However, Apple dropped the M4 chip and obliterated Windows laptops in one fell swoop. On Geekbench 6, the MacBook Pro notched a sweet multi-core score of 15,199. This beats our most powerful non-gaming PC laptop, Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, which delivered a score of 14,548 on the same test.

With the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4, Apple has created a pro-grade portable that impresses in every respect. It joins Apple's pantheon of outstanding laptops, and is set to take a well-deserved place at or near the top of our best laptops rankings.

Right now, the base MacBook Pro 14 M3 starts at $1,399 via Best Buy, though it's often discounted even lower. For this price, you'll get an M3 chip (consisting of an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine), 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 3024 x 1964-pixel resolution.