MacBook Pro 2021 review: a massive overhaul – MacGeneration

Where to start with these 2021 MacBook Pros? Their M1 Pro / Max chips which Apple promises wonders? Their Liquid Retina XDR display never seen? Their ports that we thought were lost forever? Rarely have new Macs been so new and expected. What if we started with the obvious, their design? Here is the first part of a test which will count several, these MacBook Pro reviewed from top to bottom well deserving of special treatment.

A new thickness

The MacBook Pro 2021 are not there for fun. After a 2016-2020 cycle that had undergone a severe slimming cure, the MacBook Pros are regaining thickness and weight. Apple’s figures should not be trusted: of course, the MacBook Pro 13 “M1 (last heir to the design inaugurated in 2016) is up to 1.56 cm when the new MacBook Pro 14” does not exceed 1.55 cm, but their profile is not the same.

The new MacBook Pros no longer have a tapered shape, giving their edges just enough thinness to accommodate a jack. The two large faces of the parallelepipeds are now flat, extending their thickness to the edges. In a nutshell, the 2021 MacBook Pros are more massive. Even next to a 2012-2015 Retina model, the new models are more imposing.

The weight gain is noticeable: at 1.6 kg, the MacBook Pro 14 “is 200 g more than a Pro 13” or 300 g more than an Air. As for the new 16 “, it is 100 g more than its predecessor Intel or 300 g more than a 15” Touch Bar. Written like that it doesn’t seem significant, but considering that an iPhone 13 Pro Max – which everyone will agree is not particularly light – weighs a good 238g, so be it in a bag or at arm’s length, the difference with these laptops is felt.

Unlike the latest iPads, iPhones, and iMacs, the 2021 MacBook Pros don’t have sharp edges. Their angles are rounded, a way to slightly soften their appearance. By this aspect, they are reminiscent of the PowerBook G4, which later became the first MacBook Pro.