As someone who has been reviewing Macs for a long time, I’m often asked for buying advice and if now is the right time to buy a Mac. This is a great question since Apple has been pretty sporadic with its Mac releases. Macs are expensive and people want to know that they are investing at the right time. No one wants to buy something, start using it, and realize they could have just stuck with what they already had. Nor does anyone want to make a purchase just to receive something better in a short time.
When it comes to Macs, the decision to buy a new one is rarely a quick and easy decision, but with the release of the M4 Mac line, there’s less coverage than ever. As I reviewed the new iMac and MacBook Pro and learned about the Mac mini, I was struck by how compelling these new Macs are. This recent release represents the most compelling set of Macs Apple has had in some time.
And if you’re wondering if it’s time to buy a Mac in general, the answer is yes.
The maturation of Apple silicon
The M4 is the fourth generation of Apple silicon on the Mac, and after an explosive (figuratively speaking) start with the M1 and a few hiccups with the M2 and M3 versions, the M4 feels like the chip is finally hitting its stride .
The M4 impresses with its speed and efficiency. It nearly doubles the speed of the M1 in multi-core performance, but more impressively, it’s 32% faster than the 24-core, 2.7GHz Intel Xeon W-3265M processor, used in the 2019 Mac Pro. , the design thermal power of the Intel chip is 205 watts while the TDP of the M4 is 22 watts. It makes a lot of noise without using a lot of power.
Geekbench 6 tests
Results are expressed as Geekbench scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster.
The M4 Max, according to Geekbench 6 results, sets a Mac performance record. The M4 Pro (the 14-core CPU version, 20-core GPU version) is faster than an M2 Ultra. It just keeps getting better with Apple silicon and there are no signs of performance plateaus.
RAM increase without price increase
Besides the increase in speed, the main reason this line of Macs is more compelling is that Apple made the right choice and doubled the base amount of unified memory to 16 GB. This had a domino effect on entire Mac line: Apple not only increased its most affordable models from 8GB to 16GB, but the most expensive standard configurations increased as well. For example, the standard configuration of the M2 Pro Mac mini started at 16GB, but the M4 Pro Mac mini now starts at 24GB.
The extra RAM will help your Mac run much smoother and that’s great, but perhaps the best part is that Apple implemented the increase without raising prices. For many consumers, this means they no longer have to fork out the extra $200/£200. Apple even updated all MacBook Airs, including the $999 M2 model, to 16GB without raising prices. Good.
The nano-texture glass option (left) costs $150/£150 but is worth the extra money.
Foundry
More than performance
One of the reasons I sometimes advise people to wait until the next release cycle is that while the latest Macs have the fastest chips, they also have older features. For most general consumers, even an M1 offers more than enough speed to get things done, so more speed alone isn’t really worth the upgrade.
But the M4 Macs brought some expected new features. First of all, you’ll now get the same 12MP Center Stage camera found on the iPhone and iPad, a huge upgrade over the 1080p FaceTime HD camera from previous generations. There’s also a nano-texture glass option in the iMac and MacBook Pro, which is great for reducing glare, and the Mac M4 Pro and M4 Max also get Thunderbolt 5. These are fantastic features that will make your purchase long-lasting.
Then there’s the Mac mini redesign. Mac mini used to be small, but now it’s tiny and looks amazing on your desktop. The small form factor is also better suited to more imaginative projects and the front ports are a nice upgrade. The lack of USB-A ports may be a problem for some, but the MacBook and iMac haven’t had one for years.
Don’t be afraid to buy
The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac are all great buys right now. It’s no exaggeration to say that Apple’s 2024 Mac lineup represents the best value for money ever and you don’t need to wonder if now is the right time to buy. This is the case no matter which model you want. And with Black Friday just around the corner, you can save some money too.
The only exception is the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. If you need one of Apple’s most premium Macs, you’ll have to wait a little longer. They’re still languishing with the older M2 Max and Ultra chips, and as you can see in the benchmark chart above, they’ve been overtaken by the much cheaper M4 Pro and M4 Max machines. Based on our experience with the M4 chips as well as the latest rumors, it looks like the upcoming M4 Ultra will be a serious beast to round out an already incredible lineup.
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro)
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Max)
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Max)
Apple Mac mini (M4)
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