MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Max, 2024) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,1993launch price | Not available4Price |
| Chip | M4 Maxchip | M1 Maxchip |
| CPU | 14-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 32-coreGPU | 24-coreGPU |
| Memory | 36GBunified memory, base | Not available5memory, base |
| Storage | 1TBstorage, base | Not available5storage, base |
| Battery life | Up to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to17 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 8 November 20246ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 30 October 2024. | 26 October 20217ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 18 October 2021. |
| Security updates | Not available8Security updates | Not available8Security updates |
- Price
- We hold no UK price for the MacBook Pro M1 Max. The MacBook Pro M4 Max is £3,199 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 8 November 2024).
True to scale
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
| Specification | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm |
| Weight | 1.62 kg | 1.6 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Gray |
| Ports | Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports9 | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 5 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.10 | No USB-A ports.11 |
| HDMI | HDMI port | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID |
| Touch ID | Yes | Yes |
| Touch Bar | No Touch Bar.12 | No Touch Bar.13 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 14.2 in | 14.2 in |
| Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | 3024 x 1964 |
| Pixel density | 254 ppi | 254 ppi |
| Display type | Liquid Retina XDR display | Liquid Retina XDR display |
| Brightness | Not available14 | 500 nits |
| Brightness (SDR, outdoor) | 1,000 nits15 | Not available16 |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | 1,600 nits | 1,600 nits |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Yes |
| Nano-texture option | Yes | No nano-texture display option.13 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M4 Max chip | Apple M1 Max chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 14 | 10 |
| Performance cores | 10 | 817 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 217 |
| GPU cores | 32 | 24 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 1618 |
| Chip options | M4 Max with 14-core CPU and 32-core GPU, or M4 Max with 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU | M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU, or M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 36GB | Not available5 |
| Memory (maximum) | 128GB | 64GB |
| Memory options | 36GB; 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (16-core CPU) | 32GB or 64GB19 |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents20 | No, as Apple documents20 |
| Memory bandwidth | 410 GB/s | 400 GB/s21 |
| Storage (base) | 1TB | Not available5 |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 8TB |
| Storage options | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | Not available5 |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decode | Enhanced media engine with two ProRes accelerators21 |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 72.4 Wh | 70 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles22 | 1,000 cycles22 |
| Video playback (claimed)23 | 18 h | 17 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 13 h | 11 h |
| Included power adapter | 96 W | 96 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.0 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.12 | No Ethernet port.13 |
| External displays (base) | 4 | 4 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Camera resolution | 12 MP | Not available24 |
| Speakers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers |
| Microphones | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming25 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming26 |
Platform
| Specification | MacBook Pro M4 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipped with | Not available27 | macOS Monterey21 |
| Newest macOS | macOS 27 Golden Gate28 | macOS 27 Golden Gate28 |
| Model identifier | Mac16,6, Mac16,829 | MacBookPro18,3, MacBookPro18,429 |
| Model year | 2024 | 2021 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Pro or M4 Max, 2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩- ↩
No UK price on file.
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Pro features M4 family of chips and Apple Intelligence ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M4 Max: Thunderbolt 5. MacBook Pro M1 Max: Thunderbolt 4.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Max, 2024): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Max, 2024): No Touch Bar. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple’s one SDR brightness figure is the outdoor one
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Pro or M4 Max, 2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Doesn’t apply: Apple lists no outdoor brightness for this display
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Two different Apple tests. MacBook Pro M4 Max: Video streaming. MacBook Pro M1 Max: Apple TV app movie playback.
↩Not published by Apple (Apple states resolution: 1080p FaceTime HD camera)
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Pro or M4 Max, 2024) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Max, 2024) ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Max, 2021) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro M4 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Pro or M4 Max, 2024) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Pro features M4 family of chips and Apple Intelligence; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.
MacBook Pro M1 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart row for this Mac does not state its GPU core count, so no Metal score is shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro; 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 M4 Max (14-inch, 2024)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M1 Max (14-inch, 2021)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.