How Apple’s M4 chips dispelled all my fears about buying a new Mac

Macworld

As someone who has reviewed Macs for a long time, I’m often asked for shopping advice and whether now is a good time to buy a Mac. It’s an excellent question since Apple has been fairly sporadic with its Mac releases. Macs are expensive and people want reassurance that they’re making a timely investment. No one wants to buy something, start using it, and realize they just could’ve stuck with what they already had. Nor does anyone want to make a purchase only to have something better come along in a short time.

When it comes to Macs, the decision to buy a new one is rarely a quick and easy one, but with the release of the M4 Mac lineup, there’s less hedging than ever before. As I reviewed the new iMac and MacBook Pro and got the lowdown about the Mac mini, I was struck by just how compelling these new Macs are. This recent release makes for the most compelling set of Macs that Apple has had in quite some time.

And if you’re wondering whether it’s time to buy a Mac in a general sense, the answer is yes.

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The maturation of Apple silicon

The M4 is the fourth generation of Apple silicon in the Mac, and after an explosive (figuratively) start with the M1 and some hiccups with the M2 and M3 releases, the M4 feels like the chip is finally hitting its stride.

The M4 impresses with its speed and efficiency. It almost doubles the speed of the M1 in multi-core performance, but more impressively, it’s 32 percent faster than the Intel 2.7GHz Xeon W-3265M 24-core CPU, which was used in the 2019 Mac Pro. Also, the Intel chip’s Thermal Design Power is 205 watts while the M4’s TDP is 22 watts. That’s a lot of bang without using a lot of power.

Geekbench 6 benchmarks

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The M4 Max, according to Geekbench 6 results, sets a record for Mac performance. The M4 Pro (the 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU version) is faster than an M2 Ultra. It keeps getting better with Apple silicon and there are no signs of performance plateaus.

RAM increase without a price increase

Other than the speed boost, the biggest reason this Mac lineup is more compelling is that Apple did the right thing and doubled the base amount of unified memory to 16GB. That had a domino effect across the Mac lineup–Apple didn’t just boost its most affordable models from 8GB to 16GB, but the more expensive standard configurations went up, too. For example, the M2 Pro Mac mini standard configuration started at 16GB, but the M4 Pro Mac mini now starts at 24GB.

The additional RAM will help your Mac run a lot smoother and that’s great, but perhaps the best part is that Apple implemented the increase without increasing the prices. For a lot of consumers, that means they no longer must dish out the extra $200/£200. Apple even updated all the MacBook Airs, including the $999 M2 model, to 16GB without raising the prices. Nice.

Foundry

More than performance

One of the reasons why I sometimes advise people to wait for the next release cycle is because while the latest Macs have the fastest chips, they also have old features. For most general consumers, even an M1 provides more than enough speed to get things done, so more speed alone isn’t really worth the upgrade.

But the M4 Macs brought some overdue new features. First and foremost, you’ll now get the same 12MP Center Stage camera found in the iPhone and iPad, a huge upgrade from the 1080p FaceTime HD camera in previous generations. There’s also a Nano-texture glass option in both the iMac and MacBook Pro, which is great for cutting down glare, and the M4 Pro and M4 Max Macs get Thunderbolt 5 as well. These are fantastic features that will future-proof your purchase.

Then there’s the redesign of the Mac mini. The Mac mini was small before, but it’s tiny now and looks incredible on your desk. The small form factor is also a better fit for more imaginative projects and the front-facing ports are a nice upgrade. The lack of USB-A ports might be an issue for some, but the MacBook and iMac haven’t had them for years.

Have no fear of buying

The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac are all great buys right now. It’s not a stretch to say Apple’s 2024 Mac lineup represents the best value ever and you don’t need to ask whether it’s a good time to buy. It is—no matter which model you want. And with Black Friday right around the corner, you can save some money too.

The only exception is the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. If you need one of Apple’s highest-end Macs, you’ll have to wait a little longer. They’re still languishing with older M2 Max and Ultra chips, and as you can see in the benchmark chart above, they’ve been surpassed by the far-cheaper M4 Pro and M4 Max machines. Based on our experience with the M4 chips as well as the latest rumors, it looks like the upcoming M4 Ultra is going to be a serious beast to round out an already incredible lineup.

For more help deciding which Mac to buy or to find the Best MacBook read our guides.