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MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) vs MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021)1MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro M1 Max against MacBook Pro
FigureMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Price£3,2993launch price£2,3994launch price
ChipM1 Max5chipCore i72.6GHz 6-core Intel
CPU10-coreCPU6-coreCPU
GPU32-core5GPUNot available6GPU
Memory32GBunified memory, base16GBmemory, base
Storage1TBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to21 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to11 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released26 October 20217ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 18 October 2021.13 November 20198Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available9Security updatesNot available10Security updates
Price
The MacBook Pro M1 Max is £3,299 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 20 October 2021); the MacBook Pro is £2,399 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) · 355.7 × 248.1 mm footprintMacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) · 357.9 × 245.9 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 (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm16.2 x 357.9 x 245.9 mm
Weight2.2 kg2 kg
ColoursSilver, Space GraySilver, Space Gray
PortsThree Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5 mm headphone jackFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports1134
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.12No USB-A ports.13
HDMIHDMI portNo HDMI port.14
SD card slotYesNo SD card slot.14
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNo MagSafe port.13
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID
Touch IDYesYes
Touch BarNo Touch Bar.15Yes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Display size16.2 in16 in
Resolution3456 x 22343072 x 1920
Pixel density254 ppi226 ppi
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayRetina display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Peak brightness (HDR)1,600 nitsNot available16
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.15Not available6

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
ChipApple M1 Max chip52.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.13
CPU cores106
Performance cores8Not available17
Efficiency cores2Not available17
GPU cores325Not available6
Graphics32-core GPU18AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
Neural Engine cores16Not available19
Chip optionsM1 Max with 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU, or M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 or 2.4GHz 8-core Intel Core i9
Memory (base)32GB16GB
Memory (maximum)64GB64GB
Memory options32GB or 64GB16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents20No, as Apple documents20
Memory bandwidth400 GB/sNot available21
Storage (base)1TB512GB
Storage (maximum)8TB8TB
Storage options1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesNot available19

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacity100 Wh100 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles221,000 cycles22
Video playback (claimed)21 h11 h
Wireless web (claimed)14 h11 h
Included power adapter140 W96 W
Fast chargingYesNo fast charging.14

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ax Wi-Fi 6802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.05.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.15No Ethernet port.14
External displays (base)44

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming23Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Shipped withmacOS Monterey24macOS Catalina25
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate26macOS Tahoe 2627
Model identifierMacBookPro18,1, MacBookPro18,228MacBookPro16,1, MacBookPro16,429
Model year20212019

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M1 Max1MacBook Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,213301,27530
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)14,164305,38230

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro M1 Max · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple UK Store (archived 20 October 2021) — MacBook Pro 16-inch, M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU, 32GB, 1TB, £3,299.00 · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  6. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  8. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  9. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 30 Sep 2026

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  10. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  11. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M1 Max: Thunderbolt 4. MacBook Pro: Thunderbolt 3.

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  12. MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications. Read 30 Sep 2026

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  13. MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  14. MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  15. MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  16. Doesn’t apply: Apple lists no separate HDR peak for this display

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  17. Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  19. Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor

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

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  21. Doesn’t apply: Apple publishes it only for Apple silicon

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

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  24. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  25. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  26. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 30 Sep 2026

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  27. Apple Support (UK) — macOS Tahoe 26 is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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

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

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Not published by Apple

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 (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s best pro notebook; 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 M1 Max (16-inch, 2021)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)?

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