Apple's new M3 series chips launch inside new 14-inch, 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops

Apple has just announced its new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, powered by its new M3 chips, and now Apple has officially broken up with the Touch Bar with its new MacBook Pro models.

3

The big new part of the new MacBook Pro laptops is definitely Apple's new M3 chip, which is made by TSMC on its fresh new 3nm process node, but in typical Apple fashion, the company has revealed M3 performance stats against the first-gen M1 chip. So, that's ridiculous... given we won't know exactly how good the M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max are against the M2 chips.

What we do know: Apple's new M3-powered MacBook Pro will start at $1599, with only 8GB of RAM in its base form, which means you're looking at a $300 premium over the M2-powered MacBook Pro. After that, there's the new higher-end M3 Pro-powered 14-inch MacBook Pro that starts at $1999 and M3 Max-powered 16-inch MacBook Pro, which will start at $2499.

3

Apple's new space black color on the new MacBook Pro (source: Apple)

The higher-end M3 Pro and M3 Max MacBook Pro laptops are available in Apple's new space black color, something the company explains is "unmistakably pro". The new finish, in Apple's words: "features a breakthrough chemistry that forms an anodization seal to greatly reduce fingerprints". That'll be interesting to see a space black laptop that doesn't have fingerprints all over it.

Apple lets you configure your new MacBook Pro with up to 128GB of unified memory, which is a large chunk of unified memory on the laptop to work with when you're working on huge, complex tasks. We're talking about multiple professional apps, plugins, working with music and film scores with entire orchestral libraries made instantly available from the unified memory.

On top of everything, Apple promises up to 22 hours of battery life on its new M3-powered MacBook Pro laptops.

John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, explains: "There is nothing quite like MacBook Pro. With the remarkable power-efficient performance of Apple silicon, up to 22 hours of battery life, a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, and advanced connectivity, MacBook Pro empowers users to do their life's best work. With the next generation of M3 chips, we're raising the bar yet again for what a pro laptop can do. We're excited to bring MacBook Pro and its best-in-class capabilities to the broadest set of users yet, and for those upgrading from an Intel-based MacBook Pro, it's a game-changing experience in every way."