Techtober went straight into November this year. It’s been a busy first week of the month here at Engadget HQ, as we’ve published a number of high-profile reviews over the past few days. Along with the wild (and expensive) PS5 Pro, there’s Apple’s MacBook Pro and Mac mini. Plus, we’ve got another VR headset and more readers for bookworms. Read on for all of this week’s reviews and what’s coming next.
Apple MacBook Pro (2024) review
apple
Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro is better than ever thanks to M4 chips, Thunderbolt 5 support, and slightly brighter screens.
- Fast M4 chips
- Brighter screen
- Sharp 12MP Center Stage Webcam
- Thunderbolt 5 with M4 Pro/Max
- Long battery life
Our Mac expert Devindra Hardawar has had a busy week. Posting a total of four reviews, he focused primarily on the Apple double dip. It accelerated the new MacBook Pro powered by the M4 in both the 14- and 16-inch sizes. Unsurprisingly, the new chips offer a boost in speed, but there are also updates to the display, webcam and battery life. Custom upgrades remain expensive, but if you choose a machine with the power of the M4 Pro or M4 Max, you’ll also gain Thunderbolt 5 support.
“If you’re running an M1 MacBook Pro or still booting a truck with an Intel model, you’ll definitely see some noticeable performance gains from these machines” he explained. “But if you have an M2 or M3 MacBook Pro, the M4 hardware is less of a leap in quality.”
Apple Mac mini (M4 Pro, 2024) review
apple
Apple’s tiny Mac mini M4 and M4 Pro are more powerful than ever thanks to their chips, and a better deal with 16GB of RAM to boot.
- The M4 Pro chip is incredibly fast
- 16 GB RAM standard
- Front USB-C and headphone ports
- The smaller design takes up less space
- Thunderbolt 5 with the M4 Pro
- Custom upgrades are prohibitively expensive
- The fan is loud with heavy workload
- No SD card reader
The second part of Devindra’s double header was the new Mac mini, now also powered by Apple’s M4 chips. You’ll see the biggest speed boost here with the M4 Pro, and 16GB of RAM is now standard. Of course, the main change is the smaller size, and the front-mounted USB-C and headphone ports will come in handy.
“The Mac mini was the fastest computer I reviewed this year, at least when it came to CPU benchmarks” he wrote. “I’m used to being impressed by Apple Silicon, but the M4 Pro in our review unit (which also came with 48GB of RAM) was still a bigger leap than I expected.”
Sony PlayStation 5 Pro review
Engadget / Sony
The PlayStation 5 Pro is the most powerful console ever made, but you’ll be paying a lot for its performance. Thanks to a faster GPU, it finally delivers 4K and 60 fps performance for PlayStation gamers with new ray tracing features.
- Faster GPU delivers 4K/60 performance
- PSSR AI upscaler works well
- New ray tracing capabilities
- PS4 could improve the titles a bit
- Comes with 2TB SSD
- Expensive
- So expensive
- No disk drive
- Not all games have Pro upgrades
Devindra also assisted senior gaming reporter Jessica Conditt with her highly anticipated PlayStation 5 Pro review this week. Unsurprisingly, the duo confirmed that the PS5 Pro is the most powerful console ever, equipped with a faster GPU that unlocks 4K/60 fps action. There are also new ray tracing features and the console comes with a 2TB SSD. But you’ll pay a high price for it, and there aren’t any Pro-level upgrades for you to enjoy in every game.
“There’s no doubt that the PS5 Pro is a niche product, not an upgrade meant for all PS5 owners” they said. “It’s intended for Sony devotees who want the absolute best PlayStation experience and will never upgrade to a gaming PC.”
HTC Vive Focus Vision review
HTC Vive
The Vive Focus Vision is a brilliant premium standalone VR headset that can also deliver solid PC VR. But it also runs on outdated hardware, is riddled with software issues, and is expensive compared to Meta Quest 3.
- Excellent build quality
- Comfortable fit
- Hot-swappable battery
- It is powered by the 2020 Snapdragon XR2
- A small library of titles
- expensive
- It uses old Fresnel lenses
Devindra ended his marathon week with the latest HTC Vive VR headset. Unfortunately, the high price, limited game library, and outdated components hinder a great design. Simply put, “despite using an aging CPU and lenses, it still provides decent standalone VR” he explained. “But for a $999 headset, it’s a shame the HTC Vive didn’t try harder to differentiate the Focus Vision.”
Kindle Paperwhite Signature (2024) review
Amazon/Engadget
The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is one of the most luxurious e-readers you can buy, but some may not need to pay extra for all the nice features.
- The screen displays crisp text with a lovely warm glow
- The flush-front screen and soft-touch back feel premium
- Page turning and scrolling are noticeably faster
- Automatic adjustment of warm front light is useful
- The power button on the bottom edge is easy to accidentally activate
- Touch screen controls cannot be adjusted
- Fewer page and font adjustments than the competition
- Signature-specific features are not important
Business editor Amy Skorheim reviewed both the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and the new standard Kindle this week, pitting them head-on. While OG is still a workhorse, more premium options offer more features. But as Amy found out, you might not need them.
“Depends on whether you think higher experience will make you want to read more” he said. “If that’s the case, then it’s worth the price increase in the long run. But if you’re looking for a simple way to read books, go for the Kindle base.”
The next round of reviews
I know I teased him Sonos Arc Ultra review for this week, but our audio expert (hi!) needed a little more testing time with the soundbar. I double promise that one will arrive early next week for you to read on Veterans Day. There’s still a new Mac on the horizon, and we’re waiting for the finalization iMac (2024) check back next week. And there’s another Amazon review with the updated Fire HD 8 coming soon.
