MacBook Pro PROLED XDR: lighter and brighter, but pricey

Apple's new touchscreen MacBook Pro

Apple released the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, a redesigned premium laptop with OLED touchscreen. The fourteen-inch model starts at two thousand eight hundred ninety-nine dollars, nine hundred more than the standard MacBook Pro.

Sixteen-inch model also pricier

The sixteen-inch PROLED MacBook Pro costs three thousand three hundred ninety-nine dollars, four hundred dollars more than the standard sixteen-inch model. Both represent significant price increases.

Noticeably lighter and slimmer

The fourteen-inch model weighs three pounds, down from three point seven pounds. The sixteen-inch model weighs four pounds, down from four point seven pounds. Both are noticeably slimmer on every front.

First MacBook Pro with OLED screens

The new MacBook Pros feature OLED screens that are slightly larger than standard models at fourteen point two inches and sixteen point three inches. They reach up to two thousand nits of peak HDR brightness.

Exceptional contrast and color

The PROLED XDR screens sport an insanely high ten million to one contrast ratio. Being OLED displays where every pixel turns on and off individually, they reach pure deep blacks alongside very bright elements.

“an insanely high 10,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio”

OLED advantage in dark scenes

During normal usage, the difference between OLED and previous Mini LED screens was hard to see. But watching movies with dark backgrounds and bright scenes, the PROLED XDR MacBook Pros looked more realistic.

Dynamic Island replaces notch

The MacBook Pros with PROLED XDR feature a Dynamic Island at the top of their screens, housing webcams and serving as home base for Spotlight and Live Activities.It works like the Dynamic Island on iPhones.

Touchscreen is basic

The PROLED XDR touchscreens work as expected: you can swipe to scroll or manipulate media.Touch interactions register as mouse clicks, so you can use it for everything in macOS.There is no Apple Pencil support.

Weight savings from multiple changes

Apple shaved off fractional pounds by moving to lighter OLED displays and reworking the MacBook Pro's cooling design and internal components. The three-pound fourteen-inch model feels closer to a MacBook Air.

Improved audio system

The PROLED XDR MacBook Pros feature a redesigned audio system with six speakers. Apple enhanced the low end for boomy bass while maintaining clarity at high volumes.

Same chips and ports as before

The new MacBook Pros run the same M five Pro and M five Max chips as previous models, so there are no performance differences.

Touchscreen doesn't change much

The actual touchscreens are not anything special. Casual scrolling works well, but it is not a game changer. Some games work seamlessly while others have issues, suggesting incomplete optimization.

“the actual touchscreens from these systems aren't anything special”

No hybrid tablet mode

Apple avoided making these MacBook Pros twist and turn like Windows laptops.The hinges are slightly stiffer to withstand touching the screen.

Performance in line with M five family

The fourteen-inch review unit with M five Pro and forty-eight gigabytes of RAM delivered a single-core Geekbench six score of four thousand two hundred seventeen points, in line with other M five family results.

Battery life meets expectations

The fourteen-inch MacBook Pro lasted around twelve and a half hours on typical workflow.Apple claims the sixteen-inch model can get up to twenty-four hours with light web browsing and one thousand eighty p video streaming.

Hard to recommend at this price

Given the huge price jump, these are not systems easily recommended to casual buyers.The sixteen-inch model seems like better value at four hundred dollars more.The fourteen-inch nine hundred dollar premium is hard to justify.

Prices keep climbing

Earlier this year, the fourteen-inch MacBook Pro started at one thousand six hundred ninety-nine dollars and the sixteen-inch at two thousand six hundred ninety-nine dollars.