Apple introduced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models earlier this year. While these laptops maintain the same design as the previous generation, they come with faster M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. I’ve been an M1 MacBook Air user for over two years, but I decided to try the new MacBook Pro. And while it’s undeniably a great laptop, there’s one thing I don’t like about it.
Upgrading from an M1 MacBook Air to an M2 Pro MacBook Pro
Prior to the M1 MacBook Air, all the MacBooks I’ve had were Pro models. However, with the introduction of the M1, the base model of the Air seemed to be good enough. It’s more powerful than any other laptop I’ve ever tried, and it has great battery life combined with a super slim and compact design. But as I’ve written previously, I wanted a MacBook with a slightly larger display.
Apple is rumored to introduce a new MacBook Air with a larger 15-inch display in June, and I was definitely tempted by this idea. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is too clunky for me, while a 13-inch display seems too small. But the storage on my MacBook Air was already at its limit, and I needed a hardware upgrade. The M2 MacBook Air is almost a year old, so I chose the 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro instead.
I don’t regret making that choice. The M2 Pro MacBook Pro is great. Now that I’ve been vlogging, the extra power of the M2 Pro chip is crucial for exporting videos faster. I can also work with virtual machines and even play some games without any struggles. And, of course, the extra inch on the display gives me more room for content.
I miss the slimmer design of the MacBook Air, as the Pro model is noticeably thicker and heavier than the Air. But considering the hardware inside the MacBook Pro and the addition of more ports, it feels like a fair trade-off. However, there’s one aspect of this laptop that has been bothering me.
Battery life on the 14-inch MacBook Pro disappointed me
The battery life on the 14-inch MacBook Pro is simply not good. When I bought my M1 MacBook Air, I was surprised by how good the battery life was on that laptop. The Mac could easily last three days without recharging if I only used it for basic tasks like browsing the web and playing music. M1 has changed the rules when it comes to energy efficiency.
But when it comes to the Pro and Max variants of Apple’s chips, things are less than perfect. I’ve been experiencing poor battery life with my 14-inch MacBook Pro, which makes me feel like I’m using an Intel Mac again. I haven’t been able to keep my MacBook Pro unplugged for much longer than six hours so far, even when running basic tasks.
In one of my tests, the Mac drained 10% battery in just 50 minutes with only Safari, Twitter, and Apple Music open. Enabling Low Power Mode extends battery life by an hour, but it’s still far from what a MacBook Air is capable of. I shared my complaints on Twitter, and other 14-inch MacBook Pro users seemed to be bothered by the battery life as well.
So why is this happening?
To be fair, Apple acknowledges that the 14-inch MacBook Pro doesn’t have as long-lasting of a battery as the MacBook Air or even the entry-level MacBook Pro with an M2 chip and 13-inch display. According to the company, MacBook Air offers up to 15 hours of web browsing on battery, while MacBook Pro offers only up to 12 hours.
Top comment by DarrenM
I’m surprised by how few hours of battery life you’re getting from the 14” MacBook Pro. You mentioned the reasons why it would require more power than the MacBook Air, but that should be taken into account when Apple estimates 12 hours of battery life.
Nothing you are doing seems out of the ordinary - perhaps check the brightness of the screen (if it is set to 80% to 100% then you will definitely get less than Apple’s estimates).
But I’ve always found their estimates to be fairly accurate - I wouldn’t expect 12 hours everyday, but I think 8 to 10 hours is reasonable.
And no one should have to go in and play with Low Power Mode settings in 2023. The computer should be able to figure that out based on what you’re doing.
The M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are expected to use more power than the regular M2, as they’re more powerful chips. At the same time, the 14-inch MacBook Pro has a 120Hz display, which also increases power consumption. The system has some methods to optimize these resources and balance between performance and battery life. But it seems macOS is not doing a very good job.
It would be understandable to have the entire battery drained in five or six hours when working with Final Cut Pro or other resource-demanding software. But the Mac seems to be wasting resources even for simple tasks. For the first time since I bought an Apple Silicon Mac, I had to resort to Low Power Mode to ensure that my Mac would survive a long trip on a single charge.
I’m not expecting to be able to use my MacBook Pro unplugged for three days, but I feel that Apple could do more when it comes to software and hardware optimization. After so many years of frustrations with Intel, I was really happy with my M1 Mac. But now I miss having a laptop with amazing battery life again.
What about you? What are your thoughts about the battery life of the latest MacBook Pro? Let me know in the comments section below.
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