Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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GENERAL USE: Excellent—9.1/10
GAMING/AI: Good—7.6/10
ENG/DESIGN: Very Good—8.9/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Very Good—8.9/10
CONTENT CREATION: Excellent—9.1/10
PORTABILITY: Very Good—8.5/10
BATTERY: Excellent—9.1/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Excellent—9.3/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Very Good—8.4/10
SIZE: 14.2"
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is a high-end laptop with a premium price, offering a robust 18-core Apple M3 Pro graphics processor, and substantial 1024GB of storage alongside 18GB of RAM, ensuring strong general, 3D, and engineering performance. Its 14.2-inch Mini LED display provides impressive color accuracy, a high contrast ratio, and supports a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, but lacks a touchscreen. The laptop is relatively light at 3.5 pounds, considering its power, and boasts a solid battery life. With no extra RAM or storage slots, you cannot upgrade it after purchase. Ports include multiple USB-C, Thunderbolt, and HDMI, but no Ethernet, catering to versatility in connectivity without compromising on a sleek design. Its MacOS operating system may appeal if you are embedded in Apple's ecosystem. Its build quality and keyboard are rated highly, but be aware, it's not designed specifically for intensive gaming. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- High screen brightness, sharp resolution
- Excellent color accuracy for visuals
- Top-tier keyboard and build quality
- Good thermal management, less heat
- Superb speaker and webcam quality
Cons
- Relatively heavy, may affect portability
- No touchscreen, may limit interactivity
- No facial recognition for security
- Limited availability of RAM and storage slots
Ratings by Category
Build Quality:5.0
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
General Use Screen Quality:4.9
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Keyboard Quality:4.9
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
General Use:4.8
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) excels in general use primarily due to its powerful CPU and ample RAM that ensure smooth operation across most tasks, coupled with a high-quality Mini LED screen that offers sharp visuals and strong color accuracy. Its long battery life and lightweight design enhance its portability, making it a practical choice for users who value mobility and need a reliable machine for everyday tasks.
Content Creation:4.8
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Battery Life:4.8
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Engineering & Design:4.7
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design, CAD and 3D work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Software Development:4.7
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Portability:4.6
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Operating Noise:4.6
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Gaming & AI:4.2
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability as well as AI performance, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
While performance (especially graphics performance) is the most important factor determining this score, we also give modest weight to screen quality, heat management, keyboard quality, and storage.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $1,999 | ||
Release Date | November 1, 2023 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | ||
Weight | 3.5 lbs | ||
Width | 12.31" | ||
Depth | 8.71" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Apple M3 Pro (12C) | ||
RAM | 18 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | ||
RAM Slots | 0 | ||
Storage | 1024 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 13.5 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 72.4 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 14.2" | ||
Display Technology | Mini LED | ||
Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | ||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 489 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 10/10 | ||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | ||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | ||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | ||
Webcam | 1080p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 0 | ||
USB-C ports | 3 | ||
USB-C Charging | Yes | ||
Display Outputs | 2 | ||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | ||
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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