Apple delivered the most significant redesign and feature upgrade to the MacBook Pro lineup in 2021. The new MacBook Pros are not flawless, though. Early adopters did face a few glitches. If you are planning to get one or have already bought one, do read to learn about top issues with M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro and tricks to solve them.
1. Memory Leak
Starting at 16GB RAM, Apple allows users to customize the MacBook Pro with up to 64GB RAM. Many users have reported problems with memory leaks. For some, the Control Center alone takes around 25GB RAM.
It’s possible that macOS is having difficulty processing the new unified memory structure of M1 processors. It continues to allocate RAM beyond what’s available and doesn’t free up RAM that’s no longer needed.
The problem is commonly referred to as Memory Leak. You can press the Command + Space keys, search for Activity Monitor, and open the app.
Closely look at apps and services taking up memory on the device. In some cases, you might see a single Safari tab taking up to 1GB of RAM.
Click on them and click the X mark at the top. Alternatively, you can use apps like CleanMyMac to track RAM usage with a single click in the menu bar.
If possible, you can ditch Google Chrome (infamous for consuming excessive RAM) and Microsoft Office apps in favor of Apple’s default solutions to get the work done.
➤Download: CleanMyMac X
2. Sluggish Scrolling in Safari
The 2021 MacBook Pro models have adopted 120Hz high refresh-rate displays. They are adaptive – meaning they can go as low as 10Hz and up to 120Hz when needed. 120Hz is used chiefly when scrolling in the browser or any app. You will notice a smooth experience without any lag. However, that’s not the case for some users out there.
Early adopters have reported sluggish webpage scrolling in Safari. Don’t worry though. It’s not a hardware fault though. macOS apps are still work-in-progress to take advantage of smooth scrolling. Maybe the display is getting stuck at a low refresh rate, and it’s not fully utilizing the 120Hz hardware capability.
Apple listened to the growing concern and delivered an update (macOS 12.2) to fix the issue. Update macOS to the latest version from the System Preferences > Software Update to resolve the problem if you are facing it.
3. Hide the Notch
Apple sparked controversy by adding a notch to the 2021 MacBook Pro display. While reviewers have dismissed the notch on the latest MacBook, some might not be a fan of cut-out at the top.
Enter a third-party app called TopNotch. It allows you to hide the MacBook Pro’s notch. The app basically makes the menu bar completely black and makes the notch disappear. This is similar to how Apple itself adds a black bezel to the top of the display when apps are in full-screen mode. The app is perfectly compatible with macOS Dynamic Desktop Wallpapers and a multi-monitor setup.
Another potential issue with the MacBook Pro’s display is the small space at the top for menu bar icons. Because the notch is there, you have limited space to work in the menu bar. This is not ideal when you are using a bunch of third-party apps that utilize the macOS menu bar. If you are a power user, you might be using dozens of menu bar items at the top, and there won’t be enough space to accommodate all of them due to the notch.
A third-party app called Bartender 4 is here to the rescue. It allows you to group menu bar icons in a folder and make some space at the top. You can create multiple folders in the menu bar and organize app icons in them. That will streamline the busy look at the top and offers you the flexibility to work with menu bar items.
➤Download: TopNotch
➤Download: Bartender 4
4. Issues with HDR YouTube Videos
Many 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro users have reported kernel crashes while playing HDR YouTube videos. Watching an HDR YouTube video in Safari and then going through the comments section resulted in a kernel error. The issue seems limited to base models with 16GB of RAM.
You can use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge on the Mac to stream YouTube videos as a temporary solution.
Try to update macOS to the latest version as well. If you are still facing problems with HDR YouTube videos, you could be looking at a trip to the nearest Apple service center.
5. Slow Charging
MacBook Pro marks the return of MagSafe to the Mac family. Users can charge the MacBook Pro with a Type-C charger as well. However, we would advise against that. The reason? Most third-party adapters are capped at 100W while the MacBook Pro can charge at 140W.
If fast charging is your priority, Apple offers an option to add the fast charger to the cart with your MacBook Pro purchase. The base 14-inch MacBook Pro comes with a 67W charger, and for $20 extra, you have an option to replace it with 96W one.
The 2021 MacBook Pro also comes with an SD card slot. If your MacBook has trouble recognizing the connected SD card, you can go through Apple’s list of solutions to fix the issue.
Apple has hit it out of the park with 2021 MacBook Pro models. As it’s the case with any major internal/external transition, the redesign and new internals do come with a few glitches though. Until Apple irons them out, we suggest you wait before dropping $2000+ on new models.
How’s your experience with MacBook Pro 2021 so far? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
