Between the M4 and M4 Pro, the M4 comes out ahead in tdp, while the M4 Pro wins on l3 cache and cinebench r23 (multi). Overall, the M4 scores 45.9 and the M4 Pro scores 49.6 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The M4 Pro edges ahead on the Mars Score (45.9 vs 49.6), but the 3.7-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the M4 if you care most about tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are tdp.
Pick the M4 Pro if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are l3 cache, cinebench r23 (multi), cores, among others.
There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Apple - M4 wins
- ▲TDP — 18.00 W less. 22 vs 40.
Why Apple - M4 Pro wins
- ▲L3 cache — 50.00% more. 24 MB vs 16 MB.
- ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 41.67% more. 23800 vs 16800.
- ▲Cores — 40.00% more. 14 vs 10.
- ▲Boost clock — 2.27% more. 4.5 GHz vs 4.4 GHz.
Spec comparison
Cores
| Spec | Apple - M4 | Apple - M4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Coresⓘ | 10 | 14lead |
| Threadsⓘ | 10 | 14lead |
| Base clockⓘ | 0 GHz | 0 GHz |
| Boost clockⓘ | 4.4 GHz | 4.5 GHzlead |
| L3 cacheⓘ | 16 MB | 24 MBlead |
Platform
| Spec | Apple - M4 | Apple - M4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Socketⓘ | Soldered | Soldered |
| TDPⓘ | 22 Wlead | 40 W |
| Integrated graphicsⓘ | true | true |
| DDR5ⓘ | true | true |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple - M4 | Apple - M4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ | 16800 | 23800lead |
| Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ | 2110 | 2260lead |
Frequently asked
Spec-level deep dives
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