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16" M1 Max MacBook Pro Unboxing!

9:59 video

This is the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the internet is going insane for these. It feels like a tank: it weighs 4.8 pounds and feels much heavier in the box. This is the 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR model with the M1 Max (10-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 32 GB of memory and 1 TB SSD): nearly top of the line, missing only up to 8 TB of storage and the 64 GB option. Based on a year of M1 MacBooks, I suspect going from 32 to 64 GB won’t matter as much as people think; the big difference will be from 16 GB to 32 GB. It costs about $3,500 out the gate.

In the box

  • The design is completely flat on top. It feels like a brick, “a really nice feeling brick.”
  • Regulatory info, a quick setup guide and black Pro stickers (you know you’re a pro if you get the black stickers).
  • A 140 W charger (probably GaN, but larger than other GaN chargers), which fast-charges the MacBook to 50% in about 30 minutes, with the new MagSafe cable. MagSafe is back, and I’m so happy: removing it made no sense. USB-C is convenient, but MagSafe felt good, with its status LED. The cable is braided, a decent length, and silver on a space gray MacBook, which is odd: the 24-inch iMac has color-matched cords.

The laptop

The MacBook Pro name is etched on the bottom, “worth a thousand bucks right there.” It reminds me of the old PowerBooks (my first Apple laptop was a 12-inch PowerBook): it feels more boxy, more pro, and not thin and light. Apple purposely chose a more powerful machine over a thinner, lighter one, and early benchmarks show these are performance beasts.

  • Keyboard: no Touch Bar. It’s not exactly a glass of ice water in hell, but it’s nice to return to physical buttons. Some love the Touch Bar, some hate it, and I was mostly ambivalent, but I prefer physical keys: now full-height with a new Touch ID sensor, in a double-anodized black keyboard well, reminiscent of older MacBooks.
  • Speakers: big speaker grilles on the sides like the previous 16-inch, with the brand new sound system I’m excited to test.
  • Trackpad: basically the same size as the external Magic Trackpad 2.
  • Display: a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 120 Hz ProMotion, with the notch. You could say it gains screen space or loses it; I’ll give it time. It’s noticeable now, but how noticeable will it be over time? The native 2x resolution is 3024 by 1964 at 254 ppi, higher than the 5K iMac, the 24-inch iMac and even the Pro Display XDR.
  • Ports: MagSafe, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack on the left; an SD card slot (UHS-II, I’ll test its speed), a Thunderbolt 4 port and HDMI on the right.
  • Bottom: etched Apple branding, vents on the sides and back, and new feet instead of the little dimples, raising the MacBook slightly for better heat dissipation.

MagSafe

With the 140 W brick connected, I brought the MagSafe cable near the port: it’s charging and secure but removable if you trip over it. It’s pretty strong, and it might pull the computer depending on how quickly you disconnect, so watch out. I think it’s nice to have.

I’ll finish setup, run benchmarks and come back with early impressions. Let me know what you want to see.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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