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Apple MacBook Pro M4

Apple MacBook Pro 14″ (M4, 2024) Laptop test

February 17, 2025
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We put the Apple MacBook Pro M4 through our rigorous DXOMARK Laptop test suite to measure its performance in sound, camera and display. In this review, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.

Overview

Scoring

Use-case and feature subscores included in the calculations of the global score

Apple MacBook Pro M4
Apple MacBook Pro 14" (M4, 2024)
136
camera
Exposure
90

93

Texture
45

54

Color
67

76

Noise
82

83

150
display
Readability
82

84

HDR
95

Best

SDR
78

84

Pros

  • Accurate exposure of faces, and extended dynamic range in all tested conditions
  • Low level of noise and well-preserved details
  • Subjects are always in focus
  • Best-in-class HDR video rendering with wide gamut, accurate EOTF and very high peak brightness
  • Comfortable for reading thanks to the anti-reflective coating and 1 nits luminance level adjustment

Cons

 

Test summary

About DXOMARK Laptop tests: For scoring and analysis in our laptop reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluations under controlled lab conditions and real-life scenarios. (For more details about the Laptop protocol, click here.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.

Camera

136

Apple MacBook Pro 14" (M4, 2024)

Best

i
About DXOMARK Camera Laptop tests

DXOMARK evaluates the image quality of the built in camera during video calls, whether with a single person or with multiple people, in a variety of lighting conditions. Our camera evaluation particularly assesses the ability of the built-in camera to clearly render human faces during video calls. Other intrinsic camera quality aspects are also evaluated, like color reproduction, texture and noise, as well as artefacts.

Learn more about how we test laptops

The MacBook Pro’s camera system’s performance was impressive, especially with the way human subjects were captured in varied conditions. The exposure of faces was rendered with accuracy, ensuring that skin tones remained natural even in challenging lighting. The extended dynamic range allowed both bright highlights and deep shadows to be well-detailed.

Noise levels remained low throughout, which helped in maintaining fine details across the frame. The subjects werew consistently sharp and in focus on the whole range of tested distances.

However, at times, color inaccuracies emerged, slightly detracting from the overall color fidelity. Additionally, artifacts such as ringing and color quantization were occasionally noticeable, hinting at areas where the image processing pipeline could be further refined.

The level of image details and texture was comparable to what we observed in the previous generation of MacBook Pros.

The following chart presents the camera subscores for the video call use case:

Camera scores comparison
Camera texture acutance on Deadleaves with illuminance levels
This graph shows the evolution of texture acutance with the level of lux measured on a Deadleaves chart.
The following graphs show the objective measurements performed in our camera labs:
Camera visual noise evolution with illuminance levels
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with the level of lux. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise chart in the video noise setup. DXOMARK visual noise measurement is derived from ISO15739 standard.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.
Target exposure on face with illuminance levels in HDR conditions
These measurements take place on a setup combining realistic mannequins and a backlit panel simulating high dynamic range conditions. This graph shows the evolution of lightness measured on the forehead of the realistic mannequin with the level of lux, for multiple lighting conditions. The lightness is measured in L*. Delta EV specifies the difference of luminance in stops between the face and the light panel simulating HDR conditions.

Display

150

Apple MacBook Pro 14" (M4, 2024)

156

Apple MacBook Pro 14" (M3 Pro, 2023)
i
About DXOMARK DisplayLaptop tests

Through objective testing, DXOMARK evaluates the display performance by looking at 3 main aspects: Readability, HDR & SDR performances. While evaluating readability, our engineers will particularly focus on screen brightness, contrast, and reflectance, assessing the ease and comfort of viewing displayed images indoors. We also evaluate HDR & SDR performance while looking at video contents, verifying that the display rendering respects the original artistic intent of the filmmaker

Learn more about how we test laptops

The Apple MacBook Pro M4 excels in HDR video rendering, offering a wide color gamut, accurate EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function), and very high peak luminance, making it ideal for high-quality video playback. The display’s anti-reflective coating ensures comfortable reading in various lighting conditions, and its ability to provide a luminance lower than 1 nits makes it perfectly suitable for dark room conditions. When it comes to color, it lacked some color saturation when playing SDR videos at maximum brightness.

The following chart presents the display subscores:

Display scores comparison
The following graphs show the objective measurements performed in our display lab:
Gamut coverage for video content
The primary colors are measured both in HDR10 and SDR. The solid color gamut measures the extent of the color area that the device can render in total darkness. The dotted line represents the content’s artistic intent. The measured gamut should match the master color space of each video.
Display reflectance measurement (SCI)
Measurements above show the reflection of the device within the visible spectrum range (400 nm to 700 nm). It includes both diffuse and specular reflection.
Display reflectance profile
Display brightness uniformity
0.028
cd/m²
0.027
cd/m²
0.028
cd/m²
0.03
cd/m²
0.028
cd/m²
0.029
cd/m²
0.029
cd/m²
0.027
cd/m²
0.026
cd/m²
LaptopDistribution of brightness (min)
567.6
cd/m²
569.6
cd/m²
574.5
cd/m²
569.9
cd/m²
567.3
cd/m²
578.9
cd/m²
562
cd/m²
542.5
cd/m²
546.8
cd/m²
LaptopDistribution of brightness (max)
This illustration shows the brightness measured on nine zones of the display for minimum brightness (left) and maximum brightness (right) for SDR content.
Display SDR EOTF measurement
This graph represents the rendering of contrast (gray levels) for SDR video content, measured in the dark. We expect to be close to the 2.2 or 2.4 gamma references.
Display peak brightness for video contents
White point color
This graph represents the color temperature of white content, compared with the reference (Daylight illuminant D65) measured in the dark on video at minimum and maximum brightness.

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