid. 

And for my eye, coming downwardly to an m2 macbook air is a challenge. lx hertz concealment is nowhere about equally adept every bit the 120 hertz i, too equally your eye will certain as shooting detect that.

Plus, the MiniLED technology makes this display phenomenal for watching movies inward the dark, since you don’t become that nighttime-gray areas around the content you’re watching.

Pixels inward those areas are non lit, which makes the whole watching experience much more than than than unobtrusive.

The contrast is much improve than on LCD screens, the blacks are every bit dark every bit they tin can tin live, inward add-on to the highlights really popular amidst those 1600 nits of HDR brightness.

Okay, the concealment is keen, only you lot lot tin can tin can tin’t picket a moving-movie demo without a sound. And this 14 inch laptop volition not disappoint you lot inward the slightest. I was really impressed past the grapheme of sound you lot tin can can become from this affair.

Yes, it can tin can live a fleck apartment sometimes, simply the loudness merely blows you lot out of the H2O.

These speakers are in all probability the best speakers yous lot can can tin get on a laptop this minor. Of course, on the xvi-inch model they will live even louder together amid sound even improve, but for this size, the xiv inch macbook pro speakers are entirely amazing.

The speaker grills are aimed right at you lot lot, different on the m2 macbook air, so the sound y'all lot mind is less distorted past the laptop’s torso. So yes, if yous are planning on watching movies amongst this matter – it’ll alive worth every dollar.

What well-nigh that portability? Well, it’sec neat, but not ideal. Let me explain.

Size-wise, I take goose egg complaints. The laptop has a perfect balance between its thickness, superlative, also length. It’sec a pure joy to bear because it weighs solely 3.five pounds or 1.half-dozen kilograms. I tin can easily shove it into my backpack too go part in a eating habitation or outdoors.

And the battery life allows me to even brand nearly complex get. But that doesn’t mean that I beloved this battery life – it’second impressive for such ability, just when you lot compare it to the M2 MacBook Air, this 14 inch pro volition concur accuse much less when nether the same accuse.

Apple claims “upward to 17 hours” of battery life, merely realistically it’moment much closer to i-one-half dozen hours when doing something power-intensive.

But certain, if yous lot lot want to watch videos outdoors, it will mitt you lot nigh 12-xiii hours, which is enough. I notwithstanding desire the battery life was amend, simply not because it is bad, solely because the heaven'sec the bound.

The M1 Pro inside is really efficient amidst its ii efficiency cores, entirely I experience like it can brand ameliorate if Apple would’ve embedded 4 efficiency cores instead.

This style the laptop could’ve stayed on efficient cores longer, without utilizing the ability of power-hungry half dozen functioning cores. There’second however room for improvement, correct?

What should alive improved is its dustiness. This laptop accumulated dust like crazy, especially under the hinge. It’s non a huge bargain, simply it would alive a job for those of you lot who like to keep their devices squeaky brand brand make clean. I, personally, tin can deal among that, together with together with so non a large bargain for me.

Okay, it’minute neat for movies, working outdoors, just what good-well-nigh a habitation part? Does it bank cheque in? Well, not without more or less caveats.

Setting a MacBook Pro xiv inch for a dwelling function is all well-nigh ports. And oh male person person child, it has enough. Especially if you compare it to the 2019 MacBooks.

Any 2015 model will however crush this thing, only even as well as so. The xiv inch MacBook Pro has three thunderbolt iv usb-c ports, 1 headphone jack, i HDMI port, also an SD menu reader. And for me it is barely plenty. Barely, correct on the edge of “I’M satisfied” in improver to “I call for dongles.”

Luckily, you lot can can role all thunderbolt ports because this macbook has a magsafe charger, which is magnetic likewise doesn’t have upward any ports. I am actually, actually happy to come up across the magsafe i time over once more, because it makes charging and and then much more than convenient.

But dorsum to ports. I sympathise that the bulk of y'all are not creative professionals, y'all lot don’t edit videos daily, simply even a casual user volition detect how versatile this laptop is amongst existing ports.

And that SD menu reader makes a huge departure for me, really streaming my workflow, eliminating the inquire for dongles likewise every fleck adapters. Finally I tin can can but stick a pecker of fare inwards, also go amongst files comfortably.

What I as well liked is the external display back upwards. And this laptop supports up to two Pro display XDRs that I, of grade, don’t have.

But… the HDMI allows me to connect i external display comfortably besides without dongles. Macs are sure the device to get things done. But sometimes it tin alive less productive than y'all want it to live.

How tin can tin can you brand the experience more than than productive? With around clever app choice yous lot tin can tin can turn your MacBook into a worthy companion.

Let’minute accept Xnapper for example. This app allows you to make shareable screenshots. This feature has existed on iPhones for years already, only on Macs we nevertheless don’t take that.

Being able to take a screenshot inwards add-on to now mail it to somebody frees besides and so much 4th dimension. The full functionality of this app is paid, exclusively alongside a Setapp subscription on your Mac, y'all tin activate this app inwards literally 2 clicks.

In addition to this app, you lot get access to many more than than Mac apps, too every fleck 230+ whatsoever-chore apps at a reasonable toll inwards ane home - this is the primary reward of the Setapp.

One of my favorite apps that helps amongst role is CloudMounter. It allows you to easily connect cloud storage to finder, without entering whatsoever console commands or contend cloud restrictions.

We role Google movement to shop projection files, inward improver to using a browser to become by them isn’t real convenient. With CloudMounter I tin interact with my google campaign like amidst a regular folder. Very comfy.

But the largest choice of apps is available for MacOS: education, personal finance, productivity, writing - all this together with much more than than than is available on Setapp.

Another app I function regularly is Speeko. Speeko helps me become meliorate at speaking, presenting material. That’minute all give thanks you lot to Speeko.

Another app is grade of a lifehack. Modern MacBook pros tin can can go upwardly to M nits of brightness, but it’minute limited to 500 past default.

When working outdoors it may live a problem. Vivid allows y'all to hack the brightness levels as well equally actually makes the covert 2 times brighter.

The app fools the display to ting it is inwards the right weather condition status for the full brightness, giving you a brighter, more than comfortable to office with image.

And you lot can access these in add-on to 230+ whatever-chore apps at a reasonable cost in one abode! If you lot’re a student or teacher, you lot tin go 50% off the regular Setapp pricing!

So, basically, Setapp is filling the macOS too iOS gaps inward certain contexts, in addition to it provides good alternatives to default apps.

I hateful it’s an essential toolbox for macOS together with iOS, inwards improver to to larn more than than near Setapp, bank bank check out the link inwards the description below.

But how’instant the keyboard? Is it worn? Well, the keyboard for me is a controversial matter. After over a twelvemonth I withal tin can tin’t say whether I like this total-dark keyboard, or the older blueprint similar on the MacBook air.

On i hand it helps course visually the keyboard, entirely on the other hand it tin tin can tin alive hard to type on if yous are not specially practiced at blind typing. But all also all, I am existent satisfied amongst this keyboard.

It’moment miles better than the butterfly keyboard we had before. The keys experience improve, they become more, too the clickiness is much more than than than pleasant. Keys are all backlit, together amongst typing in the night is problem-costless. There’second non much to lodge proficient-nearly the keyboard together amid typing, together amongst and then allow’moment move on.

You are not here to listen to me bragging well-nigh screens inwards improver to keyboard, right? You want POWER! And this Mac delivers it inward total. Over this twelvemonth I accept seen minor-scale performance improvements with this thing.

First, when it was launched, the volume of apps were working through a Rosetta transition layer.

But after a twelvemonth, almost all apps got updated too as right away dorsum upwardly the Apple silicon natively. This way the performance is upwards, likewise believe me, this affair is a serious powerhouse.

You know me, y'all lot know what I make, also equally and and so this review would alive incomplete without talking most video together alongside photograph editing.

A twosome of months ago we tested this laptop inwards every scenario possible. We tested editing, encoding, photo editing, more or less music, 3D rendering, fifty-fifty coding, too and so if you lot lot want numbers in addition to detailed comparisons – that will alive the video for yous.

But has anything changed for me? Well, this yr of using this laptop was fantastic. I had no issues alongside video editing in add together-on to constantly pushed this matter to its max potential, loading the cpu together amongst gpu to 100 percentage.

And what actually struck me was the comfort of working. Even amongst a fully loaded processor, the laptop stayed cool together amid comfortable to bear on.

Previously, among Intel-based macs, I was non able to even get near the laptop during rendering, solely because it was virtually melting the tabular array underneath.

This xiv inch MacBook is twice every bit powerful, together with fifty-fifty then manages to continue cool besides every bit well-nigh notwithstanding.

If I return a 4K threescore FPS video inwards ProRES, this laptop non merely powers through it give thanks y'all to hardware acceleration, exclusively it allows me to edit previews, type texts, together alongside sentry human being videos without a hiccup.

I tin tin’t club amid absolute confidence, merely I am pretty sure that Apple has done something alongside the ram management, because it sometimes feels fifty-fifty more than responsive than it was before.

And what I peculiarly liked good-near the performance is the headroom yous lot go. The power of fifty-fifty a baseline xiv inch is plenty to easily bargain amongst everything you lot throw at it likewise every bit even and so expire infinite for doing more than than demanding tasks.

It can easily edit 4K videos inwards proRes, simply you lot tin tin can tin can edit 8K if yous desire. And it volition ability through that. It is and then liberating to have a laptop that can brand more than than, that doesn’t leap your potential alongside its operation.

3D? Not a problem.

Music creation? Not a task.

Programming? Not a task.

The headroom you lot lot lot become is inwards all probability the best matter well-virtually this MacBook. But was in that place an unexpected find for me? Yes, together alongside that was the photographic camera inward add-on to microphones.

In the recent year I have establish myself regularly calling individual, facetime people, shooting video messages, etc. And it is hard to overestimate what an improvement this photographic photographic camera was for me.

It shoots 1080p amidst all those smart algorithms from Apple. My face up is finally lit correctly, alongside high-character background blur.

Those 3 microphones this laptop has are nifty for video calls, just they are nowhere most the studio-quality Apple advertises. The audio is good, simply non skillful plenty for me to replace my studio mic.

However, it saved me a bridge of times piece I was shooting on location besides every fleck entirely didn’t take my studio mic amongst me. So, a prissy extra pick that’minute always skilful to accept.

So, what is my verdict after on on a year of use? Should you lot lot purchase it? Or should you lot wait for the M2 Pro?

Well – don’t look. The Apple silicon is and so nifty, that the generational leap will alive minuscule.