© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
I have really struggled to write this review. That is not because there are not enough new features in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s own M5 silicon, but because MacBooks with M-series silicon have already pushed the envelope on performance so much that something getting faster or more efficient becomes tough to differentiate. That also means this MacBook Pro with M5 silicon comes in with so much expectation tied to it.
On the design front, the 14-inch MacBook Pro looks exactly like the earlier generation, and there is nothing new to see here. It is sleek and stylish with a metal chassis and matte finish. But there is an upgrade in the new Liquid Retina XDR display with 1600-nit peak HDR brightness. With some of the wallpapers of macOS Tahoe, you feel so immersed that I was looking at seals in the icy Arctic waters to calm me in the middle of work. And with video workflows, you get that edge, especially when working on low-light visuals where small elements can make a huge difference to the final output.
The MacBook can charge using the USB-C ports or the MagSafe 3 port. If you run your hands on the sides, you do feel the slits of the fans, the MacBook’s big differentiator from the MacBook Air. Despite the heavy lifting and the new processor, this MacBook Pro too offers up to 24 hours of battery life. However, this number drops when you work on video output or LLM workflows.
The backlit keyboard is well laid out and seems to be a bit more bouncier than the version that came with the MacBooks launched last year. There is a fingerprint reader, and the trackpad is large and perfect for increasing your productivity.
I don’t recommend the MacBook Pro to users who don’t have very heavy computing requirements, like 4K video edits, or daily gaming schedules, because the MacBook Air can easily handle most everyday tasks now. But if you do work on video, or even want to run local AI tools, this MacBook Pro is among your best bets with four high-performance cores and six high-efficiency cores in the CPU. The GPU is also 60% faster, which is great for running AI models. Plus, with faster storage, you are opening and saving larger files in a jiffy.
I could just go to photos and open a 4K video shot on the iPhone 16 Pro for an easy edit and adjust all aspects of the one-minute long video without any lag. I made the colours pop out a bit, and switched the audio to in-frame with a higher intensity. I hit done, and the video was saved. Not even a second of rendering. For a tougher workflow involving editing and merging multiple 4K video clips, I used iMovie and the experience was similar. For those who want to use something more pro-grade, like Davinci Resolve Studio, there should be no problem at all. The MacBook won’t complain at all.
Incidentally, we are in times where this kind of raw compute power is colliding with advancement in AI, the most disruptive technology of our times. This MacBook Pro is the kind of device you would invest in if you are planning to run on-device LLMs that don’t expose your data to the Internet. I tried to solve some of my data problems and get insights using MstyStudio running on the device.
This was my first time running a model that was not connected to the web, and I did not know what to expect. After a couple of minutes with a CSV file of over 100,000 rows of content data, the model gave me great insights that I would otherwise have missed. I am a novice, and I am sure there are better ways of using these AI tools to do everything from data modelling to video improvements on device.
The sheer power also makes this a good gaming device, especially when hooked to a larger screen and used with accessories. I have never been good at gaming, but I can see my 14-year-old eyeing this device for some sessions of eSoccer and Minecraft.
The MacBook Pro comes with a 12MP Centrestage camera for all your video conferencing needs. And for those who have to do product demos etc, there is the desk video option, now built into the device. The six-speaker sound system gives you the best experience when you are consuming content or gaming. I would say this is also the loudest speakers I have heard in a laptop.
I am still adjusting to macOS Tahoe, especially with app discovery. Strangely, I did find the device getting stuck at times, especially when I was trying to download an app from the App Store. I feel there might be another Tahoe update in the works soon.
Starting at Rs 1,69,900, the new MacBook Pro M5 is a complete device that, despite being sleek and light, can take on the toughest workflows you can throw at it. I guess the raw power of the M5 will result in more people figuring out how to run secure AI models on a device, keeping their data to themselves. If you are planning something like this, then opting for the MacBook Pro M5 is a no-brainer, especially if you are using a device that is running M2 or earlier processors.
