The M4's single-core performance is between 14 and 21 percent faster than the M3s in our tests, and tests that use all the CPU cores are usually 20 or 30 percent faster. The GPU is occasionally as much as 33 percent faster than the M3 in our tests, though more often, the improvements are in the single or low double digits.

The M4 Pro and M4 Max deliver exceptional performance and potential to the new MacBook Pro laptops. Then there's the M4

For the average user, it might be wiser to wait for the M4-powered version of the MacBook Air, which is likely to arrive in the coming months

The MacBook Pro 16 with M4 Pro feels like a powerhouse, even more so against the base M4, but I'm wondering where the hell is WiFi 7?

The battery in the M4 MacBook Pro is bigger at 72.4-watt hours; the M3 MacBook Pro had a 70-watt-hour battery. The M3 model had “Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback” and “Up to 15 hours wireless web” while the M4 model is stated as 24 and 16 hours respectively.

This popular M4 Max configuration packs a 32-core GPU and 1TB storage, making it a well-equipped model that's $200 off and in stock now.

The recent M4 Mac release shows that a simple chip upgrade isn't going to be enough to make users invest in a new Mac.