It took a while, but the fourth generation of Apple Silicon is finally in place up and down the Mac line. And now that we’ve reviewed samples of all the latest Macs with M4 processors, it’s time to take a closer look at the benchmark data from Apple’s latest chips in aggregate.
Designed to cater to a wide range of users, from casual consumers to creative pros, the three flavors of the M4—the M4, the M4 Pro, and the M4 Max—add more processing and graphics power across the board alongside a revamped neural engine built for Apple Intelligence. But how do those new chips compare, and what makes each tier different? How does the same chip perform in different environments? And can you play graphics-intensive games on the base tier of the M series, at long last?
I’ve got answers to all that and more—I collated all the numbers and researched the Macs’ real-world performance via our reviews to find out. In 2024, we tested a handful of new Macs, from the Apple Mac mini (M4 Pro version) and Apple iMac (M4) desktops to the M4 Pro-based Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch, giving us our first taste of Apple’s M4 processors. Then, in March 2025, we tested the latest of the M4 bunch: the MacBook Air 13-Inch, the MacBook Air 15-Inch, and the Mac Studio (the last in an M4 Max configuration). The only Macs that haven’t gotten an M4 infusion as of this writing are the tower-style Mac Pros.
Apple’s M4 Mac Lineup, Tested
Let’s see how the new M4 family of processors stacks up to determine whether it’s worth upgrading if you bought an Apple system in the last year. Also, you’ll learn which M4-based Mac you should buy based on your performance needs.
Meeting the M4 Family: Recapping the Latest Generation of Apple Silicon
Apple’s newest chips may sound potent on paper, but what’s backing up Apple’s claims? For starters, the new silicon uses a refined version of the 3-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process used on the M3 series. It is built on the same underlying architecture but promises better performance down to the individual core level, as well as better overall energy efficiency.
(Credit: Apple)
Here’s a quick rundown of the changes with the latest generation…
Transistor count: The base M4 chip contains 28 billion transistors, a 12% increase from M3’s 25 billion. Apple hasn’t announced specific transistor counts for M4 Pro and M4 Max, but we can assume similar increases.
More cores per chip: The base M4 comes in two varieties, containing eight or 10 processor cores, though nearly every model (aside from the M4-based iMac) starts with the 10-core option. The Apple M4 Pro steps this up with your choice of 12 or 14 processing cores, while the Apple M4 Max bumps up things further, to 14 or 16 CPU cores.
(Credit: Apple)
More GPU cores: The M4 has an eight-core GPU to start, with a 10-core option, while the M4 Pro starts with 16 GPU cores and can double the M4’s loadout with a 20-core option (and twice the power). The M4 Max then doubles that for up to 40 GPU cores (the starting option is 32 cores), delivering workstation-grade graphics performance.
Increased memory and bandwidth: The M4 supports up to 32GB of unified memory with a bandwidth of 120GBps. In contrast, the M4 Pro enhances this by supporting up to 64GB of unified memory and a bandwidth of 273GBps. The M4 Max takes it a step further, accommodating up to 128GB of unified memory and achieving an impressive peak bandwidth of 546GBps.
(Credit: Apple)
Neural engine enhancements: The M4’s 16-core neural engine performs up to 38 trillion operations per second, doubling the M3’s capability and significantly enhancing AI and machine-learning performance. It also supports advanced features under the Apple Intelligence umbrella, such as photo editing tools, natural language search, and improved Siri functionality.
M4 Pro and M4 Max: These higher-tier chips build on the M4’s foundation, providing more CPU and GPU cores, with a 75% increase in memory bandwidth. They also support Thunderbolt 5 connectivity for 80Gbps data transfer rates.
M4 vs. M4 Pro vs. M4 Max: Decoding Apple’s Chip Lineup
The differences among the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max processors all come down to core counts. Whether we’re discussing performance- or efficiency-focused compute cores, GPU cores for driving graphics, or neural engine cores for machine learning and AI, the core counts are the key differentiator among the three M4 chips.
GPU cores are also a significant point of differentiation. Above, and in the spec chart, I’ve outlined the possible core counts with the three flavors of M4. Apple’s unique approach of putting all the GPU cores on the same silicon die as the CPU makes it technically different from the discrete mobile GPUs from companies like Nvidia and AMD used in other laptops. Still, the end result of graphics horsepower is the same. These more powerful graphics translate into performance that rivals what you get from some high-end discrete laptop GPUs.
(Credit: Apple)
Apple hasn’t publicly disclosed much technical information about the upper-level M4 chips, such as the overall transistor count for the M4 Pro and M4 Max. But transistor counts serve as more of a proxy for measuring potential performance, which we have been able to test and measure directly; thus, it’s not a technical spec I’ll worry about.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
One other point of differentiation between the standard M4 processor and the more powerful M4 options is Thunderbolt 5 support. The higher-tier chips include Thunderbolt 5, while the M4 sticks with Thunderbolt 4. Being limited to Thunderbolt 4 is not a significant sacrifice for anyone opting for an M4 system. However, Thunderbolt 5 provides the potential for higher bandwidth, more power delivery, and support for additional external monitors at higher resolutions and frame rates.
One additional but pertinent detail for this story: We’ve only been able to test the M4 Max in the Mac Studio, which, being what it is, has a rather different thermal profile than the slim MacBook Pro chassis. (Apple offers the M4 Max as an upgrade option in the MacBook Pro.) So, our M4 Max performance numbers may not precisely represent those of a similarly equipped MacBook Pro. Also as a result, we don’t have M4 Max battery-life figures, but what numbers we do have provide an otherwise clear comparison to see how well the M4 Max performs versus the rest of the M4 line.
System Configurations: The Macs We Put to the Test
For this story, I collected all of the Apple M4 systems we’ve reviewed. You’ll notice some of the specifics differ among these models, such as the Apple iMac having more memory than the 14-inch MacBook Pro, or the 16-inch MacBook Pro having a larger SSD than the Apple Mac mini.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Regardless, having test data for each chip in several slightly different configurations gives us a deeper idea of how these processors compare across different chassis designs and thermal solutions. This situation is particularly true for the M4 processor; less so for the M4 Pro and the M4 Max.
Here’s a breakdown of the models we tested…
Thanks to this breadth of data, I could compile a detailed overview of how the different processor options compare regarding CPU speeds, GPU performance, and energy efficiency.
Benchmark Results: Apple M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max Tested
One of the challenges for testing and evaluating any Mac has historically been benchmark compatibility, but that’s no longer the case (save for UL’s seminal PCMark 10 benchmark, a staple of our Windows testing). We recently updated our Mac tests alongside our Windows ones, rolling out a bunch of OS-cross-compatible benchmarks and retesting some older Macs using the new benchmark tests, giving us a clean set of comparable scores.
For productivity tests, we use the HandBrake 1.8 video transcoder, as well as Cinebench 2024 (at both single-core and multi-core settings), Geekbench Pro 6.3 (also at single-core and multi-core settings), and Adobe Photoshop 2024. The last is tested via Puget Systems’ PugetBench for Creators 1.2.20 benchmark utility, which runs Photoshop through filters and other typical image manipulations.
Productivity Tests: The Apple M4 Family
HandBrake is a real-world test—of transcoding video—that is heavily reliant on processing power and all the cores it can employ. In this test, the M4 Max and the M4 Pro systems each turned in very respectable times, and the vanilla M4 was no slouch, either. The base-M4 iMac and MacBook Pro finished the test in less than 5 minutes, racing ahead of the 5- and- 6-minute times produced by the equivalent M3 chip last year.
The M4 Pro-powered Mac mini and MacBook Pro 16 shaved down that time to less than 3 minutes, making them substantially faster than the older M3 Pro. Of course, the M4 Max produced the best time of all the current chips and one of the fastest times of any processor we’ve reviewed. This result demonstrates a significant improvement in raw processing power, translating into faster workflows even when dealing with demanding media creation and editing tasks.
Get Our Best Stories!
Weekly Apple Brief
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
In the Cinebench image-rendering benchmark, the single-core tests produced similar results across the board, with all M4 chips scoring in the low triple digits. That makes sense, considering all M4 CPUs use the same 3nm manufacturing process and core architecture, regardless of how many cores are deployed in a given chip. Comparing the current M4 chips to the previous M3 models, we see a substantial 22% increase in single-core capability. This demonstrates Apple’s ability to deliver significant year-over-year improvements primarily through core architecture refinements, given that both chip generations utilize a 3nm manufacturing process.
Apple effectively leveraged these improvements, as evidenced by the significant increase in multi-core scores from M3 to M4. In Cinebench multi-core tests, the M4 chip consistently scored 800 to 900 points. The M4 Pro similarly saw scores jump to the 1,700s, putting them in line with the M3 Max from 2023. And the M4 Max stepped up another level, with scores topping 2,000 points, thanks to the chip’s higher CPU core count.
The same pattern emerged in our Geekbench Pro 6.3 productivity tests, where the M4 consistently achieved scores of around 15,000 points—results that previously required the mid-tier M3 Pro. The M4 Pro then managed to exceed the scores of the top-tier M3 Max from 2023, and the M4 Max topped them all by more than 3,000 points. These results show that, across the board, the M4 family takes a whole step up in capability. The base M4 chip now stacks up to the older mid-tier M3 Pro chip, and the current midrange M4 Pro now roughly matches the high-end M3 Max from just a year ago.
Graphics and Gaming Tests: The Apple M4 Family
The M4 chips present a measurable graphics improvement over the M3 series, thanks to their improved architecture, a boost to ray tracing, and simply having more hardware resources. The performance differences among the M4 and the older M3 equivalents are consistent with what we observed in our productivity tests. The M4 processor features a 10-core GPU in our review machines, the same core count as the M3. However, the overall performance improvement is impressive, showcasing how effectively Apple has advanced the technology year over year.
We conduct three different 3DMark tests to assess graphics capability, and the M4 Macs demonstrated a measurable performance increase compared with their M3 counterparts. The M4-powered, 14-inch MacBook Pro outperformed the M3 models by several thousand points. The M4 Pro Mac mini also edged out the M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro.
But the M4 Max highlights what Apple’s updated hardware can achieve, doubling or nearly doubling the performance of the M4 Pro in the synthetic 3DMark tests and the in-game benchmark of Total War: Warhammer 3.
In Total War, I observed another interesting outcome. The M4-powered Macs can achieve frame rates in the high 50fps range when rendering at 1080p resolution and Low detail settings. However, with Ultra detail settings, frame rates drop to the low 20s. This performance split translates to playable frame rates for detail settings below Ultra, considering 30 frames per second is the minimum threshold for gameplay.
The bottom line for gaming on the latest Macs? Our specific test results, alongside benchmark improvements seen in tests like 3DMark compared to the M3 generation, suggest the M4 family boosts performance in games available on macOS. Naturally, performance in demanding AAA titles will vary based on the game’s specific requirements and optimization level. For those prioritizing gaming, systems equipped with the M4 Pro or M4 Max should provide considerably more graphics power and a smoother experience than the base M4. (Of course, that will be a steep price to pay just for gaming muscle.)
Recommended by Our Editors
Workstation Tests: The Apple M4 Family
In our workstation tests, we subject the systems to intense media editing and creation tasks to further examine CPU and GPU performance from another angle. Our workstation suite of benchmarks includes video editing in Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Studio and rendering tests in Blender, focused on both the CPU and the GPU, respectively. (We usually test for Adobe Premiere performance, but many of our test systems failed to run the test with the benchmarking utility we use, so I’ve omitted those particular numbers from this comparison.)
All of these tests produce a point score, and while the specifics vary from test to test, higher scores indicate better, faster performance.
We test Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Studio with the assistance of a PugetBench utility, like we do Photoshop. We saw the same clear stair-step pattern on our charts: The base M4 chip produced decent mainstream performance, the M4 Pro delivered something more suitable for the regular video editor, and the M4 Max swooped in with the sort of stellar performance that would be fitting for media professionals who can’t afford to be slowed by mundane things like affordable processor options.
We also test the modeling program Blender with the program on CPU-accelerated and GPU-accelerated settings, each in turn. The CPU tests showed a similar distribution of scores, with the base M4 delivering surprisingly competent numbers for a mainstream chip and the M4 Pro delivering the perfect middle ground for someone who occasionally needs that sort of performance. The M4 Max drove impressive, workstation-grade speeds.
The Blender GPU-accelerated tests drove this home with a stark difference among the three processing tiers, effectively doubling the M4 results with the M4 Pro and doubling those higher scores with the M4 Max.
When comparing these scores with the older M3 chips, the M4 series presents a clear upgrade in processor and graphics performance but falls within a predictable range of improvement. Therefore, upgrading from an older M1 or M2 Mac to the M4 is advisable, but the decision becomes less clear-cut if you currently use a system based on a flavor of M3.
Battery Life Tests: MacBooks in the Apple M4 Family
In addition to the productivity and graphics performance improvements that the M4 family of chips provides, Apple has also highlighted the enhanced energy efficiency of the new processor models. Maximizing capability while minimizing power consumption is essential in an era of mobile systems with limited battery sizes, and it is vital for a company like Apple, which consistently promotes longer battery life year over year.
In this regard, Apple has succeeded. In our testing, the M4-powered 14-inch MacBook Pro lasted more than 28 hours in our video-playback battery rundown test, a superb figure that surpasses the M3-powered MacBook Pro, which lasted barely more than 22 hours in testing. (Remember that our battery rundown, which involves constant video playback until the battery dies, is something of a best-case scenario for runtime.)
Similarly, the M4 Pro-powered, 16-inch MacBook Pro lasted 25 hours and 52 minutes. While any battery life exceeding 24 hours is noteworthy, the M4 Pro still fell short compared with last year’s M3 Pro and M3 Max models. They exceeded 30 hours and 27 hours, respectively.
The key takeaway? The base M4 model paired with the larger MacBook Pro battery presents the best longevity in the systems we tested. The other systems sacrifice some battery life for faster performance and graphics capability, which should be no surprise. That said, differences in battery life will also arise due to the varying battery sizes, displays, and screen resolutions employed in different MacBook models. For example, the 14-inch MacBook Pro has a 72.4-watt-hour battery, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro uses a larger 100Wh battery. By comparison, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs have much smaller 53.8Wh and 66.5Wh batteries, respectively.
Overall, if you opt for the more powerful M4 Pro or the M4 Max (the latter we’ve not yet tested in a MacBook Pro), you should expect to sacrifice some of that extended battery life in favor of performance. Nevertheless, these systems should still provide all-workday battery life, and they stretched beyond the 24-hour mark in our video rundown tests.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The M4 Verdict: Should You Upgrade?
So, what does all of this mean, when taken together?
As I mentioned when the M4 Macs first landed, you have a clear case for upgrading if you use an older Mac with M1 or M2 processors. And if you’re still on Intel-based hardware, it’s a no-brainer—you should upgrade now. (Honestly, you probably should have made that switch a couple of years ago.)
However, if you purchased a Mac in the last year or so, the new M4-powered Macs may not be your best investment. While they provide improved performance and longer battery life, the enhancements are precision-targeted to align with the previous generation’s next step up. The M4 is on par with the M3 Pro, and the M4 Pro is similar in power to the M3 Max. This relationship means that if you needed the extra power, it would have been more beneficial to buy the step-up model last year and enjoy that performance boost in the months since—and it may still be more cost-effective to step up to, say, an M3 Max than to opt for the new M4 Pro. If your current M3-generation system meets your needs, it might not be worth upgrading now. Instead, waiting for the eventual M5 may be wiser, likely presenting a more significant generational improvement.
You do have one caveat to consider: Apple Intelligence. This new suite of AI features enhances the operating system and many applications, relying heavily on the neural engine for processing. The latest hardware is essential if you want the best experience with Apple Intelligence. You’ll want to keep an eye on how Apple Intelligence progresses through 2025 to see if what it brings is compelling enough to make having an upgraded neural engine more of a must-have than a nice-to-have.
In short, while the M4 series is indeed a strong upgrade option for everyone else, it may not be compelling enough to warrant an upgrade if you’re already in the M3 zone and reasonably comfortable with the hardware you already own.
How To Uninstall Mac Apps the Right Way
About Brian Westover
Lead Analyst, Hardware
