Apple's late-2024 14.2-inch MacBook Pro with the 10-core M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, a 120Hz mini-LED display and three Thunderbolt 4 ports, launched at $1,599. Reviewers praise its roughly 18-hour battery life, screen and speed, with fan noise under sustained load and pricey upgrades as the main knocks.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
On the evidence gathered here, yes. 87% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction is still 8.3 out of 10 two years in. Still fast enough for most creative and pro work after the M5 arrived.
Reviewers' highlights (the display, speakers and roughly 18-hour battery life) are lasting strengths, and a late-2025 comparison found the M4 still fast enough for most creative and pro work after the M5 arrived. The niggles that remain are fan noise during long heavy jobs and having paid steeply for extra RAM or storage.
Only a 12-month standard warranty. Superseded by the M5 model within about a year.
Still fast enough for most creative and pro work after the M5 arrived. Sentiment across the ownership period stays close to flat, which is rare: it reads 8.8 out of 10 in the first week and 8.3 two years later.
Worth it for: Professionals wanting all-day battery; Photo and video hobbyists; Upgraders from intel or m1 macs. Think twice if: Sustained heavy gpu workloads; Budget buyers needing more storage; Repair-minded users.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 8.8 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 8.8 / 10 |
| One month | 8.7 / 10 |
| Six months | 8.6 / 10 |
| One year | 8.5 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 8.3 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Rates it 89%, praising the build, mini-LED display, speakers, battery and extra Thunderbolt port, but criticising fan noise under load, PWM flicker, upgrade prices and repairability.
Gives top marks for performance and design, measuring about 18.5 hours of browsing, though the design is unchanged, Wi-Fi 7 is missing and it runs warm when gaming.
Five-star Editor's Choice that lasted 18 hours 32 minutes in testing and praises the display, build and audio, with only the lack of Face ID and awkward vents as drawbacks.
A December 2025 comparison saying the M4 model remains fast enough for most creative and professional workflows and that M4 owners need not upgrade to the base M5.