Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) Laptop Review

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Reviewed Dec 18, 2023 at 11:36 am
Latest change: Writing modified Sep 16, 2024 at 09:24 am
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) Picture
8.6
School
7.8
Gaming
8.5
Multimedia
9.1
Workstation
8.5
Business

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is a 16-inch premium workstation laptop. It replaces the M2 Apple MacBook Pro 16 from early 2023. Except for the new Space Black color, this late 2023 model is identical in design to its M2 predecessor. The M3 Pro/Max SoCs bring increased memory support (up to 128GB) as well as features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AV1 decoding. It has the same but slightly brighter 120Hz ProMotion Liquid Retina XDR display. Its port selection remains the same with three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI 2.1, a full-size SD card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe charging port.

You can see our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.

Our Verdict

8.6 School

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 is excellent for school use. It feels exceptionally well-built thanks to its full-aluminum chassis, and its battery lasts easily through a typical school day with plenty of charge to spare. Its 16-inch display gives you plenty of room for multitasking and gets bright enough to combat glare, even in well-lit settings. The keyboard feels great to type on, and the touchpad is large and responsive. Its M3 Pro/Max SoCs can handle nearly any workload, making it suitable for students in fields like graphic design or 3D animation. It isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch laptop but is fairly heavy.

Pros
  • Not overly bulky for a 16-inch laptop.
  • All-day battery life.
  • M3 Pro/Max SoCs can handle demanding workloads.
  • Comfortable keyboard and large, easy-to-use haptic touchpad.
  • Wide port selection with Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1.
Cons
  • No USB-A ports.
7.8 Gaming

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 has enough processing power to run demanding games; however, very few games are optimized for its ARM-based SoC, and running games through Rosetta 2 can result in poor performance or graphical glitches, depending on the game. Also, the display's response time is quite slow even though it has a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in noticeable ghosting in fast-moving scenes. On the upside, its SoC doesn't throttle under load, and the laptop doesn't get hot or loud.

Pros
  • M3 Pro/Max SoCs can handle demanding workloads.
  • Wide port selection with Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1.
  • Minimal performance loss under load.
  • 120Hz display.
Cons
  • RAM and storage aren't user-replaceable.
  • Display has slow response time.
8.5 Multimedia

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 is great for media consumption. It has a large, sharp, and colorful display that gets bright enough for a true HDR experience, and thanks to its Mini LED backlight, it can display deep, inky blacks, making it fantastic for dark room viewing. The speakers get very loud and sound full and well-balanced with a good amount of bass. Battery life is outstanding at nearly 13 hours of video playback, enough time to get through multiple full-length movies and TV show episodes. Portability is so-so; it isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch device but is fairly heavy.

Pros
  • Not overly bulky for a 16-inch laptop.
  • All-day battery life.
  • Sharp, bright display with high contrast, 100% DCI P3 coverage, and superb factory calibration.
  • Speakers get very loud.
  • Full-sounding speakers with a good amount of bass.
Cons
  • Display doesn't support touch input.
9.1 Workstation

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 is an outstanding workstation. Its M3 Pro/Max SoCs can handle even the most demanding workloads, including tasks like programming, video editing, Al development, and 3D rendering. Additionally, it has a sharp display with full DCI P3 coverage and superb calibration, making it suitable for color-critical work. Its excellent port selection includes a full-size HDMI, three USB-Cs/Thunderbolt 4s, and an SD card reader, so you can easily connect peripherals and external displays. It doesn't throttle under load, and while its fans are audible, they aren't overly distracting. The only downside is that the memory and storage aren't user-replaceable.

Pros
  • M3 Pro/Max SoCs can handle demanding workloads.
  • Comfortable keyboard and large, easy-to-use haptic touchpad.
  • Sharp, bright display with high contrast, 100% DCI P3 coverage, and superb factory calibration.
  • Wide port selection with Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1.
  • Minimal performance loss under load.
Cons
  • RAM and storage aren't user-replaceable.
8.5 Business

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 is excellent for business use. It has a large, bright display, a comfortable keyboard, a gigantic haptic touchpad, and an excellent 1080p webcam. Its wide port selection includes a full-size HDMI and three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, so you can easily connect peripherals or an external display for presentations. Apple's M3 Pro/Max SoCs can easily handle tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations, and thanks to its power-efficient design, the battery lasts easily through a typical 8-hour day with plenty of charge to spare. Portability-wise, it isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch device, but it's on the heavier side.

Pros
  • Not overly bulky for a 16-inch laptop.
  • All-day battery life.
  • Comfortable keyboard and large, easy-to-use haptic touchpad.
  • Outstanding 1080p webcam.
  • Wide port selection with Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1.
Cons
  • RAM and storage aren't user-replaceable.
  • No USB-A ports.
  • 8.6 School
  • 7.8 Gaming
  • 8.5 Multimedia
  • 9.1 Workstation
  • 8.5 Business
  1. Updated Sep 16, 2024: Added mention of the Dell Precision 5690 (2024) as a Windows alternative with more powerful GPU options for professional workloads in the GPU section.
  2. Updated Jul 26, 2024: We've retested the speakers, as we've mistakenly posted results from the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2019). The M3 model's speakers sound more well-balanced, with slightly more bass, but don't get as loud.
  3. Updated Dec 18, 2023: Review published.
  4. Updated Dec 08, 2023: Early access published.
  5. Updated Nov 28, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated Nov 21, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  7. Updated Nov 14, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the Apple MacBook Pro 2023 with an M3 Max SoC (16-core CPU, 40-core GPU), 48GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. The SoC, RAM, and storage are configurable; the available options are in the table below.

Screen
  • 16.2" IPS 3456 x 2234 120Hz (Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion)
SoC
  • M3 Pro 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 150GB/s memory bandwidth
  • M3 Max 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 300GB/s memory bandwidth
  • M3 Max 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 400GB/s memory bandwidth
 Memory
  • 18GB LP-DDR5 6400MHz (M3 Pro only)
  • 36GB LP-DDR5 6400MHz (M3 Pro and M3 Max with 30-core GPU only)
  • 48GB LP-DDR5 6400MHz (M3 Max with 40-core GPU only)
  • 64GB LP-DDR5 6400MHz (M3 Max with 40-core GPU only)
  • 96GB LP-DDR5 6400MHz (M3 Max with 30-core GPU only)
  • 128GB LP-DDR5 6400MHz (M3 Max with 40-core GPU only)
Storage
  • 512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
  • 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
  • 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
  • 4TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
  • 8TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD 
Color
  • Space Black
  • Silver

You can see our unit's label here.

Compared To Other Laptops

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 is one of the best laptops on the market. It stands out for its exceptional build quality, as well as the quality of its display, touchpad, speakers, and webcam. Although there are faster CPUs and GPUs on the market, none are as power-efficient as Apple's in-house SoCs. Their efficiency gives the MacBook Pro a longer battery life than almost any other high-performance workstation.

For more options, check out our recommendations for the best workstation laptops, the best video editing laptops, and the best laptops for graphic design.

Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is much better than the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) for most uses. The MacBook Pro is a much more powerful device designed for demanding workloads like content creation, while the MacBook Air is an ultraportable designed for general productivity tasks. While both devices sport a nice display, the MacBook Pro's is much more advanced, as it has a Mini LED backlight, allowing for local dimming, and it gets significantly brighter, up to 1600 cd/m² in HDR. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate (60Hz on the MacBook Air), improving motion smoothness and system responsiveness. Other improved features on the MacBook Pro include a wider port selection with better multi-display support, better-sounding, up-firing speakers, and a better active cooling system, allowing for better performance in heavy, sustained workloads.

Dell XPS 15 (2023)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is better than the Dell XPS 15 (2023) for most uses. The MacBook Pro 16 has a brighter Mini LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a significantly better webcam, a wider port selection, better performance, and longer battery life. Also, it doesn't get as hot or loud as the XPS 15. However, the XPS 15 is more portable, and it has user-replaceable RAM and storage, allowing you to replace or upgrade the components yourself.

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2019)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is a newer version of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2019). The newer 2023 is better in almost every way. While the 2023 model has many design changes that improve the overall user experience, like a brighter 120Hz Mini LED display, a wider port selection, and full-size physical function keys, the most notable improvement is Apple's move from Intel CPUs and AMD GPUs to its in-house ARM-based SoC. The M3 chip is significantly faster and more power efficient, so not only do you get more processing power, but you also get much longer battery life and lower fan noise. At this point, there's no reason to get the 2019 MacBook Pro over the Apple silicon MacBook Pros.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605

Although the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 are both high-performance 16-inch laptops, they're very different in their intended use, as the MacBook Pro is a workstation designed for intensive tasks like video editing and 3D graphics, while the ASUS is a primarily a gaming laptop. The ASUS can also handle professional workloads, as it has a good amount of processing power (especially on the GPU side); however, it still lags behind the MacBook Pro in CPU performance, as its Intel Meteor Lake CPUs aren't quite as fast as Apple's top-end M3 Max SoC. Another notable difference between these two laptops is battery life; Apple's M3 SoC is far more efficient, giving the MacBook Pro around 13 hours of battery life in light uses compared to the ASUS laptop's six to seven hours.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)

The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) is a smaller, more portable version of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023). The 14-inch has more SoC configuration options, including a base M3 chip with 8 CPU and 10 GPU cores, as well as an M3 Pro chip with 11 CPU and 14 GPU cores. The only other difference is that the 16-inch has slightly better-sounding speakers with more bass and treble extension.

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is a newer version of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021). Except for a new Space Black color, they're identical in design, as all the improvements are internal. The M3 MacBook Pro 16 has a slightly brighter display, better performance, and longer battery life. The M3 Pro/Max SoCs also add hardware-accelerated ray tracing, AV1 decoding, and increased memory support (up to 128GB).

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) are very different laptops. The MacBook Pro is a mobile workstation, while the ASUS is a gaming laptop. Both provide a great user experience overall, though the MacBook comes out slightly ahead, as it has a brighter Mini LED display and much longer battery life. Also, although the MacBook Pro's display isn't flicker-free, its flicker frequency is much higher and less bothersome than the ASUS laptop's OLED display, which flickers at 120Hz. Performance-wise, the MacBook Pro can get much more CPU processing power. The ASUS has better raw GPU performance if you get a model with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, but remember that for tasks like video editing, the MacBook Pro's M3 SoC has dedicated video encoders and decoders that do most of the heavy lifting.

Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) are both premium laptops but designed for different users. The MacBook Pro 16 is a workstation intended for demanding workloads like video editing and 3D modeling, while the MacBook Air 13 is an ultraportable intended for light, general productivity tasks. You get significantly more processing power on the MacBook Pro 16 as well as more premium features, like a 120Hz Mini LED display, a wider port selection, and better-sounding speakers.

Dell XPS 16 (2024)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is better than the Dell XPS 16 (2024) for most uses. The MacBook Pro 16 provides a better user experience overall, as its Mini LED has a higher peak brightness to combat glare and deliver a better HDR experience, and its keyboard and touchpad are easier to use and adapt to. It has better-sounding speakers, a wider port selection, and a significantly longer battery life. You can also get more processing power from the MacBook Pro 16. That said, the XPS 16 is a more versatile device because it's much better for gaming than the MacBook Pro. Not only are there more games that run on Windows than macOS, but you also get better graphics drivers, optimization, and features like DLSS and Frame Generation on the XPS 16.

ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024)

The ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) are both high-end 16-inch laptops, although they're intended for different use cases. The ASUS is a gaming laptop, while the Apple is a mobile workstation. However, the ASUS can also handle professional workloads, as it has a good amount of processing power, and its GPU and CPU performance exceeds the MacBook Pro's M3 Max SoC. Apple's M3 SoC is far more efficient, though; the MacBook Pro's battery will last around 13 hours in light uses compared to the ASUS laptop's six hours. Finally, the Apple laptop provides a much better user experience overall with a superior touchpad, keyboard, speakers, and webcam. 

Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M2, 2023)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is a newer and bigger version of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M2, 2023). The MacBook Pro 16 is slightly better, as it has a brighter display, better performance, better-sounding speakers, and longer battery life. The MacBook Pro 16's M3 Pro/Max SoCs also add hardware-accelerated ray tracing, AV1 decoding, and increased memory support (up to 128GB). On the other hand, the MacBook Pro 14 is more portable due to its smaller size.

Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) and the Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) are very different. The MacBook is a premium mobile workstation designed for demanding tasks like 3D modeling, video editing, and scientific simulations, while the Dell is an upper mid-range gaming model. You can perform intensive tasks and get even better performance on the Dell, as it's available with up to an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU; however, the overall user experience isn't as good as on the MacBook. Also, the Dell laptop's Intel CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs can't match Apple's M3 Pro/Max SoCs' power efficiency, leading to significantly shorter battery life.

Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024)

The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) are both outstanding 16-inch workstation laptops that provide a great user experience overall. Apple's M3 Pro/Max SoCs have more CPU processing power, but you can get better graphical performance on the ThinkPad if you go with one of the higher-end GPU configurations, like an RTX 4070 or RTX 3000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. If you want a device that you can also game on, then the ThinkPad would be a better choice because it has a 165Hz panel option with a faster response time, and there are more games on Windows. The MacBook Pro is a better option if your work requires a lot of RAM, as it's configurable with up to 128GB of memory, whereas the Lenovo maxes out at 64GB (user-upgradeable to 96GB).

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is much better than the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020). The MacBook Pro is a higher-end device with more advanced or 'Pro' features, like a brighter 120Hz Mini LED display, better-sounding speakers, a higher resolution webcam, and a wider port selection with better multi-display support. It also packs more processing power to handle demanding tasks like video editing and 3D graphics.

Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both premium laptops; however, the MacBook Pro 16 is a significantly more powerful device designed for demanding workloads, while the MacBook Air 15 is best suited for lighter productivity tasks. The MacBook Pro 16 is better overall; it has a bigger and brighter display with a 120Hz refresh rate, better-sounding speakers, a wider port selection with multi-monitor support, and longer battery life. On the other hand, the MacBook Air 15 is more portable, and unlike the MacBook Pro 16, it has a fanless design.

HP ZBook Power G11 A (2024)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is much better than the HP ZBook Power G11 A (2024) for most uses. It offers a much better user experience, with an industry-leading Mini-LED display, up-firing speakers, a huge haptic touchpad, and a fantastic keyboard. The MacBook also takes the performance crown, as its M3 Max and Pro SoC's outperform every CPU option from the HP. However, one place the HP excels over the MacBook is customizability. The HP offers an almost overwhelming number of configurations, so it's easy to scale up or down your device depending on your performance needs. The HP also features user-replaceable RAM and storage, something which isn't available on the MacBook.

Dell Precision 5690 (2024)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is better than the Dell Precision 5690 (2024) overall. While both are premium workstations, the Apple edges out the Dell in terms of user experience overall. It has a nicer Mini LED display by default (the Dell has a great UHD+ OLED option, but you have to pay more for it) and a more tactile keyboard. It also gives you significantly more CPU processing power to tackle highly intensive workloads. On the other hand, although the M3 Max's GPU is no slouch, the Dell has options for much more powerful discrete GPUs, up to NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. If your workflow requires this extra graphical horsepower, the Dell is the better choice.

Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024)

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) are both outstanding 16-inch workstation laptops. In terms of the overall build and user experience, the MacBook Pro comes out ahead, as it has a sturdy all-aluminum chassis, a larger and more responsive haptic touchpad, better-sounding speakers, and a higher-quality webcam. It also has longer battery life and doesn't get as hot or loud under load. Both laptops can handle demanding workloads; however, the Lenovo is a better option if you're looking for raw GPU performance, as its higher-end GPU configurations, like the NVIDIA RTX 4000 and 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPUs are much faster than the M3 Max SoC's GPU. The Lenovo has a few advantages over the MacBook Pro: its memory and storage drive are user-replaceable, and it's available with cellular connectivity.

Framework Laptop 16 (2023)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is a much better laptop for most use cases than the Framework Laptop 16 (2023). With Apple's M3 SoC, the Macbook Pro is a very capable mobile workstation that offers a much more premium user experience than the Framework with its Mini LED display, large touchpad, spacious keyboard, and fantastic up-firing speakers. It also features much better battery life than the Framework laptop. By contrast, if you want to game, then the Framework is the better choice as it offers far better performance than the Apple. This is partly because very few games are optimized for its ARM-based SoC, and running games through Rosetta 2 can result in poor performance or graphical glitches, depending on the game. Finally, the modular port system on the Framework offers much better versatility, as you can swap out ports on the go.  

Dell Precision 3591 (2024)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is much better than the Dell Precision 3591 (2024) in almost every way. The MacBook Pro is a higher-end device with a more premium build and provides a better user experience overall. It has a nicer Mini LED display, a more tactile keyboard, a larger and more responsive touchpad, better-sounding speakers, and a significantly longer battery life. It also gives you more processing power to tackle highly intensive workloads.

+ Show more

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 resembles the first Apple-silicon Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021). It has a sleek, premium design with a somewhat boxy aluminum chassis, thin bezels, a centered notch, up-firing speakers on each side of the keyboard, and a gigantic glass touchpad. The vents are on the bottom and at the back of the laptop. You can still get this laptop in Silver, but Apple has retired the Space Gray color on the 16-inch model and replaced it with Space Black, which is just a darker gray.

9.5
Design
Build Quality

This laptop's build quality is exceptional and is considered by many to be the gold standard in the laptop industry. It has a sturdy all-aluminum chassis that exhibits little to no flex, with a finish that doesn't scratch easily. The new Space Black color supposedly has a more smudge-resistant coating; it still picks up fingerprints and smudges, just less than other dark-color finishes. The hinges, feet, and glass touchpad feel solid. The whole device feels hefty, with evenly distributed weight. The only common complaint is that the keycaps pick up oil and smudges very easily and develop a shine within only a few months of regular use.

9.1
Design
Hinge
Range
135°
Stability
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes

The hinge is outstanding. It feels smooth when opening and closing the lid, with just the right amount of resistance to provide stability while allowing for a one-handed lift. There's almost no wobble when moving the laptop or typing aggressively.

7.2
Design
Portability
Size
16"
Thickness
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Width
14.0" (35.5 cm)
Depth
9.8" (24.8 cm)
Volume
91.3 in³ (1,496.7 cm³)
Weight
4.8 lbs (2.2 kg)
Charger Size
13.3 in³ (218.3 cm³)
Charger Weight
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop is fairly heavy. It isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch device, but it's a 16-inch device nonetheless and likely won't fit into smaller bags. Thankfully, the power adapter is compact and lightweight.

3.5
Design
Serviceability
Ease Of Access
6.0
RAM Slots
0
Storage Slots
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's serviceability is bad, as only the battery is replaceable. On the upside, accessing the internals doesn't take too much effort. Like previous MacBook Pros with Apple silicon, you only need to remove eight P5 screws, pry the panel open with a tool, pull the panel towards the bottom of the laptop, and then upwards to remove it.

Design
In The Box

  • 140W power adapter
  • USB-C to MagSafe charging cable
  • Documentation
  • Apple stickers

Display
Display
Screen Specs
Resolution
3456 x 2234
Aspect Ratio
16:10
Pixel Density
254 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
Touch Screen
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
91%

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's Liquid Retina XDR display looks remarkably sharp. Its 16:10 aspect ratio is great for productivity, as it gives you more vertical space than a standard 16:9 screen, allowing you to see more information when reading a document without having to scroll. The downside is that you'll almost always have black bars at the top and bottom when watching standard 16:9 videos. The notch doesn't actually cut into the 16:10 display; Apple added extra space beside the notch to house the menu bar. You can hide the notch if it bothers you, though you'd lose the space beside it.

8.7
Display
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Apple ProMotion

The Apple MacBook Pro's display supports ProMotion, meaning its refresh rate can ramp up to 120Hz depending on the task or content on the screen, similar to VRR. This adaptive technology makes motion appear smoother and the system more responsive, but it also helps extend battery life when the content on the screen is inactive. It works like other VRR technologies; however, the application needs to support it to be functional. It's worth noting that you can't set the refresh rate to a fixed 120Hz as there's only a 'ProMotion' setting for any refresh rate above 60Hz. Unfortunately, the response time is quite slow, resulting in visible ghosting behind fast-moving objects.

10
Display
Contrast
Native Contrast
51,150 : 1

The Apple MacBook Pro has a superb contrast ratio thanks to its Mini LED backlight (10,000 Mini LEDs). Blacks look deep and inky, making it well-suited for dark rooms and for viewing HDR content. You may see some blooming around bright objects because the Mini LED backlight doesn't have pixel-level control like OLED panels.

9.1
Display
Brightness
Maximum Brightness
601 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
3 cd/m²

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's display brightness is outstanding. It gets bright enough to combat glare in most settings, even outdoors in broad daylight, though you may have some trouble seeing darker content in direct sunlight. The screen also gets very dim to provide a more comfortable viewing experience in dark rooms.

The display does get up to 1600 cd/m² in HDR, as Apple claims. Here are the results at various window sizes.

HDR Brightness:

  • 2% Peak: 1481.2 cd/m²
  • 2% Sustained: 1475.3 cd/m²
  • 10% Peak: 1632.8 cd/m²
  • 10% Sustained: 1629.9 cd/m²
  • 25% Peak: 1641.7 cd/m²
  • 25% Sustained: 1628.5 cd/m²
  • 50% Peak: 1607.6 cd/m²
  • 50% Sustained: 1599.4 cd/m²
  • 100% Peak: 1191.8 cd/m²
  • 100% Sustained:1188 cd/m²

8.8
Display
Reflections
Screen Finish
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.83%
Indirect Reflections
0.16%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.67%

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's reflection handling is excellent. Its glossy finish only struggles with direct reflections, so it's best to avoid having bright lights directly behind you, as these reflections are visible even with the screen at maximum brightness.

10
Display
Black Uniformity
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.179%

The display's black uniformity is superb. There's some blooming around bright objects because the Mini LED backlight doesn't have pixel-level control like an OLED panel, but it's barely noticeable.

6.6
Display
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Left
26°
Color Washout From Right
28°
Color Shift From Left
31°
Color Shift From Right
34°
Brightness Loss From Left
30°
Brightness Loss From Right
30°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
30°
Gamma Shift From Right
31°

The display's horizontal viewing angle is okay. The image looks good enough from the side for sharing casual content or text documents, but it's best to be close or directly in front of the screen if you need perfect accuracy for color-critical work.

6.6
Display
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Below
26°
Color Washout From Above
29°
Color Shift From Below
35°
Color Shift From Above
33°
Brightness Loss From Below
31°
Brightness Loss From Above
32°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
27°
Gamma Shift From Above
28°

The display's vertical viewing angle is okay. Again, the image looks washed out when viewed from above or below. You need to look at the screen more or less straight on to see an accurate image.

9.9
Display
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
Avg. White Balance dE
1.45
Avg. Gamma
2.24
Avg. Color dE
0.94
Avg. Color Temperature
6,718.9 K

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's out-of-the-box accuracy is superb. The white balance and color inaccuracies are extremely minor and hard to spot. The color temperature is on the cooler side, but only by a small amount, not enough to make much difference visually. The gamma is pretty good; it's just a little too dark in dark scenes. This level of accuracy is suitable for color-critical work like photo and video editing.

9.5
Display
Color Gamut
sRGB xy
99.94%
sRGB uv
99.76%
Adobe RGB xy
89.32%
Adobe RGB uv
94.31%
DCI P3 xy
99.81%
DCI P3 uv
99.59%
Rec. 2020 xy
73.15%
Rec. 2020 uv
74.31%

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's color gamut is outstanding. It has full sRGB coverage, meaning it can display all the colors used in most online content. It also has full DCI P3 coverage, making it suitable for viewing and producing HDR content. Its Adobe RGB coverage is excellent, but it might not be wide enough for professional print photography, as it's missing the saturated greens that define Adobe RGB.

9.0
Display
Flicker
Flicker-Free
No
Flicker Frequency
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
100%

The display isn't flicker-free, but the flickering isn't noticeable because the flicker frequency is extremely fast (15kHz).

Interface
8.0
Interface
Keyboard
Typing Quality
8.0
Numpad
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Operating Force
62 gf
Actuation Force
38 gf
Pre-Travel
0.78 mm
Total Travel
0.85 mm

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop has a great keyboard. The layout feels spacious and is exactly like all other MacBooks, so it won't take long to get used to it if you've used a Mac before. The keys are stable, don't require much force to actuate and provide good tactile feedback. The travel distance is quite short, which some people might not like, as when combined with the keyboard deck's stiffness, it can feel like typing on a very hard surface and cause fatigue over time, especially if you're a heavy typer. Typing noise is very low and isn't a problem in quiet environments. You can adjust the backlight brightness via the control panel or system settings.

9.7
Interface
Touchpad
Tracking Quality
9.5
Size
24.8 in² (160.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's touchpad is outstanding. It's large, responsive, and easy to use. It tracks all movements and gestures well, and there's no issue with palm rejection. Like other MacBooks, it uses a haptic engine to simulate the clicks instead of physical buttons, allowing you to click anywhere on the touchpad. This is easily among the best touchpads on the market.

9.1
Interface
Speakers
Max Volume
78 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
3.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
0.6
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
112 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
2.6 dB

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop has excellent speakers. They get pretty loud with minimal compression artifacts at high volume levels, and they sound full and natural, with a good amount of bass. Like the touchpad, these speakers are among the best on the market.

9.1
Interface
Webcam & Microphone
Video Quality
9.5
Resolution
1080p
Position
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
Face Unlock
No

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's webcam is outstanding. The image looks detailed and well-exposed, with true-to-life colors. Voices sound loud and clear over the microphone, with no background noise.

Connectivity
8.5
Connectivity
Ports
USB-A Ports
0
USB-C Ports
3
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
HDMI
2.1
DisplayPort
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
SD UHS 2
Ethernet
No
Proprietary Port
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's port selection is excellent. All three USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gbps data transfer rate and two 4k displays at 60Hz), USB4, charging, and DisplayPort. External monitor support changes depending on the SoC. The M3 Pro supports up to two 6k displays at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, or one 6k 60Hz display over Thunderbolt and one 4k 144Hz display over HDMI. Alternatively, it can support one 8k 60Hz or 4k 240Hz display over HDMI. The M3 Max supports up to three 6k displays at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one 4k 144Hz display over HDMI or two 6k 60Hz displays over Thunderbolt and one 4k 240Hz (or 8k at 60Hz) over HDMI.

Connectivity
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.3

We can't confirm the exact model of the wireless adapter. Wi-Fi 6E has faster speeds, lower latency, and less signal interference than previous Wi-Fi standards. However, you need a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E to benefit from these features.

Configuration
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Model
M3 Max
Core Count
16
Thread Count
16

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop is available with the following SoCs:

  • M3 Pro 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 150GB/s memory bandwidth
  • M3 Max 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 300GB/s memory bandwidth
  • M3 Max 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 400GB/s memory bandwidth

All three SoCs (System-on-Chip) can handle demanding tasks like video editing, programming, and 3D graphics, so the choice depends on how smooth an experience you expect and how fast you want to complete tasks. Compared to their M2 Pro/Max predecessors, the changes include increased memory support (up to 128GB), faster performance, and the addition of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AV1 decoding. The latter helps improve performance and conserve battery when watching AV1-encoded videos like on YouTube and Netflix. One notable change is the reduction in memory bandwidth; the M3 Pro has a 50GB/s reduction (compared to the M2 Pro), while the M3 Max chip with a 14-core CPU has a 100GB/s reduction. Whether these memory bandwidth reductions are noticeable in actual use depends entirely on your workload. If you have memory-intensive tasks involving Machine Learning or anything that requires large data sets, it's probably best to get an M3 Max model.

Configuration
GPU
Brand
Apple
Model
M3 Max
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop uses integrated graphics. You can't change the GPU configuration without changing the CPU portion of the SoC. The M3 Pro/Max's GPU can handle demanding tasks; the choice depends entirely on your workload. You can play graphically intensive games, but the performance will rely heavily on the game itself, as few games run natively on Apple silicon. If you're open to a Windows workstation and need more powerful GPU options for professional workloads, consider the Dell Precision 5690 (2024).

Configuration
RAM
Capacity
48 GB
Modules
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR5
Speed
6,400 MHz

This laptop is available with 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, or 96GB of RAM. However, there are limitations to the configuration. The M3 Pro model is configurable with 18GB or 36GB, while the M3 Max model with a 30-core GPU is configurable with 36GB or 96GB. The top-end M3 Max model with a 40-core GPU is configurable with 48GB, 64GB, or 128GB.

Configuration
Storage
Advertised Capacity
1,000 GB
Usable Capacity
966 GB
Drive 1
Apple SSD AP1024Z
Drive 1 Type SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type No 2nd Drive

You can configure this laptop with 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB of storage. The storage isn't user-replaceable.

Performance
9.9
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
CPU Single-Thread
2,354 points
CPU Multi-Thread
22,973 points
GPU Compute
99,702 points

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop with an M3 Max (16-core GPU) SoC performs exceptionally well in the Geekbench 5 benchmarks. It can handle nearly every type of workload, including light productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing and more demanding workloads like programming and AI development. The GPU is also well-suited for intensive tasks. The GPU compute score may seem low compared to Windows laptops with a discrete GPU, but keep in mind that the media engines do most of the heavy lifting in tasks that can utilize them, so it isn't fully representative of the SoC's performance.

10
Performance
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
Single-Thread
1,915 points
Multi-Thread
24,046 points

The overall score in Cinebench R23 is superb. The M3 Max SoC with 16 CPU cores has no problems handling intensive, multi-threaded applications and heavy multitasking. The M3 Pro with 12 CPU cores and the M3 Max with 14 CPU cores have the same single-thread performance but will be slower in multi-threaded workloads.

9.3
Performance
Blender (3D Rendering)
CPU Render Time
1.5 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A

The Apple MacBook Pro 2023 is well suited for Blender work. The M3 Pro/Max SoC can easily handle demanding 3D rendering tasks. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the GPU render time, as there wasn't an option to use GPU rendering in Blender.

9.5
Performance
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
Overall Score
99,985

The top-end M3 Max SoC with a 40-core GPU scores remarkably well in the Basemark GPU benchmark. The score is in the same ballpark as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, an entry-level graphics processor; however, real-world performance will likely be very different, as gaming performance on a Mac depends heavily on each game's optimization.

9.2
Performance
Storage Drive Performance
Sequential Write Speed
5,626.4 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
2,652.1 MB/s
Random Write Speed
47.1 MB/s
Random Read Speed
47.5 MB/s

The storage drive performance is outstanding. Its fast read and write speeds allow the system to quickly boot up, launch apps, and transfer files. The sequential read speed is lower than expected but still very fast. The larger-capacity drives are likely faster, as SSD speeds typically increase with storage size.

9.4
Performance
Battery
Capacity
100 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
13.2 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
12.8 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
1.9 hrs
Charge Time
2.0 hrs

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop's battery life is outstanding. It lasts easily through a typical workday of light use on a full charge, maybe even two days, if you take measures to prolong the battery life, like lowering the screen brightness or turning on Low Power Mode. You can expect roughly the same battery life as when gaming if you have a more intensive workload that stresses the CPU and GPU. Models with fewer CPU and GPU cores will likely have slightly longer battery life.

6.5
Performance
Borderlands 3
Avg. FPS
65 fps
1% Low
38 fps
0.1% Low
21 fps
1% Low Delta
11 ms
0.1% Low Delta
32 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
72 fps

Borderlands 3 runs reasonably well at 1080p on the Apple MacBook Pro 2023 with an M3 Max SoC (40-core GPU). You can get over 60 fps with High settings, but there are noticeable stutters due to frame drops. Turning down the graphical settings doesn't improve performance significantly. The M3 Pro SoC will only get to 60 fps with low settings.

7.3
Performance
Civilization VI
Avg. FPS
66 fps
1% Low
47 fps
0.1% Low
43 fps
1% Low Delta
6 ms
0.1% Low Delta
8 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
120 fps
Avg. Turn Time
8.65 s

Every configuration of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 can run Civilization VI smoothly; you just have to lower the graphical settings a bit on models with an M3 Pro or M3 Max (30-core GPU) if 60 fps is a must. The average turn time is okay, though this may be the result of having to run the game via Rosetta 2 since the game doesn't support Apple silicon.

0
Performance
Counter-Strike 2
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
N/A

Counter-Strike 2 doesn't run on macOS, as Valve has discontinued support.

9.0
Performance
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Avg. FPS
134 fps
1% Low
96 fps
0.1% Low
73 fps
1% Low Delta
3 ms
0.1% Low Delta
6 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
157 fps

Shadow of the Tomb Raider runs very well on the Apple MacBook Pro laptop with an M3 Max SoC (40-core GPU). The gameplay is smooth, with only a few occasional stutters. The M3 Pro SoC can handle this game, but you'll have to lower a couple of settings to get over 60 fps.

8.2
Performance
Thermals And Noise
Keyboard Temp While Idle
25 °C (77 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
38 °C (100 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
45.5 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
No

The keyboard deck is cool when idle and only gets mildly warm under load, not enough to cause discomfort by any means. The fans are fairly loud under load, but the noise isn't overly annoying or bothersome.

10
Performance
Performance Over Time
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
93 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
0% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
74 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3's performance over time is superb. Neither the CPU nor the GPU throttles under load.

Additional Features And Software
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
Additional Software
None

The Apple MacBook Pro 2023 ships with macOS Sonoma. There aren't any pre-installed applications other than those that typically come with macOS.

Additional Features And Software
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
Touch Pen
No
Secondary Display
No
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 has a fingerprint sensor built into the power button at the top right corner of the keyboard. You can use it to log in quickly, as well as authorize purchases in the App Store and payments via Apple Pay.