Given that over here at India Today Tech we are almost always dealing with cutting-edge technologies, we rarely get impressed by something that claims to be the next-best-thing after the sliced bread. But this year — that is the year 2023 — the new Apple MacBook Pro surprised and dazzled us. And the fact that it did so even when it looked exactly like last year’s MacBook Pro was a testimony to its performance, which was nothing short of magic. The MacBook Pro — and here we are talking about the MacBook Pro 16 M3 Max that we reviewed earlier — is arguably the fastest laptop ever made. It is so fast that it is probably faster than the desktops that many people, including professionals, use. It is game changing.

Game changing, we say? Well, it is game changing also because, for the first time, a MacBook looks capable enough to comfortably run AAA games at their max graphics settings. But about that in a while.

The more important reason why the MacBook Pro 16 with M3 Max chipset finds place in the list of gadgets that impressed us is because of the performance it brings to the table. And the way it does so, by being effortless and fuss-free.

When we ran some benchmarks on the MacBook Pro 16, we had to collect our jaws from the floor. The numbers it put out — all the while running on battery —clearly showed that the MacBook Pro 16 offers desktop-class performance not just in regular tasks but also in tasks such as video editing and rendering and code compilation. Of particular note are the numbers MacBook Pro 16 puts out in PugetBench in After Effects. You can read more about these benchmarks and what they mean in the India Today Tech review of the MacBook Pro 16, but essentially, here is a one-line summary: The MacBook Pro 16, even for professionals who demand the highest level of performance, offers all the performance they need with the convenience and flexibility of a laptop.

On its top MacBook, Apple is now essentially giving its users M Ultra (a desktop chip) performance with M3 Max. It also means that video editors, filmmakers, scientists and researchers who are using 3D modelling, IT professionals who demand top level performance can now break-free of the limitations that a desktop demands. They can carry their work in their backpacks with almost zero compromises.

It also helps that the new MacBook Pro 16 is a solid laptop even otherwise. It has a brilliant screen, spacious keyboard, huge trackpad and a reasonable size and weight. Its design is fantastic, it runs mostly cool and silent, the battery life is good considering the performance it offers, and its speakers are among the best that you would get in a laptop.

In other words, the MacBook Pro 16 with M3 Max is — according to India Today Tech — the best work laptop you can buy right now. Although, it must be said: It is very very expensive.

Another way the MacBook Pro 16 is game changing is the way it can handle triple AAA gaming. With its powerful graphics core, the M3 Max can easily handle games like Baladur’s Gate 3 and Resident Evil Village. Now, I wouldn’t say that people should buy a Mac for gaming. Not yet. But the M3 Max and the MacBook Pro 16 show that Apple has started getting serious about gaming on Mac. And finally, there is a MacBook Pro that is as good at work as it is for gaming. This too is a big deal.