Full Comparison: 16″ MacBook Pro (2021) vs 16″ MacBook Pro (2019)
From a developer’s perspective
In this article, let’s take a look at a comparison of the original 16″ MacBook Pro (2019), which until now only featured an Intel chip, with the latest 16″ MacBook Pro (2021), which already features Apple Silicon chips. It’s a very interesting comparison, and it might convince you to buy the new model. Let’s dive right in.
CPU and GPU
As I mentioned in the introduction, the new 16″ MacBook Pro (2021) comes with two new professional chips. You can choose from the M1 Pro and M1 Max, with the latter being the most powerful you can get now.
However, it should be mentioned that compared to the classic M1 chip, the M1 Pro and M1 Max offer different configurations that differ in CPU and GPU cores. The base variant of the new 16″ MacBook Pro (2021) offers the M1 Pro chip with a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, or you can reach for the M1 Max chip with a 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU, while the top variant offers the M1 Max, with a 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU.
The Neural Engine for machine learning is 16-core across all M1 Pro and M1 Max configurations. In the case of the 16″ MacBook Pro (2019), you could get a 6-core Intel Core i7 processor as a base, but you could also reach for a more expensive version with up to an 8-core Intel Core i9 processor.
In the case of GPUs, it’s worth noting that older models with Intel processors also had discrete graphics cards. This means that a weaker GPU was located directly in the processor, and for more demanding tasks, it was possible to use a discrete GPU separate from the main processor.
At base, with the 16″ MacBook Pro (2019), you got the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory, but you could also pay extra for the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, or the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory.
For the new 16″ MacBook Pro (2021), the GPU is directly included in the main M1 Pro or M1 Max chip. As mentioned, the M1 Pro offers a 16-core GPU, while the M1 Max offers a choice of a 24-core or 32-core GPU.
RAM and storage
The main chip, or the processor, is also followed by the operating memory. In the case of the original 16″ MacBook Pro (2019), 16 GB of RAM was available at the base, but you could pay extra for 32 GB or the top 64 GB. It’s exactly the same with the new 16″ model — so there’s still 16GB at the base, plus 32GB and 64 GB.
However, it’s worth noting that if you choose the M1 Pro chip, you can get “only” 16 GB or 32 GB. If you are craving 64 GB of unified memory, you must reach for the M1 Max chip.
On the other hand, the latter does not have 16 GB of unified memory, so that you can configure either 32 GB or 64 GB of unified memory. It is worth mentioning that the memory in the M1 Pro has a throughput of up to 200 GB/s, and even a full 400 GB/s in the M1 Max, which are incredible figures.
In addition to the RAM, you can choose the SSD capacity when configuring the 16″ model. As with the last model, Apple offers 512GB of SSD in the base configuration. But with the more expensive variants available, you already get 1TB of SSD storage. Of course, if you’re demanding storage, you can go even bigger. There are 2 TB, 4 TB and 8 TB variants.
Connectivity
If you were to purchase a 16″ MacBook Pro with a 2019 Intel chip, you’d only get four Thunderbolt 3 connectors (two on each side) for connectivity and a headphone jack. This year, Apple has decided to expand connectivity significantly with its new models. So you get three Thunderbolt 4 connectors (one and two on each side), HDMI, an SDXC card reader, and a headphone jack.
When it comes to charging, we’ve finally seen the return of the beloved MagSafe connector, which prevents the device from falling to the ground if you trip over the charging cable — the cable detaches thanks to magnets. The original 16″ model supports Wi-Fi 802.11ac, while the latest model supports Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax. Both models being compared support Bluetooth 5.0.
Display and design
We’ve seen huge changes to the display field. The new 16″ MacBook Pro (2021) offers a 16.2″ display with mini-LED backlighting — this display has been dubbed Liquid Retina XDR. It offers a resolution of 3456×2234 pixels, and the maximum brightness across the screen has risen to a staggering 1000 nits, with peak brightness reaching a full 1600 nits.
We should also mention ProMotion support, an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The original 16″ MacBook Pro (2019) offers a classic 16″ Retina display with LED backlighting. Its resolution is 3072 × 1920 pixels, and the maximum brightness is “only” 500 nits, which is twice as low as the new model.
Of course, for both displays of the 16″ MacBooks being compared, we can’t forget the support for the wide P3 colour gamut and True Tone technology. If we look at the design, Apple has come up with a significant redesign for the new model.
The body of the new 16″ model is even more angular and more similar to the latest iPads or iPhones. Of course, the material used for the chassis is still aluminium. The two models are very similar in dimensions, but as with the new iPhone 13, the body of the new 16″ MacBook Pro (2021) is primarily a little thicker.
Specifically, its dimensions are 1.68 x 35.57 x 24.81 cm, while the 2019 model’s dimensions are 1.62 x 35.79 x 24.59 cm. The new model's weight is 2.1 kg, while the older model is 100 grams lighter.
Keyboard, camera, sound
If we look at the keyboard of the new model, we can notice, in particular, the absence of the Touch Bar compared to the previous one. The new model offers classic function keys at the top of the keyboard, a liberation for most users.
Of course, Touch ID authentication is a feature of both models, and you can also look forward to the backlighting. It is only necessary to mention that in the new 16″ model, the space between the keys is black and not in body colour as in the previous model from 2019.
Improvements have also been made to the front camera, located in a cutout, similar to the iPhones. It no longer has a resolution of just 720p, but straight 1080p. It is directly connected to the M1 Pro or M1 Max chip, which results in real-time image enhancement.
The sound system has also been improved on the 16″ model, offering six speakers, Dolby Atmos support or surround sound playback — it’s this last option that the original 2019 model doesn’t have. The microphones continue to be three, and Apple says they’re even better on the 16″ MacBook Pro (2021).
Battery
Significant changes for the better can also be seen in the battery department with the new 16″ model from 2021. While you could get roughly 11 hours of battery life while playing movies with the 16″ MacBook Pro (2019), the 16″ MacBook Pro (2021) gets a whopping 21 hours, an increase of 10 hours.
For wireless web browsing, Apple claims up to 14 hours of battery life on the new model, which is 3 hours more than the previous model. It’s worth noting that the new 16″ model supports fast charging using the included 140W adapter.
You can charge the new 16″ MacBook Pro (2021) to 50% in just 30 minutes. The 2019 model has “only” a 96W adapter, which doesn’t support fast charging.
Final thoughts
If you still own a 2019 MacBook Pro, you don’t have a bad machine at all, I had the 2017 model until recently as it was still needed for development, but the moment I had no use for it, I sold it and got the budget for more HW. The 2021 MacBook Pro would make sense to me from a developer's perspective in a version with M1 Pro 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores.
Even a higher configuration with M1 Max would make sense to me as I have image and video processing as a hobby. I used to work as a GPU programmer, so I like to process data using acceleration on the graphics card, and a more powerful card means earlier results. If you are into AI/ML, the option with a more powerful GPU is also for you.
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