Apple is gradually updating its MacBook lineup with in-house chipsets. The Cupertino giant launched the 13-inch MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Pro M1 last year in November. And now, the brand has plans to refresh the 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro models with a new M1X chipset.
The first-gen M1 chipset is already a huge step up in terms of performance and battery efficiency. So it will be interesting to find out what the new M1X powered MacBook Pro’s bring to the table.
The upcoming MacBook Pro is expected to get a design refresh with slimmer bezels and a more squared look. Surprisingly, Apple will be removing the iconic touch-bar to make space for physical keys. The laptop is also likely to feature a new Mini-LED display, M1X chipset and up to 64GB RAM.
A new report suggests that Apple has begun volume production of the new MacBook models. We have also learnt that these models could arrive as early as November this year.
So while the launch may still be a few weeks away, we know a lot about the upcoming models already. So keep reading to find out everything we know so far about the new MacBook Pro’s.
Apple MacBook Pro 2021 specs and features
–The upcoming MacBook Pro is expected to arrive in two models – 16-inch and 14-inch. Both of which are tipped to arrive with new M1X chipsets. While the launch date is yet to be revealed, the laptops have been spotted in multiple listings, including FCC and Eurasian Economic Commission.
A French site Consomac recently spotted two new Macs in EEC listings with model numbers A2442 and A2485. As reported, the list contains plenty of Mac models. However, most of them are for the software updates coming to the macOS software. Whereas model numbers A2442 and A2485 do not match with any existing models.
–A more recent report from DigiTimes states that Apple has begun mass production of redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. According to the publication, Apple intends to reach a target of 800000 monthly shipments by the end of November.
–The new MacBook Pro’s are said to come in a refreshed design with minimal bezels and a squared-off design. In another important change, Apple plans to remove the touch-bar that has been part of the MacBook Pro lineup since its introduction in 2016.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the touch bar will be replaced by physical keys. Besides this, the MacBook Pro’s will bring plenty of port options, including microSD, HDMI and a few thunderbolts.
–It is also tipped to bring MagSafe charging and a 1080p webcam. A leak from “Dylandkt” adds more weight to the rumour. He claims that both the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 will get upgraded to 1080p webcams alongside the entire Mac lineup.
-Moving further, the new MacBook Pro’s are supposed to feature Mini LED displays. Popular analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously hinted the production of Mini-LED powered MacBook Pro’s to take place in the third quarter of 2021.
A new report published by Digitimes Asia states that MacBook Pro 16 and MacBook Pro 14 have entered mass production.
–A previous report from Bloomberg revealed that Apple is planning two different chips for the MacBook Pros. These chipsets codenamed Jade C-Chop, and Jade C-Die, will include eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores.
Additionally, these chipsets will be offered in either 16 or 32 graphics core variations. In comparison, the current M1 chipset has four high-performance cores, four energy-efficient cores and eight graphics cores.
–There’s a lot of confusion about the chipset name. While some believe it will be called M2, others hint towards M1X. Twitter leaker Dylan says that the M1X branding is correct.
He further describes the chipset as an extension of M1 with more CPU and GPU cores. The leaker was accurate with the predictions about the M1 iMac, so there may be something to the claim.
–These upcoming chipsets can include up to 64GB of RAM, while the RAM capacity on M1 Macs is capped to 16GB. They’ll also bring an improved neural engine that will be capable of processing complex machine-learning tasks.
-Apple might borrow the improved heat dissipation system from the current 16-inch MacBook Pro model to cool these powerful chipsets.
The thermal system of the 16-inch MacBook Pro was improved by increasing the size of the heat pipe, adding thermal pads, and increasing the size of the heat sink by 35 per cent. So, it’s likely that the same thermal system will be used on the new MacBook Pros.
Apple MacBook Pro launch date
The upcoming MacBook Pro’s were supposed to arrive during the spring-loaded event, but that didn’t happen. And we are still waiting for a confirmation on the launch date. A recent report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman states that the upcoming laptops will arrive in the coming months.
A few previous reports also suggested the launch to take place in October-November. So the rumoured timeline may be true.
Apple MacBook Pro India price
Currently, there’s no information about the pricing of the new MacBook Pro. The base model of the current-gen MacBook Pro is available for Rs 1,99,900. Keeping that and the expected changes in mind, we predict the laptop to be priced similarly.
