MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) vs MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,5993launch price | £3,2994launch price |
| Chip | M3 Maxchip | M1 Max5chip |
| CPU | 14-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 30-coreGPU | 32-core5GPU |
| Memory | 36GBunified memory, base | 32GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 1TBstorage, base | 1TBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to21 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 7 November 20236ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023. | 26 October 20217ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 18 October 2021. |
| Security updates | Not available8Security updates | Not available9Security updates |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro M3 Max is £3,599 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 31 October 2023); the MacBook Pro M1 Max is £3,299 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 20 October 2021).
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 M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm |
| Weight | 2.16 kg | 2.2 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Gray |
| Ports | Three Thunderbolt 4 (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 ports | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 4 | 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 M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 16.2 in | 16.2 in |
| Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | 3456 x 2234 |
| Pixel density | 254 ppi | 254 ppi |
| Display type | Liquid Retina XDR display | Liquid Retina XDR display |
| Brightness | 600 nits | 500 nits |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | 1,600 nits | 1,600 nits |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Yes |
| Nano-texture option | No nano-texture display option.12 | No nano-texture display option.13 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M3 Max chip | Apple M1 Max chip5 |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 14 | 10 |
| Performance cores | 10 | 8 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 2 |
| GPU cores | 30 | 325 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M3 Max with 14-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M3 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 | 32GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 128GB | 64GB |
| Memory options | 36GB or 96GB (14-core CPU); 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (16-core CPU) | 32GB or 64GB |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents14 | No, as Apple documents14 |
| Memory bandwidth | 300 GB/s | 400 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 1TB | 1TB |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 8TB |
| Storage options | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode engines |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 100 Wh | 100 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles15 | 1,000 cycles15 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 22 h | 21 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 15 h | 14 h |
| Included power adapter | 140 W | 140 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 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 M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| 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 beamforming16 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming17 |
Platform
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M1 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipped with | Not available18 | macOS Monterey19 |
| Newest macOS | macOS 27 Golden Gate20 | macOS 27 Golden Gate21 |
| Model identifier | Mac15,7, Mac15,9, Mac15,1122 | MacBookPro18,1, MacBookPro18,222 |
| Model year | 2023 | 2021 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩- ↩
- ↩
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Max, 2021): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications ·
↩Not published by Apple.
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩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 (16-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro M3 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips, 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 (16-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications, 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 (16-inch, Nov 2023)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M1 Max (16-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.