Entertainment
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) review: Record-breaking performance
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This beastly 16-inch MacBook Pro, packed with Apple’s new herculean M4 Pro chip, is not designed for amateurs like myself — people who think “intensive” means opening 100 Google Chrome tabs and praying one’s laptop doesn’t self combust.
No ma’am.
This mammoth of a laptop is, instead, for professional power users. I’m talkin’ 3D designers, seasoned animators, skilled video editors, and veteran music producers — folks who need a powerhouse that can handle heavy workloads without a single stutter.
However, thanks to the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s eye-popping power efficiency, I’d argue that normies can splurge on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, particularly if they prefer laptops with Energizer Bunny-like endurance. (And I mean, who doesn’t?)
You won’t believe how long the 16-inch MacBook Pro lasted on a charge. It doesn’t quite beat the record-breaking Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, but it’s pretty darn impressive.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) price and specs
The 16-inch MacBook Pro in this review costs a whopping $3,649, and it comes with the following:
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M4 Pro chip
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14-core CPU
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20-core GPU
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48GB of RAM
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2TB of storage
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Nano-texture display
Ouch! My wallet is screaming just looking at that price tag. Luckily, the cheapest 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro has a more palatable cost of $2,499. Although it’s still pricey, there’s less sticker shock. This configuration comes with the same M4 Pro chip, but knocks you back down to 24GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage.
If you’re a video editor, or any other professional handling massive files, you might need to bite the bullet and upgrade to at least 1TB of storage.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) design
I mean, it’s a 16-inch laptop, so don’t expect it to be a featherweight. It weighs nearly five pounds and it’s 0.66 inches thick.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Compared to its last-generation counterpart (i.e., 16-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro), the new model is pretty much the same when it comes to design. It still sports a 100% recycled aluminum enclosure and that shiny, tell-tale logo on the lid that yells, “Yes, I’m an Apple laptop!”
It comes in Space Black and Silver.
My review unit sports the Space Black colorway. With a name like that, I was expecting the deepest, darkest black — think inky, onyx, obsidian vibes. After all, isn’t space, as in the vast, empty void beyond Earth, pitch dark? Apparently, I was wrong. Not to get all nerdy, but NASA says that “space isn’t absolutely black; the universe has a faint, suffused glimmer.”
Space Black is quite dark to the naked eye, but under bright lighting, it has a deep gray hue.
This colorway diminishes fingerprints, but it doesn’t completely fend them off. Keep a microfiber cloth handy.
Other than that, the M4 Pro shares the same design as its predecessor. In fact, it’s got the same design as far back as the 2021 model, But I can’t blame Apple; consumers love it. The MacBook Pro continues to be a solid and sturdy dream machine.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) display
This configuration comes with a new nano-texture display option.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
This doesn’t come with the laptop. You have to pay an extra $150 to snag one. Is it worth it? It depends. Do you work in a sun-drenched office? Are you always working outdoors? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you’d benefit from a nano-texture display, as it’s designed to handle challenging lighting situations while still providing decent visibility for users.
I couldn’t wait to take the MacBook Pro outside in my backyard to test the nano-texture display, and I must say, I’m impressed!
The Apple laptop remained crystal clear, even as dappled sunlight attempted to wash out the screen. I didn’t have to squint, adjust angles, nor play hide-and-seek with shadows — the display stood its ground, refusing to surrender to the sun’s relentless glare.
If you’re someone who spends a lot of time working in bright, unpredictable lighting, this nano-texture display might just be the unsung hero you didn’t know you needed.
Plus, compared to the last generation, the M4 Pro MacBook Pro’s screen is brighter. It can hit a peak SDR brightness of 1,000 nits, up from 600 nits. The HDR brightness score continues to be 1,600 nits.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro, like the previous model, features a 16.2-inch, 3,456 x 2,234-pixel resolution display with ProMotion technology (i.e., up to 120Hz refresh rate). As expected, the display looked gorgeous while I feasted my eyes on the new Squid Game 2 trailer. It’s rich, vibrant, and pure visual eye candy.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) ports
The M4 Pro MacBook Pro now has Thunderbolt 5 ports, an upgrade from the previous generation’s trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports. Thunderbolt 5 offers double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 at 120Gb/s, which means faster data transfer speeds for your peripherals.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Over Thunderbolt, the 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro supports up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz.
You’ll also get an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a MagSafe 3 port.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) audio
If music were a dish, the 16-inch MacBook Pro would be a gourmet apple pie, straight out of grandma’s oven — piping hot, golden, and worth every sinful calorie.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Packed with a high-fidelity, six-speaker sound system (with fore-cancelling woofers), Era Istrefi’s “Bonbon” sounded delicious to my ears. Yum!
The MacBook Pro is one of the most recommended laptops for music producers — and I see why. The laptop perfectly captured the gritty, exotic undertones and the pulsating, driving beat.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) keyboard and trackpad
I’d describe my typing experience on the 16-inch MacBook Pro in two words: snappy and responsive. Plus, it’s got enough key travel to make typing comfortable over long periods of time.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Just make sure you’re not sitting next to someone who prefers piece and quiet. The keyboard emits some loud clacks.
Apple’s glass-covered Force Touch trackpad is, as always, a pleasure to use. It’s spacious, responsive, and perfectly balanced between smoothness and resistance. Every swipe and click feel effortless.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) benchmarks and performance
Somebody call the coroner because the M4 Pro chip inside the 16-inch MacBook Pro has obliterated the competition.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
On Geekbench 6, which tests CPU prowess, the 16-inch MacBook Pro delivered a multi-core score of 22,758. For reference, the entry-level M4 MacBook Pro notched a score of 15,199 on the same test.
This is the best Geekbench 6 score we’ve seen at Mashable for a laptop. Coming in close second is the Razer Blade 18, which sports an Intel Core i9-14900HX. So yeah, the MacBook Pro just torched a gaming laptop.
Here are some other scores:
Cinebench R3 – 23,336 (multi-core)
Blender GPU test – 2,533.57
Once again, for reference, the entry-level M4 chip notched scores of 13,891 and 1,065, respectively, for Cinebench R3 and Blender. The M4 Pro chip is fast!
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) webcam
The M4 Pro MacBook Pro’s 12MP webcam is a step up, delivering sharper video quality with less artifacting in various lighting conditions. FaceTime calls looked great, and my fiancé was quick to notice the improvement in clarity.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Desk View is the real star, allowing a top-down perspective of your desk setup using only the built-in webcam. I assumed I’d need a secondary camera, but the 12MP webcam handles it all on its own. Whether you’re presenting or demoing, Desk View is a clever addition that’s both fun and functional.
The updated webcam also supports Center Stage, which may be familiar to those who own iPads. For the uninitiated, Center Stage ensures that you’re kept in frame at all times, even if you lean a little bit to the left or shuffle over to the right.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) battery life
The 16-inch MacBook Pro lasted an eye-popping 20 hours and 51 minutes in our video rundown test. In other words, this laptop nearly lasts 21 hours on a single charge.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
As mentioned at the outset, it doesn’t quite beat our reigning champ (i.e., Microsoft Surface Laptop 7), but it’s nipping at its heels.
Is the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) worth it?
The 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro didn’t come to play. With jaw-dropping performance, impressive battery life, and a gorgeous nano-texture display option, this laptop is geared for professionals who need powerhouse specs and are willing to pay for them. If you’re a video editor, a 3D designer, or someone who needs serious firepower, this MacBook is as good as it gets.
Even if you’re just an internet surfer and a Netflix browser, get it for the 20-hour+ battery life — if you have the money to blow, of course.
Either way, the M4 Pro is a future-proof machine that won’t leave you disappointed, as long as you’ve got the budget for it.
Entertainment
BookCon 2026: Authors Rachel Reid, Stephanie Archer talk hockey romance and how it could change the sport for the better
With the fervor of Heated Rivalry, there’s a fierce desire among book readers for even more hockey. On Sunday, April 19, at BookCon, the “You Had Me at Hockey: A Look at One of Sports Romance’s Hottest Genres”, authors Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry, Game Changer), Emily Rath (Pucking Around), Ngozi Ukazu (Check Please), Stephanie Archer (The Wild Card), and Kate Cochrane (Wake Up, Nat & Darcy) were joined by moderator and fellow author Bal Khabra (Collide) to discuss the rise and continued success of hockey romance.
Khabra kicked off the panel, asking just how hockey became so popular. Ukazu joked that it was as if the genre “escaped containment,” like when the Omegaverse went mainstream, while Reid described the mystery around hockey, saying, “what [the players] are doing seems impossible.” Archer also added that the sport itself is exceptionally hard on the body, and the celebrity around players, especially in Canada, is fun to play with.
But there’s more to the genre’s success than the tropes. “It has to be said,” Rath argued, “that the cornerstone of why this is so popular in publishing is racism.” She went on to say that straight, white women’s voices dominated the romance genre for so long, pointing out that hockey is also the whitest sport. Among major league sports, the NHL is the most predominantly white. In 2022, ESPN reported that 83.6% of league players and staff were white, compared to the NFL, where 25-27% of players are white, or the NBA, where white players make up 17.5% of the league.
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Zooming into the genre, the authors also spoke about the writing process. They dove into the deeper aspects of their work, even the smut. Rath said, “I think the least sexy thing you can ever do is write a sex scene.” A similar sentiment came up during Reid’s Saturday panel, where she described using the sex scenes to further the emotional arc. When readers ask authors if they can skip the spice, Archer says of her own books, “No, you can’t skip the sex scenes. You’re missing so much character development if you don’t go on the journey with them.”
The panel turned to the future, too. Many of the authors write BIPOC and queer representation into their novels, in a genre that often centers on whiteness and homophobia. “We’re writing the world as we want it to be,” Rath said.
Reid has found that there is progress toward a future that these authors and their readers want to see, saying that the NHL is interested in working with them. “People on the inside, they really want to work toward change and want to make this happen.”
With the hockey fandom at an all-time high, there’s a whole team behind these authors ready to drive change.
Entertainment
Save on gas (and everything else) with a $15 BJ’s membership
TL;DR: Score a one-year BJ’s membership for $15 (reg. $60) and save up to 20¢/gal. on gas through April 30 — just in time for spring shopping and road trips.
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The warmer weather tends to sneak up fast, and so do those grocery bills and gas receipts. A one-year membership to BJ’s Wholesale Club is one of those simple upgrades that can make everyday shopping feel a little more manageable.
You can currently grab a Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal for just $15 (reg. $60) through April 30, which opens the door to savings across groceries, household essentials, and even your weekend cookout prep.
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Let’s start with the obvious, though. Gas prices. Members already get everyday savings at BJ’s Gas, but during this promo window, you’ll get an extra 15¢ off per gallon stacked on top of the usual 5¢ discount — bringing your total to 20¢ off per gallon through April 30.
Inside the club, it’s all about stretching your dollar further. BJ’s is known for offering competitive pricing on national brands, plus a wide selection of fresh produce, meats, bakery items, and deli favorites. Whether you’re planning a backyard BBQ, stocking up for a party, or just trying to cut down on weekly grocery runs, buying in bulk can help simplify things.
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There’s also something to be said for convenience. Fewer trips to the store, more options in one place, and access to seasonal items that make spring and summer feel extra special.
Get a one-year Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal® for just $15 (reg. $60) and enjoy an extra 15¢ off per gallon at any of the 199 BJ’s gas stations through April 30.
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Gift with $100+ purchase promo ends April 19, 2026. Exclusions apply. Only one promo code applicable per order. Prices subject to change.
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Entertainment
This $43 bundle quietly upgrades your entire PC experience
TL;DR: This rare Microsoft bundle deal gives you a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro for only $42.97 (reg. $418.99) through May 17.
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Looking for an affordable way to make your old PC feel new again? If you don’t have the funds to buy a brand new computer, don’t worry. The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license and Windows 11 Pro Bundle is the next best thing, offering your computer a total upgrade for only $42.97 through May 17.
Don’t count out your dusty old PC. This Microsoft bundle is here to give it a total facelift for less than $50. It kicks off with a lifetime license to some of the brand’s most popular tools — Microsoft Office, which you’ll pay for once and enjoy without any subscription fees.
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You’ll get permanent access to a suite of eight helpful apps with Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows. It includes staples that have been around for decades, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. You’ll also get newer favorites like Teams, OneNote, Access, and Publisher.
Once you’ve loaded the apps onto your device, you can upgrade your OS to Windows 11 Pro. It’s an operating system made for modern professionals, with tools that support your workflow. Enjoy a more powerful search experience, improved voice typing, a seamless interface, snap layouts, and much more.
You can rest easy knowing Windows 11 Pro takes your cybersecurity seriously. You’ll have biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and advanced antivirus defenses to keep your data secure.
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Show your PC some love with the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro bundle for only $42.97 (reg. $418.99) now until May 17.
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