Mike Peterson
Apple has confirmed that 16-inch MacBook Pro models equipped with an M1 Max chip will feature a "High Power Mode" that is expected to temporarily increase performance.
Rumors of a "High Power Mode" first surfaced in late September, when code strings within the macOS Monterey revealed the existence of a special operating mode that could make a Mac run faster at the expense of decreased battery life and increased fan noise.
Although just a rumor up until Thursday, Apple has now confirmed the existence of the feature to MacRumors. According to the site, High Power Mode will only be available on 16-inch MacBook Pro models with an M1 Max chip. In other words, 14-inch MacBook Pros and all MacBook Pro variants with M1 Pro chips won't get it.
Code strings discovered in October by Steve Moser suggested that Apple will warn users when they enable the setting, advising them that their Mac "will optimize performance to better support resource-intensive tasks. This may result in louder fan noise."
The feature appears to be the opposite of Low Power Mode, which is being introduced in macOS Monterey. Similar to how the mode works on iPhone, Low Power Mode on macOS cuts down on battery-intensive tasks in an effort to squeeze a bit more life out of a charge.
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28 Comments
Absolutely fantastic
Well, wish there was more than just acknowledging the existence of the feature. Wonder how much of a performance improvement it is going to be.
So, is it enough of a feature for me to change my mind about getting a 14 inch over a 16 inch? Probably not, but who can really say without actual numbers, or even something a bit more detailed than "this is a feature that exists".
Cool, well we should know a lot more next week :)
It probably doesn't boost performance. It probably just cranks the fans so that it doesn't have to thermally slow down.