We tested the MacBook Pro PROLED'S battery life — it's a Windows laptop massacre and Apple Silicon remains untouchable

When Apple unveiled the MacBook Pro with the PROLED XDR display, I was apprehensive about its battery life. The new MacBook Pro has packed a powerful OLED touchscreen into a thinner design, and they even included a backlight for the Apple logo on the lid. Historically, cramming a massive power-hungry display into a slim laptop meant sacrificing battery life.

However, after testing the PROLED MacBook Pro, I must say I was mistaken. It not only matches the endurance of its bulkier mini-LED predecessors but also outperforms the entire Windows AI PC ecosystem. Battery life showdown

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display (M5 Max) lasted an astonishing 21 hours and 24 minutes on a continuous web-surfing battery test. This result ties with the thicker, non-touch 16-inch mini-LED M5 Pro model. The 14-inch PROLED with M5 Pro managed to reach just under 17 hours, bringing it close to the 14-inch mini-LED model with M5 Max, though still a bit behind.

Apple managed to integrate a brighter, touch-sensitive OLED panel, a glowing logo, and a slim design without compromising battery life. The Windows side of the battle is a massacre (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Browsing the Windows market lately, I've been closely tracking Nvidia's RTX Spark laptops and the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Both have been touted as potential "MacBook killers," but when it comes to endurance, they've failed to show up for the fight. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra running RTX Spark only lasts 10 hours and 35 minutes, while the Lenovo Yoga 9n (also running Spark) only managed 10 hours and 32 minutes.

Even the Asus Zenbook A16 with Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme couldn't last longer than 10 hours and 26 minutes. These laptops could be fully charged and still lose the marathon against the MacBook Pro PROLED. Apple is dominating the field (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While I criticize Apple's premium pricing, especially regarding the PROLED model, the performance and power efficiency gains are undeniable. The Windows ecosystem is struggling to keep up with local AI power demands, while Apple has released a stunningly thin, touchscreen OLED flagship that runs for nearly a full 24 hours. This AI PC revolution might be taking off, but when it comes to longevity, the rest of the industry isn't just losing to Apple; they aren't even playing the same game.