Apple's M4 Macs come with 16GB RAM as standard—What this means for creatives

Apple’s new M4-powered Macs, along with the older MacBook Air M2 and M3, now feature 16 GB of RAM in the base model. Here’s why this is a win for creatives.

Apple last week finally unveiled its new lineup of Mac computers, which includes the brand-new MacBook Pro, the updated iMac, and, of course, the redesigned Mac Mini. All of these new computers are powered by the M4 family of chipsets, comprising the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max. As powerful as the M4 chipset is, the company has now taken a significant step by introducing 16 GB of RAM as standard. For those uninitiated, Apple’s computers had only shipped with 8 GB of RAM in their base models until now.

All the M4-powered Macs come with 16GB RAM as standard. (Apple)

Shaurya Sharma

You might be surprised to learn that this 16 GB RAM base isn't just limited to Apple’s latest M4-powered computers. In fact, older models, including the MacBook Air M2 and M3, also come with 16 GB of RAM as standard, and this is available for the same price as the previous 8 GB model.

This change represents a major win for creative professionals

I have been using a trusty MacBook Air with an M1 chipset and 8 GB of RAM for a while now, and while it generally handles demanding tasks like 4K video editing quite well, it struggles when attempting to edit multi-layered 4K video projects or delve deeply into graphic design with Photoshop. However, I noticed that another MacBook with the same specifications but equipped with 16 GB of RAM experienced none of these issues and handled most tasks smoothly. This indicates that the 8 GB RAM is a bottleneck, affecting performance.

In fact, multiple reviewers and industry experts have always recommended that power users opt for at least 16 GB of RAM if they engage in professional creative work. This is particularly important in apps like Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, and other apps like AutoCAD and Maya.

Having 16 GB of RAM in the base model is, therefore, a major benefit for creatives. For instance, consider the Mac Mini with the M4 chip, which retails for ₹59,990; it now comes with the base M4 chipset and 16 GB of RAM, making it one of the best value-for-money machines for professional-grade creative work.

In hindsight, Apple did offer 16 GB of RAM with models like the Mac Mini M2, but upgrading to 16 GB cost at least ₹20,000 more (still does if you want the 24GB M4 Mac mini), making these models less competitive in terms of value compared to the base versions. This situation has now changed.

Yes, while 16 GB of RAM may still be insufficient for certain use cases, upgrading to higher RAM options, such as 24 GB or 32 GB, will now be significantly more affordable than before.

Apple has priced the new Macs aggressively

If you pay attention, you will notice that the new Macs start at the same price as the previous generation while offering more RAM, a faster chipset, and several other enhancements, particularly with the MacBook Pro. This development suggests that Apple is starting to take value seriously, allowing advanced users to appreciate just how good a deal Mac computers have become. All the new Mac models will be available starting 8th November in India, and they are already up for pre-order.