MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR: the display and lighter build matter more than touch

In a 25-minute review, Marques Brownlee looks at the new MacBook Pro with a ProLED XDR touchscreen. He says the touch display is the first on a MacBook Pro, but argues that this is not the main point of the machine. He is a possible buyer himself, so he spent extra time with it as a full-time editing laptop.

His conclusion is that this is a lighter, more refined MacBook Pro. The display is the strongest reason to buy it, followed by the weight saving, while touch is a feature he rarely uses. The sections below follow the chapters of the video.

The display is the main reason to buy

Brownlee calls the tandem OLED panel the best-looking laptop screen he has used. The specifications are high: 1,000 nits sustained across the full screen, up to 2,000 nits at peak, and a 10 million to 1 contrast ratio. In his view, the contrast is the more noticeable gain, because OLED pixels produce their own light and true black.

Because there is no backlight, the panel does not bloom, and the pixels respond faster than on a mini-LED screen. He also found the colour accuracy strong, with full coverage of Adobe RGB and P3 in one mode. For someone who edits photos or video, he judged that alone worth the $400 price difference over the mini-LED models.

The nanotexture option is the harder choice. It cuts reflections in mixed lighting, but it slightly lowers contrast and sharpness, and it traps finger oils. His review unit had the glossy finish, which still handled ambient light well.

Lighter, with cooling held in check

The second reason is weight. The 16-inch model is 0.7 pounds lighter than the previous generation, and the 14-inch is half a pound lighter. Brownlee attributes part of the saving to the lack of a backlight and part to a redesigned cooling system.

A thinner, lighter chassis usually means weaker cooling, so he ran side-by-side tests against an identical 16-inch M5 Max with the same 128 GB of RAM. Short tasks were effectively identical. In longer video editing and 3D rendering runs, both machines stayed within the margin of error after 10, 20 and 30 minutes, but the ProLED model ran its fans harder to get there.

He says the new design mainly vents hot air out of the back and sides rather than up past the display, and he was pleased that thermal performance did not drop.

Small extras: logo, speakers and storage

The backlit Apple logo returns on the lid. It is tied to display brightness by default, and a single terminal command can turn it off. The speakers have more bass than before, and there is dedicated tuning for closed-lid use when the laptop is docked.

A new storage option costs $7,000 for 16 terabytes. Brownlee also says battery life may be slightly better in dark mode on an OLED screen, and the webcam now has more stabilisation for video calls where the screen is touched.

Touch is a box ticked, not a new idea

Brownlee says Apple's marketing leans heavily on touch, but he sees it as a single option added to the lineup. The hinge does not flip the screen into an easel, the previous generation's reach is not exceeded, and there is no Apple Pencil support. The hinge is a little stiffer, so it wobbles less.

MacOS changed only slightly. The window controls in the corner need two taps to select, and Spotlight and Siri moved to the top of the display, which means returning to the keyboard to type. He praised the touch response as very precise, and said iPhone mirroring and gestures work well, but he rarely touches the screen and it can be switched off.

The upgrade question and verdict

Brownlee compares the situation to the Tesla Roadster: once a product's core performance is already strong, new visible features are needed to make owners of older models care. In his reading, Apple is adding a glowing logo, a dynamic island and a touchscreen for people still on M1, M2 or M3 laptops.

He says he will probably buy one and found the extra $400 worth paying. He plans to apply a skin to the back, and notes that this protects the finish for resale. His verdict is that the new MacBook Pro is a lighter laptop with a very good screen that happens to be touchable.