The 16-inch MacBook Pro, which was once the most powerful and feature-rich Mac, has been eclipsed by its cheaper, smaller forerunners. Since Apple is just halfway through replacing its MacBook range with custom, ARM-based processors, this is the case. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, all fuelled by Apple’s first M1 chip, were the first to make the transition.
The 8-core processor has proved to be a huge hit, providing more power and reliability than Intel and AMD’s rival processors. As a result of the M1, Apple’s cheapest laptops, the Air and MacBook Pro with two Thunderbolt 3 slots, is the most appealing choices right now. But that may change this year, as Apple releases a custom chip for the 16-inch MacBook Pro. This will bring the 16-inch MacBook Pro back on track, giving professionals the strength they need while still providing the usability they need.
Along with receiving a more powerful Apple Silicon chip, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is rumored to receive a display upgrade in the form of a mini LED. The Retina panels of old can’t compete with the best of Windows PCs, but with mini LED, the MacBook Pro could be the best option for photo and video editors working on-site.
This is just a preview of what the 16-inch MacBook Pro is supposed to have. Here’s a complete rundown on all the current rumors and reports.
16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 release date
We are sure that the 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon will be released in 2021, but we are less certain about the exact month or day.
Apple will announce new 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro versions in 2021, according to two of the most well-known Apple analysts, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg and Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities.
The launch windows, according to Kuo, will be in the third quarter of 2021, which means July, August, or September. Based on previous Apple announcements, July seems to be the most likely month, but delays caused by COVID-19 may hold the announcement back a few weeks or months. The latest MacBook Pros will be announced “in the middle of the year,” according to Gurman, repeating Kuo’s prediction of a summer date.
This month, there are rumors of an Apple spring gathering (March 2021). If the business does take the stage, it will most certainly announce new iPad models and headphones.
16-inch MacBook Pro price
Pricing is a major factor in deciding which MacBook to buy, and for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, it’s a reason to skip.
Of course, we don’t know how Apple will price the new model, but the cost of the current model can get us in the right ballpark. The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at a, get ready for this, whopping $2,400, putting it firmly in workstation terrority. That model has an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Radeon Pro 5300M graphics.
Opting for stronger graphics in the form of a Radeon Pro 5500M GPU along with 1TB of storage raises the price to $2,799. If you need the absolute best performance, a top-of-the-line model with a Core i9 CPU, 64GB of RAM, an 8TB SSD, and Radeon Pro 5500M graphics costs (I hope you’re sitting down) $6,700.
There is some hope that Apple will reduce these prices. By creating its own chips, Apple has tighter control of the manufacturing process, and no longer needs to rely on Intel. Depending on the operating costs, a 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon could be more or less expensive than the outgoing Intel models. Even then, we suspect the 16-inch MacBook Pro to start at or above $2,000 considering the lesser of the two 13-inch models starts at $1,299.
16-inch MacBook Pro design and features
Is it possible that Apple’s core could expand three times in one laptop, with physical keys replacing the Touch Bar, more ports, and the return of MagSafe?
The most notable updates to the forthcoming MacBook Pro could be a feature removal rather than an extension.
According to both Kuo and Gurman, Apple is rumored to be ditching the Touch Bar and replacing it with actual buttons. To put it mildly, the OLED strip above the keyboard is a controversial aspect that most people find overly cumbersome. Apple should follow its own example and ditch the Touch Bar in favor of physical shortcut keys, just as it did when it replaced the fancy Butterfly keyboard with one that really functions.
Yeah, you heard that correctly: the 16-inch MacBook Pro could have more ports to make it more suitable for professionals. With just four Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headset jack, the latest model is one of the heaviest and most costly laptops with the fewest ports. However, this could change this year, as Kuo expects that the 16-inch MacBook Pro would have an HDMI port, a microSD card slot, and probably a USB Type-A port.
Moreover, the upcoming MacBook Pro could bring back MagSafe charging although it is unclear what form it will take. We suspect the MacBook Pro will continue to charge via USB-C, but if that doesn’t draw enough power, a proprietary MagSafe connection could make an appearance.
The latest MagSafe link, according to sources, will look similar to the previous one but will allow for quicker charging than USB-C. Let’s only hope the included cable lasts longer than previous models.
We don’t foresee a significant change to the MacBook Pro’s physical appearance. Because of its sleek bezels, the 16-inch edition looks the most contemporary. While some experts expect the MacBook Pro would have a flat-edge design comparable to the iPhone 12, we wouldn’t be shocked to see a different design entirely.
16-inch MacBook Pro display
Apple appears to be on the verge of switching from LED to MicroLED, a modern technique that improves picture quality without the risk of burn-in. According to Kuo, Apple has been looking for vendors and is on track to ship between 10 and 12 million MacBook units with mini LED in 2021 alone.
“Because Apple Silicon is substantially less expensive than Intel CPU,” Kuo says, “using Apple Silicon will reduce the additional expense of using mini LED panels.”
Mini LED panels, unlike OLED, replace hundreds of diodes in regular LED panels with thousands of much smaller ones. Smaller diodes mean smaller dimming areas and greater image quality control. Yeah, mini LEDs are backlit, but with more power, you can produce a brighter picture with better contrast and black levels. It won’t equal OLED, so you won’t have to worry about burn-in.
The MacBook Pro and iPad, according to DigiTimes, may get an OLED display as early as 2022. This means that the mini LED panel will be limited to lower-tier configurations or that it will serve as a stopgap before Apple can procure a complete fleet of OLED displays. Don’t put too much faith in DigiTimes’ projections, since they’ve had a mixed track record in the past.
When the 16-inch MacBook Pro appears later this year, the days of Intel-powered Macs must certainly be numbered. Our best guess for the processor that will fuel the upcoming model is a custom M1X CPU.
This was first reported by LeaksApplePro, a reliable source who suggested that Apple will equip its upcoming MacBook Pro models with an M1X (or M2), a 12-core processor with eight high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, similar to the iPad Pro’s configuration. The M1 cpu, by contrast, has eight cores, four output cores and four efficiency cores.
Benchmarks allegedly showing the M1X CPU on CPU Monkey back up the rumor, with the mystery chip boasting 12 stability and reliability cores as well as 16 graphics cores (the M1 has seven or eight GPU cores).
We’re certain that whichever Apple Silicon is used in the MacBook Pro can produce outstanding performance. However, there are some reservations about the remaining specifications. The M1 chip only allowed for 16GB of RAM in the MacBook Air and lower-tier Pro models, which is insufficient for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. These laptops would need at least 32GB of RAM, with the 16-inch model preferably matching the existing 64GB model.
The SSD is in the same boat. Surprisingly, the new model can be configured for up to 8TB of capacity. For most people, that’s overkill, but Apple can offer the incoming 16-inch MacBook Pro at least 4TB of storage for those who deal with 4K and 8K video files.
There’s even the graphics card to consider. If the M1X’s integrated graphics, which are said to have 16 cores, will outperform a discrete AMD GPU, Apple can opt for it. This could result in less ventilation requirements.
Outlook
Before summarizing what we know about the forthcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro, I normally have a “stuff we want to see” segment. However, in this situation, what we expect and what we happen to be having are the same thing.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro, if the rumors are real, might be the ultimate MacBook. It might also be the ultimate laptop if it incorporates a mini LED camera, an array of convenient connectors, a MagSafe connector, and normal physical shortcut keys for even greater performance and reliability than the M1. If Apple succeeds, it will signal a significant change in the way it develops products, one that will help consumers. The question then becomes, how much money do I need to set aside?
