16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro is a power house, says professional photographer Austin Mann

A professional photographer, Austin Mann tested his new 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro and he was absolutely blown away by the machine’s performance, power efficiency, XDR Liquid Retina display, and everything else. He says the new M1 Max MacBook Pro is everything he ever hoped for and then some.

Apple launched 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The M1 Pro chip is 70% faster than the M1 chip and the M1 Max chip is even faster than the M1 Pro chip. That gives an estimation of the performance of the new chips’ deliver to take heavy photos and videos rendering, and other demanding workflows. We have listed down highlights of Mann’s review of the new pro notebook for you below.

Apple’s new products are elegant, powerful, and functional like the new 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro

Starting with the design, Mann is happy about the return of improved MagSafe charging, HDMI port, SD card slot, and full Escape and Function keys (gladly bid adieu to Touch Bar and dongle).

He says that M1 Max MacBook Pro is “really fast” with an incredibly amazing battery life. On a 100% charge and unplugged, he was able to run an image stack in Starry Landscape Stacker, Cinebech test, opened 100 TIFF image files and processed a Gap filling, opened 8 images into Adobe Camera RAW and used Photomerge to create a giant panorama on 100% battery. The speed and battery life of the new laptop will allow him to process star stacks in the field, which he does not do.

The ability to quickly assemble these kinds of complex images means my feedback loops have shortened dramatically. I can quickly view an assembled panorama or star stack while I’m still in the field and if I need to capture it again or tweak something, I can. In my previous process, I wouldn’t view the final assembled product until weeks or months later which left me completely unable to tweak my image captures.

M1 Max MacBook Pro

Furthermore, Mann found that the M1 Max MacBook Pro’s new XDR Liquid Retina display is capable of rendering expanded details in highlights using Pixelmator Pro’s EDR mode which was not possible on the previous MacBook Pro model. “It’s going to be really nice to have this display power with me in the field as it’s helpful to know what detail is there and how far I can push an image.”

Impressed by the new highest-tier MacBook Pro model, Mann says it is capable to handle anything one throws at it with ease and he has not been able to find its limits, which is exceptional.

The MacBook Pro M1 Max can show me images faster than I can look at them, process panoramas bigger than I’ve ever needed (so far) and the battery life lasts way longer than I can work in a single session… its capabilities broaden my horizons and make me feel like the only limiting factor in my artistic process is my own creative vision, not my gear… and this exactly the way it should be.

Apple products at their best are fun to use — they are elegant, powerful and functional. With the return of a practical port set and Apple silicon inside, the new MacBook Pro M1 Max strikes a great balance and I’m sure you will absolutely love this new era of Mac.

Answering the question, “is the upgrade just for professionals or for everyone?”, he says that the new M1 Mac MacBook Pro model will affect “absolutely” everyone because of its amazing battery life, performance, thermals, and more. “It’s a solid upgrade for everyone.”