Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M3 Pro review – Efficiency before performance

With the new M3 Pro SoC, Apple takes a different route than with the M3 Max chips, since both the multi-core performance as well as the GPU performance practically remain the same compared to the M2 Pro. Instead, the single-core performance has increased significantly, and the M3 Pro became more efficient overall. In practice, this leads to an even better battery life, and in our test at 150 cd/m² of brightness, more than 20 hours are possible in the WLAN test (and even 24 hours of playing videos), which are extremely good values for a large 16-inch laptop with a high-resolution mini-LED panel. The Windows competitors often don’t even reach the 10-hour mark. In addition, Apple has increased the maximum SDR brightness from 500 to 600 cd/m², and the panel continues to offer a very good image quality. Even though the response times are very slow, this is hardly noticeable in everyday operation and there is hardly any visible ghosting – although the high frequency of 120 Hz also helps here.

Thanks to the more efficient M3 Pro and the significantly increased single-core performance, the MacBook Pro 16 has become even better, continuing to be the multimedia laptop with the best overall package on the market.

However, the new M3 Pro still left a slightly bland aftertaste, since the new core configuration with more Efficiency but less Performance cores leaves the impression that the performance was limited on purpose here. But due to the new cluster configuration, there aren’t many alternatives here. At the same time, we also have to attest that the performance remains completely stable both in battery operation as well as under simultaneous load of CPU and GPU. This is neither the case with the new M3 Max models, nor with the Windows competitors. An additional point of critique is that a 3,000-Euro (~$3,273) laptop continues to come with a meager 512-GB SSD.

An upgrade from a MacBook Pro 16 with the M2 Pro or even with the M1 Pro doesn’t really make sense, but the new MBP 16 M3 Pro is an ideal choice if you are still using a MacBook Pro 16 with an Intel processor, or it is the first time you are buying a MacBook Pro. 

Compared to the Windows competitors in this price class, we also have to clearly say that those often offer more performance, particularly with the graphics cards and if you also want to use your laptop for gaming. Native games such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Lies of P, or No Man’s Sky run smoothly on the MacBook, but the performance is lower than with the Windows competitors and more efficiency won’t help much in this regard either. On the other hand, it will be difficult to find a better overall package in the multimedia area, since there is no better combination of high-quality workmanship, a great mini-LED display, low emissions (you almost never hear the fans in everyday operation), excellent speakers, and an immense battery life. You have to make some compromises somewhere, and in Windows laptops this is usually the case with the fans or the battery life. But Apple also makes you pay for this overall package, and the huge upgrade prices in combination with the non-existing maintenance options are very clearly a large disadvantage.