My M1 Pro MacBook Pro Is Still Great (And Much Better Than Any Windows PC)
5 years, no upgrade in sight.
I just wrote about why I won’t use Windows again.
Now comes the love letter to the machine that made that decision super easy.
My MacBook Pro is from late 2021. 16-inch, M1 Pro, 16GB RAM. I bought it for solo freelance work back then. Today it runs my new job too. Without complaints.
I haven’t thought about upgrading. Not once.
My new job runs on this thing
Whatever lands on my desk lands on this laptop. Claude Code with multiple agents running, browser automation, deploys, video calls, presentations, the occasional Photoshop. No company machine. No second setup. This one does it.
I’m half done while colleagues are still fixing their Windows updates. I’ve said that before.
16GB and AI workflows
16GB are the low end in 2026.
But on Mac, it’s fine.
I run Claude Code with parallel agents. I have Chrome, Safari, Mail, Notes, a couple of dev servers, Spotify, Wispr Flow, and the AI stuff all open at the same time. macOS swaps when it needs to. I don’t really notice.
I don’t run 70B models locally, of course. But for most AI workflows, it’s more than enough.
A full day, no charger
I work a full day from the kitchen table or an office or my backyard, and I don’t plug in until I go to bed. The battery just goes.
Battery health is above 90% after 5 years. That’s pretty nice. And even with less, it will still run longer than most other laptops on the market.
The screen replaces the monitor
16 inches is big. Bright. Sharp.
I don’t have an external monitor at home anymore. I used to. Don’t have space anymore. And I don’t miss it much.
(For me. People who live in 4-window grids on 32-inch monitors will disagree.)
Work happens wherever I am
I carry one thing.
I worked a full week from my parents’ place last month. The laptop went where I went, did what I needed it to do, and didn’t ask for anything.
No docking station. No power brick I have to carry constantly. No “wait, where did I save that file” because the file is just there. On this machine. Where I left it. (Or in the cloud anyway).
Downsides
It’s a bit heavier than other laptops, sure. 2.1 kg. Backpack-only, basically.
The fans do come on during really long and heavy AI sessions. Audible. Not loud. Just present.
Battery health will drop some more. That’s how it goes.
macOS 27 will support it. The one after that, I’m less sure. So there’s a clock somewhere, ticking with OS updates. But, I mean, any Windows user can talk about the „super smooth” Windows 10 to Windows 11 upgrade.
The Bottom Line
My M1 MacBook Pro has done 5 years of freelance work, all my apps, all my writing, all my videos and music, 3 operating system upgrades, career changes, and AI from the beginning
It hasn’t broken a sweat.
It’s not cheap. Not at all. MacBook Pros are expensive. But you get what you paid for. And that’s a lot. And very rare nowadays.
I’ll keep using it until it stops. And then I’ll feel bad about replacing it.
So for anyone who needs a new computer… just get a Mac if you can afford it. And be happy.