With their Mini-Led display, the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro M1 are setting a new benchmark for notebook displays, and more generally for PC monitors.
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The 14" and 16" MacBook Pros feature Apple's new Liquid Retina XDR Display. Behind this pompous name in fact lies a 14.2- and 16.2-inch IPS panel with identical 254 dpi resolution, combined with a Mini-Led backlighting system already seen on the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Apple claims a constant brightness of 1000 cd/m² (in HDR), with a peak brightness of up to 1600 cd/m² (again in HDR). This backlighting system actually uses 10,216 mini-Leds spread over 2,554 distinct zones (for the 16-inch model). This very high number of zones enables very fine backlight management, especially on such a small screen (compared to the hundreds of zones on Ultra HD Mini-Led TVs like the Samsung QE65QN95A).

The 14-inch MacBook Pro M1 Pro in the center surrounded by a 13-inch 2015 MacBook Pro and a 12-inch PowerBook G4 from 2003...

The 14-inch MacBook Pro M1 Pro in the center surrounded by a 13-inch 2015 MacBook Pro and a 12-inch PowerBook G4 from 2003...

Measurement of maximum brightness in HDR on part or all of the screen.

Measurement of maximum brightness in HDR on part or all of the screen.
We measured peak brightness in HDR on a window of 1 %, 4 %, 9 %, 25 % and 49 %, as well as in full screen. Both models easily exceed a peak brightness of 1000 cd/m², even in full screen mode. The 14-inch model peaks at 25 % in HDR. It then displays a brightness of 1257 cd/m², a record for a laptop and even for a PC monitor. The MacBook Pro 16" M1 Pro does even better, reaching 1535 cd/m² on the 49 % HDR test pattern. In full screen mode, brightness drops to 1221 cd/m² on both models, which is still very high.
On the PC, only the Dell UltraSHarp UP2718Q monitor - an Ultra HD Full LED 384-zone model - managed to exceed 1000 cd/m² (1131 cd/m²), but with a blooming brightness. To our knowledge, no notebook has ever reached such a high peak brightness.

The MacBook Air 2020 on the left and the MacBook Pro 13 M1 Pro on the right.

The MacBook Air 2020 on the left and the MacBook Pro 13 M1 Pro on the right.
This high brightness is combined with a very deep black made possible by the mini-leds. The comparison with a MacBook Air 2020 is unflattering for the latter, and shows the giant strides made on the screens. The MacBook Air 2020 - like the new MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Pro M1 - uses a 13.3" IPS display with 227 dpi resolution, combined with a basic Edge-Led backlighting system consisting of a single LED bar. The lighting behind the screen is therefore fixed across the entire slab, and this translates into a shallow black that's very visible in the photo. On a MacBook Air 2020, black is measured at 0.16 cd/m², while on the MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro, it simply drops to 0.00 cd/m² (absolute black).

The blooming (halo effect around light objects on a dark background) is very slightly visible.

The blooming (halo effect around light objects on a dark background) is very slightly visible.
On MacBook Pros 14 and 16 inches, each cluster of mini-LEDs illuminates an area of 30 mm², i.e. about 6 x 5 mm. blooming to a minimum. If it remains visible around very small luminous objects on a dark background, it is generally very well managed by Apple. It has to be said that the Californian company has had time to fine-tune Mini-Led technology since the release of the monitor. Pro Display XDR in 2019 and the release ofiPad Pro 12.9 inch M1 this spring.

The thermal signature once again confirms the use of a Mini-Led backlighting system. The sub-pixel structure confirms the use of an IPS (PLS) LCD panel.

The thermal signature once again confirms the use of a Mini-Led backlighting system. The sub-pixel structure confirms the use of an IPS (PLS) LCD panel.
The Mini-Led backlighting system in HDR consumes a fair amount of power, but heats up very little. On this 25 % HDR window of the screen at maximum brightness, the MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro consumes 47W. At full screen, consumption briefly rises to 62W before stabilizing at around 58W. That's as much as when the MacBook Pro's processor and graphics card are fully loaded, but with a screen calibrated at 200 cd/m². On the other hand, it doesn't heat up much, since even after several tens of minutes on an HDR test pattern, the screen temperature doesn't exceed 32°C.
See you next week for a full review of the new 14" and 16" MacBook Pros equipped with the new M1 Pro processor.
Read the test : Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 (M1 Pro 10/16)
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