Apple’s new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models were recently announced at the company’s ‘Crazy Fast’ October 30 event, and before their official release, a series of reviews have been published where critics provide their impartial opinions on the latest models. In short, there are a multitude of praises given, especially towards the cutting-edge M3, but there are a few hiccups that we wish to discuss here.

Several outlets are impressed with the M3 powering the MacBook Pro’s innards, but some criticize the starting price, believing that Apple should offer more

In TechCrunch’s review, the battery and performance thanks to the M3 were praised, but in the end, the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air was recommended over the new MacBook Pro, despite both models sporting the same starting price. It is also worth noting that the latest model offers a unique selection of ports, that 120Hz ProMotion mini-LED panel, a solid speaker layout, and so much more.

“Honestly, though, the battery might be the most exceptional bit here. The first thing I did upon receiving the system (after setup and charging) was a video rundown — far and away the most lengthy part of testing. I looped a single movie (Bill & Ted Face the Music, for the record) in Apple TV, with brightness and volume at their default settings. I kicked it off at 4:45PM on Tuesday, and it ran until 7:30 the following evening. That’s a runtime of 26 hours, 45 minutes. This thing is going to get you through your next flight, no problem.

However, if you’re flying a lot and want a MacBook travel companion, I still recommend the 15-inch Air. It continues to be the best MacBook for the vast majority of users. The 14-inch Pro is worth looking at gaming is important — though I’m still a long way off from recommending any Macs are pure gaming machines. The 16-inch is the pick for those who really need to up their professional game, but still need some portability. For pure desktop power, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra is still king — until the M3 Ultra rolls out.”

Coming to The Verge review that was posted by Victoria Song, the starting price is what was criticized on this occasion, with Song believing that Apple should have provided more to customers when they spent $1,599 on the M3 MacBook Pro, as 8GB RAM is way too less for this kind of a machine. The review also notes that Apple made the correct decision to discontinue the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it also means that there are no more portable Mac options that provide a Touch Bar.

“Overall, Apple made the right move consolidating and getting rid of the 13-inch Pro. That extra inch of screen is great, everything works beautifully, and the return of physical function keys on the entry-level MacBook Pro is chef’s kiss.

I just wish you got more for the starting price — $1,599 is too much for 8GB of RAM, and just because you can’t use two external displays with an M3 chip doesn’t mean you couldn’t make the most out of three Thunderbolt ports.”

As for BGR, every aspect of the M3 MacBook Pro was praised, except for the price. Apple has been reported to have spent $1 billion for just the tape-out processfor the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, meaning that other steps would have likely cost the technology giant an extra amount. Apple needs to recoup all of that cost somehow, and the only way it sees fit is to charge its loyal customer base a premium on these.

“The M3 MacBook Pro may come less than a year after the original, but it’s still a continuation of the series that makes sense. It’d be impossible for Apple to reinvent the wheel every year — but it doesn’t have to. The MacBook Pro is still the best laptop out there, and the M3 series puts it even further ahead of the competition. Things may start getting more interesting when we finally start seeing Windows ARM-based machines that can hold their own. But until then, the MacBook Pro is simply head and shoulders above the competition.”

Some video reviews and first impressions of the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro are given below, so if you are not interested in reading what other publications say about the latest portable Macs, perhaps give the clips below a watch before you decide on your purchase.

Dave2D

The Tech Chap

iJustine

Matthew Moniz

The Everyday Day

CNET

iPhonedo

If you are interested in getting one of these MacBook Pro models, do note that the starting price of the 14-inch version is $1,599, and you will get the M3 option with that. That price starts to creep up as you configure your machine of choice to tout more powerful chipsets, additional unified RAM, and heaps of storage.