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When Apple's M4 processor came to the MacBook Pro laptop line, we noted how it improved upon the already powerful M3 Pro and M3 Max with smooth performance, a more efficient battery, and a new Thunderbolt 5 port for blazing-fast data transfer speeds. One of the best things about the new M4 MacBook Pro is that it starts at the same price as last year's M3, making it that much easier to consider.
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In the lead-up to Amazon's October Prime Day, which starts on October 7, the MacBook Pro M4 received a nice discount. Every single model is seeing a price drop, so to make things easy, below is a table highlighting the specific build and its new price.
Configuration Price M4 MacBook Pro with 16GB Unified Memory and 512GB SSD $1,399 M4 MacBook Pro with 16GB Unified Memory and 1TB SSD $1,620 M4 MacBook Pro with 24GB Unified Memory and 1TB SSD $1,779 M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB Unified Memory and 512GB SSD $1,798 M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB Unified Memory and 1TB SSD $2,132 M4 Max MacBook Pro with 36GB Unified Memory and 1TB SSD $2,870
Besides the improvements to Apple's proprietary AI, Apple Intelligence, the MacBook M4 Pro and M4 Max have some hardware upgrades -- notably, the USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports -- becoming some of the first laptops on the market to support faster than 120Gbps transfer speeds and 240W charging. For professional creatives who use external GPUs and need a portable system that can move large files in a flash, this alone could make the MacBook Pro M4 a worthy upgrade.
Speaking of displays, the mini LED on the MacBook Pro M4 -- with 1,000 nits of brightness at SDR and 1,600 nits at HDR -- pairs well with the nano-texture coating, resulting in one of the best-looking laptop displays I've seen. The matte layering reduces glare and makes it look better under indoor lighting, while the sheer brightness makes for a high-end visual experience for entertainment and creative tasks.
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The M4's battery life is also improved over its predecessors. Apple advertises up to 24 hours of battery life, the first for any Mac. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro or M4 Max get the full-day rating, while the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro or M4 Max falls just short at 22 hours.
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