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MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)

MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023)1MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro M3 Max against MacBook Pro M3
FigureMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Price£3,2993launch price£1,6994launch price
ChipM3 MaxchipM3chip
CPU14-coreCPU8-coreCPU
GPU30-coreGPU10-coreGPU
Memory36GBunified memory, base8GBunified memory, base
Storage1TBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released7 November 20235ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023.7 November 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available6Security updates
Price
The MacBook Pro M3 Max is £3,299 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 31 October 2023); the MacBook Pro M3 is £1,699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) · 312.6 × 221.2 mm footprintMacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) · 312.6 × 221.2 mm footprint

Footprints from above, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Dimensions15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm
Weight1.62 kg1.55 kg
ColoursSpace Black, SilverSpace Gray, Silver
PortsThree Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports732
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.8No USB-A ports.9
HDMIHDMI portHDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesYes
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch IDYesYes
Touch BarNo Touch Bar.10No Touch Bar.11

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Display size14.2 in14.2 in
Resolution3024 x 19643024 x 1964
Pixel density254 ppi254 ppi
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayLiquid Retina XDR display
Brightness600 nits600 nits
Peak brightness (HDR)1,600 nits1,600 nits
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.10No nano-texture display option.11

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
ChipApple M3 Max chipApple M3 chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores148
Performance cores104
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores3010
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM3 Max with 14-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M3 Max with 16-core CPU and 40-core GPUM3 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU12
Memory (base)36GB8GB
Memory (maximum)128GB24GB
Memory options36GB or 96GB (14-core CPU); 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (16-core CPU)8GB, 16GB or 24GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents13No, as Apple documents13
Memory bandwidth300 GB/s100 GB/s
Storage (base)1TB512GB
Storage (maximum)8TB2TB
Storage options1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB512GB, 1TB or 2TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Battery capacity72.4 Wh70 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles141,000 cycles14
Video playback (claimed)18 h22 h
Wireless web (claimed)12 h15 h
Included power adapter96 W70 W
Fast chargingYesYes

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
EthernetNo Ethernet port.10No Ethernet port.11
External displays (base)41

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera1080p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming15Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming16

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate17macOS 27 Golden Gate17
Model identifierMac15,6, Mac15,8, Mac15,1018Mac15,319
Model year20232023

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M3 Max1MacBook Pro M32
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,812202,77021
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)22,1192011,54621
Geekbench 7 (Metal)132,4682047,75621

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Pro M3 Max · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Pro M3 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple UK Store (archived 31 October 2023) — MacBook Pro 14-inch, M3 Max with 14-core CPU and 30-core GPU, 36GB, 1TB, £3,299.00 · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 2 Oct 2026

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  7. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M3 Max: Thunderbolt 4. MacBook Pro M3: Thunderbolt 3.

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  8. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 30 Sep 2026

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  9. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  10. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  20. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) · third-party figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  21. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro M3 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro M3. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M3 Max (14-inch, Nov 2023)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M3 (14-inch, Nov 2023)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.