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Apple 2021 MacBook Pros boast improved bass, better mics

The company claims the new MacBook Pros have "the best audio system in a notebook."

Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury Editor
TV and home video editor Ty Pendlebury joined CNET Australia in 2006, and moved to New York City to be a part of CNET in 2011. He tests, reviews and writes about the latest TVs and audio equipment. When he's not playing Call of Duty he's eating whatever cuisine he can get his hands on. He has a cat named after one of the best TVs ever made.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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Apple says its new MacBook Pro models feature "the best audio system in a notebook" with better microphones and improved bass.  

Both the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro feature a six-speaker sound system with 80% more bass. The speakers include two, larger tweeters and four force-canceling woofers that Apple says can go half an octave (or "so la ti do") deeper than before.

The MacBooks include "studio-quality" mics that have a 60% better signal-to-noise ratio than before, which should mean clearer Zoom calls in particular.

Watch this: New MacBook Pro: MagSafe returns

The new sound system also supports Apple's spatial audio for watching movies and listening to Apple Music, as do other Apple products, including the iPad and the new AirPods 3.

The new laptops have M1 Pro and M1 Max chips and a Liquid Retina XDR display. The 14-inch laptop starts at $1,999 (£1,899, AU$2,999) while the 16-inch version will retail for $2,499 (£2,399, AU$3,749). 

This is a developing story. See all of the announcements from Apple's Unleashed event on Monday.  

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