The MacBook Pro M3 laptop lineup is now available, consisting of the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 and updated 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, making them Apple's most powerful ever It promises to be the most powerful laptop ever.

The new MacBook Pro will be available on November 7, which raises the question of whether one should buy the new M3 MacBook over the M2-powered MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch laptops. Should those who purchased MacBook Pro M2 notebooks earlier this year upgrade or not? Especially since the M2 MacBook will undoubtedly be on sale once the M3 device is released.

The main differences between the MacBook Pro M3 and MacBook Pro M2 will be explained to help you decide which is best for you.

Both the 14-inch and 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro models will be available on November 7, with prices starting at $1,999 for the former and $2,499 for the latter. starting at $1,599.

The 14-inch and 16-inch laptops maintain the same prices as their M2-driven predecessors. The older models are no longer available on Apple's website. However, one can still find M2 laptops at retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy.

MacBook Pro M2 notebook prices have not dropped much (if at all) depending on where you look. However, the Black Friday sales season has already begun, and now we should expect to see older M2-equipped Apple laptops on sale. For example, we have seen the MacBook Pro 14-inch with M2 Pro on sale for $1,799 or $200 off.

The new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros feature the same design introduced in the 2021 Pro model. As such, the new laptops have the sturdy square aluminum enclosures we've become enamored with.

The Liquid Retina XDR displays on all Pro laptops have very thin bezels, allowing you to see more of the screen. They also have a notch in the top center of the screen. The notch is more noticeable on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, but less so on the 16-inch model.

When it comes to laptop displays, the MacBook Pro M3 is slightly raised to 600 nits when displaying SDR content, a 20% improvement. The silky smooth 120Hz ProMotion refresh continues to enhance the viewing experience, especially when gaming or watching movies.

There are several design differences between the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 and the MacBook Pro M3 Pro. First, only the MacBook Pro M3 Pro is offered in Space Black color. The regular MacBook Pro M3 is only available in Space Silver and Space Gray. The Space Black design is made of a special anodized aluminum that minimizes fingerprints.

Another difference is that the lower-priced 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 has only two Thunderbolt 4 ports; if you want three, you'll need to buy the MacBook Pro M3 Pro, which costs at least $500 more.

Overall, the new MacBook Pro is nearly identical to its predecessor. However, the space black color of the M3 Pro and M3 Max-equipped models is new. Also, if you are considering the entry-level M3 MacBook Pro, it will have one less USB-C port.

The entry-level M3 chip has 25 billion transistors, an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, which Apple says is 65% faster than the Apple M1. As for unified memory, the base M3 silicon supports up to 24 GB.

Next is the M3 Pro, with 27 billion transistor regions and an 18-core GPU, 40% faster than its M1 Pro equivalent; the M3 Pro's initial configuration has an 11-core CPU and up to 36GB of unified memory.

Finally, there is the M3 Max. This monster chip boasts 92 billion transistors, a 16-core CPU, and a 40-core GPU; it can be upgraded to 128GB of unified memory, which can be used for up to 4K video editing tasks. For demanding 4K video editing tasks or gaming, this beast of a chip should be able to crush any task you throw at it.

For obvious reasons, Apple is comparing the M3 chip to the M1 chip. However, the company did post a comparison screen of the M2 Pro during its "Scary Fast" event. According to the report, the M3 GPU is only "up to 10% faster" than the M2 Pro, while Photoshop's "filter and function performance" is only 7% faster and Premiere Pro's "text-based editing" is 10% faster.

Graphic enhancements such as dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing can make a big difference when playing games. However, don't expect a big leap from M3 vs. M2 Pro.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro we reviewed earlier this year had the longest battery life of any laptop we tested, clocking in at an impressive 18 hours and 56 minutes; the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 fell just short, at 18 hours and 20 minutes. If what Apple says about the new MacBook Pro is true, battery life will be more than all day.

According to Apple, MacBook Pros with the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips have up to 18 hours of movie playback in Apple TV applications and up to 12 hours of wireless web surfing; MacBook Pro M3 battery life is 22 hours for movie playback and 15 hours for surfing the web.

Aside from the respective M3 chips, the new MacBook Pro is not that different from the two previous models. The elegant design, vibrant display, and generous port selection (at least on the M3 Pro and M3 Max models) are the same. You can also expect impressive performance and battery life.

But is the new M3 MacBook Pro the right choice for you? If you own an older M1 or even older Intel MacBook Pro and want/need to upgrade, the MacBook Pro M3 laptop is an easier choice than the M2 because the price has not changed. If Apple's claims are true, the M3 laptop (along with the M3-powered iMac) should be the most powerful Mac ever.

Those who bought the M2 Pro or M2 Max MacBook Pro probably won't need to upgrade to the M3. Sure, the fingerprint-resistant space black color is attractive and the performance may be significantly better than the M2, but that doesn't mean the M2 MacBook Pro is suddenly obsolete. Still, it doesn't mean that the M2 MacBook Pro is suddenly obsolete. And as I said, the MacBook Pro M2 laptops will likely drop in price.

Stay tuned for more updates as we test the MacBook Pro M3.