Apple has finally presented what we have all been waiting for: new processors made in Cupertino. Based in ARM architecture, the new ones Apple M1 They are positioned as the most efficient processors ever created by the company, some brains that base their design on the work done on the A chips found in the iPhone, but this time they have been designed with desktop computers in mind.
What does the M1 chip offer?
Manufactured with technology 5 nanometers, we are before a processor of 8 nuclei which has 4 powerful cores and another four much more efficient. Thanks to this configuration, the manufacturer claims to achieve the best performance/energy consumption ratio ever seen in a CPU from his class.
In addition to the CPU section, the chip includes a 8-core integrated GPU with which, again, it is capable of achieving better performance than the latest integrated graphics of a PC chip, without forgetting the excellent energy scale that it ensures to maintain. But what does this translate into?
As you can see below, the new products manage to double and even triple the performance of the competition, therefore, we are facing a very interesting configuration that aims to offer the best power and the lowest consumption.
A MacBook Air without fans
The first model to present could not be other than the MacBook Air. This is the company's best-selling 13-inch laptop, and now, with the new M1 chip, they've managed to do away with the internal fan. That is perhaps the most striking sales resource, but in reality it hides many new features compared to the previous generation:
- SSD 2 times faster
- 15 hours of web browsing
- 18 hours of video playback
- New webcam! Face recognition and target adjustment
- Retina Display
- Up to 16GB RAM
- Up to 2 TB of SSD storage
- touch ID
- Price: from 1.129 euros
The team has a very interesting cover letter, however, those interested should take into account that the cheapest model comes standard with a disabled GPU core, so instead of having 8 GPU cores, It will be 7. If what you want is to have the GPU in all its splendor, you must select the model with 512 GB of SSD memory.
A desired Mac mini
The second team to appear in this presentation was the Mac mini. A team loved by many and with a somewhat forgotten update path in recent years, today it finally receives the update it deserves with the arrival of the M1 chip. Technically, by sharing the same chip, the performance is similar to that of the MacBook Air
- 3 times more powerful CPU
- 6 times more powerful GPU
- HDMI output
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Up to 16GB RAM
- Up to 2 TB of SSD storage
- Price: from 799 euros
MacBook Pro, the M1 for professionals
The last to leave the stage was the MacBook Pro, a team that maintains the aesthetics of the current model, with Touch Bar, high dynamic range speakers and a battery that sounds endless. At the level of benefits, again, it shares the same as its brothers, so at the moment we do not know exactly what makes it stand out as a Pro model.
- touch Bar
- 17 hours of web browsing
- 20 hours of video playback
- The longest lasting battery in a Mac
- Three studio-quality microphones
- New webcam like the Air
- It includes a fan, which we intuit will allow us to offer a more constant performance without seeking so much energy balance
- Price: from 1.449 euros
What is the difference between a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro?
Apparently, reviewing the technical specifications, there is no difference in potential between one and the other, unless you choose the 256 GB MacBook Air, which we have already told you comes with one less GPU core. Otherwise everything is the same, and the only tangible differences found only in the MacBook Pro are the following:
- louder speakers
- Studio quality microphones
- touch Bar
- Screen with 100 nits more brightness
- 2 more hours of battery
- internal fan
What makes the MacBook Pro dedicated for professionals? That's something we'll have to find out later.