New MacBook Pros Feature Brighter Displays Outdoors, Also Even Dimmer in Low Light

The new MacBook Pro models unveiled today feature display brightness enhancements in both bright outdoor lighting and low lighting.

Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero
Apple's tech specs page says all of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have a peak display brightness of 1,000 nits for standard content in bright outdoor lighting, such as on a sunny day. The previous-generation MacBook Pro models have a peak display brightness of 600 nits for standard content, in any lighting conditions.

Keep in mind that apps like Vivid allow you to unlock full-screen HDR brightness levels of up to 1,000 nits at any time on MacBook Pro models with the Liquid Retina XDR display, but this will obviously drain your battery faster.

Just like all iPhone 16 models and select Apple Watch models, Apple's website says the latest MacBook Pro displays can dim to one nit in "low-light situations." The minimum brightness for previous-generation MacBook Pro models was two nits.

Display brightness specifications for HDR content have not changed on the latest MacBook Pro models compared to the previous models.

The new MacBook Pro models can be pre-ordered now and launch on Friday, November 8. To learn more about other new features, read our earlier coverage of Apple's announcements for the base 14-inch MacBook Pro and the higher-end MacBook Pros.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

General Black Friday Deals 24 Green Tinsel

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now: AirPods, iPads, and More

Friday November 22, 2024 5:28 am PST by
Black Friday 2024 is less than one week away, and as always the next few days will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals. Right now, this includes big savings on popular Apple products like AirPods, Apple Watch, MacBook Air, iPad, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small...
anker new xmas 1

Anker Kicks Off Massive Black Friday Sale With Up to 50% Off Sitewide, Free Gifts With Purchase, Mystery Boxes, and More

Thursday November 21, 2024 7:53 am PST by
Anker today kicked off its big Black Friday sale, which is set to run through December 9. This sale includes notable discounts on portable chargers, USB-C hubs, cables, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. There are a few bonus offers during this event as ...
Apple 2024 Black Friday Shopping Event feature

Apple Announces 2024 Black Friday Event, Offering Up to $200 Gift Card

Thursday November 21, 2024 5:10 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 29 through Monday, December 2 in many countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., and others. During the event, customers can get an Apple gift card with the purchase of an eligible product. In the U.S., for instance, Apple is including gift ...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
silo tv show apple tv plus

Apple TV+ Releasing Next Week's 'Silo' Episode Early

Friday November 22, 2024 7:25 am PST by
The next episode of Apple TV+'s award-winning sci-fi series "Silo" will be released early. Apple previously announced that new "Silo" episodes would be released on Fridays, but the third episode of the second season will instead be released on Wednesday, November 27. Apple has likely bumped up the date so that people can watch the episode during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday,...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19's First New Feature Has Leaked

Friday November 22, 2024 6:22 am PST by
iOS 19 is not expected to be announced until June 2025, but the software update's first major new feature has already leaked. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week reported that iOS 19 will introduce a "more conversational Siri" powered by "more advanced large language models." He said this upgrade will make Siri more like OpenAI's ChatGPT, allowing the assistant to "handle more sophisticated...
beats snow

Black Friday Deals Hit Beats Headphones With Up to 52% Off

Thursday November 21, 2024 12:05 pm PST by
Beats is joining in on the Black Friday discount frenzy, with up to 52 percent off select headphones, earbuds, and speakers on Amazon. You'll find many of the same prices at other retailers like Best Buy as well. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. This sale...

Top Rated Comments

MrGimper Avatar
3 weeks ago
So is the SDR brightness of the M3 Pro of 600 nits just a software lock then?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
3 weeks ago
I wish they'd gone OLED

The blooming on these displays sucks
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
3 weeks ago
The fewer the nits, the better.

And as for my screen…
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sunny5 Avatar
3 weeks ago
Technically, M1,2,3 Max MBP also have 1000 nit for SDR. It was only blocked by software. But the problem is the power consumption is much higher and it easily over heats which is quite difficult to use. There are demands for high brightness for outdoor production but they need to last at least 8 hours so it would be quite challenging unless they adopt dual stack OLED soon.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pezimak Avatar
3 weeks ago
Meh means nothing, it’ll be 2026 when they get OLED the screens will get exciting, they better get the same dual layer OLED tech the new iPad pros have as they truly are stunning.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zest28 Avatar
3 weeks ago
The display on the 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro can also do 1000 nits in SDR. But Apple put a software limitation in place. With 3rd party software, you can unlock the 1000 nits on M1.

So I'm pretty sure the displays on the M4 are nothing new, as hardware wise, the M1 were able to do this too. And Apple was simply waiting for the right time to "unlock" this feature and say it's an "improvement", while this was always possible.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)