Review: The new MacBook Pro is a Creative’s dream
MANILA, Philippines – The Mac’s reputation for being the go-to device for creative professionals is amplified by the MacBook Pro.
The new M5 chip inhabiting the classic MacBook style has made this laptop a powerhouse for video and photo editing. Besides that, it’s also capable of playing compatible games at its highest quality.
Running on M5 Max
The device I got to try and bring around to work was the 14-inch MacBook Pro carrying the M5 Max chip.
Apple’s most advanced chip made for the MacBook, it promised brilliant performance for the most demanding softwares.
While I’m no 3D artist, graphic designer, or professional video editor, I always require a high-powered laptop for my multiple tabs, projects, and even Canva edits.
This laptop, however, was definitely designed for those that require more intense tasks.
The M5 Max as the best chip on its line boasts Apple’s fastest CPU, up to 18 cores and an up to 40-core GPU. This not only means performance on apps or software, but the number of applications it can handle without sacrificing speed or power.
The M5 Max has 128gb memory with a 614GB/s memory bandwidth compared to its counterparts, the base M5 and the M5 Pro.
Combined with Apple’s better storage distribution, working on the new MacBook Pro feels easy, seamless, and genuinely makes one feel more productive.
I wrote this review using the MacBook Pro with multiple apps, tabs, and even a steam game running in the background.
Easy to carry, but sacrifices the ports
Working on this laptop feels satisfying, and it’s easy to carry around for those that need to be on-the-go.
The MacBook Pro is not bulky and weighs just 1.62kg. The M5 weighs 1.55kg, while the M5 Pro weighs 1.60kg.
However, with its weight and minimalist design, it does sacrifice the ports. There is no USB-A port, as the device only comes with three USB-C ports. It also has an HDMI port, headphone jack, and an SDXC card slot.
An external or adapter will still be needed for those that need USB-A ports or for those that want to plug in an ethernet cable.
This is one of the downsides of the MacBook Pro is its limit on ports, especially for the creative professionals who have more need of those.
READ: Review: I brought the new MacBook Neo to work for a week
Next, the MagSafe 3 charging port allows for safe and fast charging, but with the MacBook Pro’s 24-hour battery life, you won’t have to find a plug for the hours you’re outside. To test this, I stayed out all day with the MacBook Pro, purposely leaving its charger at home.
More powerful AI
To add to Apple’s strategic way of dividing its processing workloads, the MacBook Pro features a 16-core Neural Engine. The M5 can deliver up to 4x faster AI performance than the previous generation and up to 8x faster performance than the M1 series.
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The Neural Engine is a dedicated processor designed to accelerate machine learning and AI tasks. By working alongside the CPU and GPU, it helps AI-powered features run faster and more efficiently while reducing overall power consumption.
Overall, the MacBook Pro is one of the most satisfying laptops to work on. It’s design is already its own status symbol, and with a powerful CPU/GPU, this makes it an on-the-go creative’s dream come true.
