2021 Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, Apple M1 Pro chip with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) - Space Grey

Bought my first MacBook Pro back in 2015 and loved it. It was built like a tank and a pleasure to use.I then bought the 2017/2018 A1707 model in 2018, the version with a TouchBar and USB-C charging. It wasn't bad, but the keyboard was rubbish and although light it felt flimsy. Felt more like a MacBook Air.Happy to report these latest M1 MacBook Pros are a return to what a Pro spec laptop should be. Tank like quality, amazing battery life and the return of proper function keys and MagSage charging. It also runs so much cooler and hence quieter. Screen is super smooth, very bright and sharp. Sound quality is a massive step up, very detailed and more bass than you'd expect from a laptop.Feels like it's built by an engineering team, not a bunch of accountants and designers. (No offence meant to any accountants or designers reading this).I was concerned about compatibility between the new M1 silicon and certain software I need for work. Only trouble I had was with Jetbrains WebStorm, but after updating the OS and WebStorm everything worked fine.It was expensive, but if you use your laptop all day, everyday for work, give yourself a treat and do your self a favour - buy one!Dislikes? I'm not a fan of the notch, but I think I'll get use to it. It's also quite heavy, again, I'll get used to it. The 16" is also a big old beast. I had the 15.4" before and wasn't expecting the 16" to be much bigger, but it is. I don't find it a problem, but some might.

I decided to continue with apple and buy a 16inch laptop. Graphics and sound quality are great, as well as battery. I am sure you can get a great computer for a cheaper price, but I personally prefer to have apple devices for commodity when having to use different devices.

I bought this to replace a 2009 MBP - which was getting rather tired. So, my comparison is from a position of machines which are years apart. But I do have a 2020 iMac and this just blows both out of the water in terms of speed especially when multitasking. It is a pleasure to use - having reaction times not did-similar to my iPad Pro.

I went back and forth on which MacBook to get (I was upgrading from a 13" MacBook Pro 2016). However, as I spend most time at the desk I went for the 16" and so glad I did.Quite heavy, but not as heavy as my 15" Dell from 2013. Screen quality is outstanding, and don't notice the notch

I’m a long time apple user having purchased my first MacBook in 2007 and using iPhones exclusively since the 3G. When apple announced this new line I was thrilled as it was the perfect desktop replacement for me something none of my previous MacBooks could achieve due to fan noise and thermal throttling.How ever after a few weeks of use this MacBook decided brick the firmware not allowing it to boot or allow to enter start up options to reinstall Mac OS.I went to the apple store where the help was non existent I was told to either leave it for 5-14 days for them to attempt to revive/restore the firmware which apple decided that you can only restore from a second Mac. This is something you can do at home if you have access to a second Mac running up to date version of OS X.I was told if the revive did not work it would either need to be sent off to apple for a logic board and Touch ID replacement, they said the logic board could potentially be a refurbished board even though these laptops have only been available for a short period time. My other option which apple seemed keen to force on me was to return back to Amazon and save that store the hassle, at this point I was very disappointed as I had also just took apple care insurance out on this MacBook.I left the store decided to try and get a replacement from Amazon which seemed was not possible with out returning to them for a refund and purchasing a new one. Which again was a big disappointment as I took this laptop out on amazons 5 month payment plan, now they have removed that and switched to Barclays which is a very poor service.So then I went back to the apple store, I lucked out and one of the techs was free so they tried the firmware restore the same day, unfortunately they failed and said it would need to have a logic board replacement. At this point I was quite shocked, not only at the laptop not working but the whole experience.After some research it seems apple have made these new MacBook behave like iPhones in the background in terms of how they are restored. With iPhones you enter them DUF Mode and now is the same story with these new MacBooks. There is many stories of the new M1 chip macs bricking very easy, many of whom don’t have a second Mac to try the restore and then have to rely on apple to do it for them. Fortunately I only live 30 mins from their nearest store but for some this could prove a real nightmare especially if this happens after your return period as your only option is to deal with apple and most likely loose any data on that device weather they restore or replace the logic board which contains the SSD storage chip. Bare in mind if this happens and your out of warranty but have apple care this could be classed as a other repair which is around £300 I believe, if you have no apple care then the logic board would be very costly around £1000 or more depending on your memory and storage size as all the main components are contained on that one logic board.With the little time I had to use the product it was a great, probably the best laptop I had used but the issues I had left me very un happy and un willing to invest £2400 into a product which could potentially brick its self at any time for me that is not reliable and worse is when you have to go 1-2 weeks with out and have no replacement to hand. My late 2013 MacBook lasted 7 years till it died due to water damage, maybe with the next refresh apple can fix the issues and make them more reliable.

Let's all face it, when we first saw that notch on the keynote, our hearts all sank! I have been waiting for a Pro Macbook Pro for years so I was going to purchase this machine when Apple finally decided to make it. I'm over the notch and don't even remember that it is there. If anything it is actually genius! When you full screen apps it becomes a black bar making the top bezel thicker, but when you over into this space, your menu bar now lives here. The rest of the screen estate is the same as previously was on the 16" MBP.I won't go in to the rest of the specs as if you are already looking at purchasing this machine I am sure that you are fully aware of how powerful it is!

Pros1. Great design. ports are back2. Amazing display3. Good Battery Life4. Very high performance. Can deal with any compute intense workload. Never heats up and super quiet5. Great speakers!Cons1. Expensive2. Some users might find it heavy.

I had trouble with a US layout apple magic keyboard over Bluetooth and so had to return it and but one with UK layout. Now things are smooth.