The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models announced on Monday are available in a new Space Black finish when configured with M3 Pro or M3 Max chips. Notably, Apple says this finish features an “anodization seal” to “greatly reduce fingerprints.”
Apple already made the MacBook Air available in a darker Midnight finish, and it is considered by many to be a fingerprint magnet. Based on hands-on videos of the new MacBook Pro models shared following Apple’s event, the new anti-fingerprint seal does appear to be an improvement compared to the MacBook Air, but more testing is needed.
In the hands-on video below, The Verge‘s Dan Seifert said “I got like 30 seconds to touch the new Space Black model, and yeah, I guess there are fewer fingerprints on it, but we’ll really have to see how it holds up in the real world.”
Six Colors editor-in-chief Jason Snell said the Space Black finish is “generally more resistant to fingerprints,” but he said some fingerprints are still to be expected. He also said Space Black is more like a “dark gray” instead of actual black:
I got my greasy monkey paws on a Space Black laptop and can report that Apple’s as good as its word in the sense that it seems generally more resistant to fingerprints and other smudges.
But I don’t want to exaggerate this feature: you can still see fingerprints. They just aren’t as prominent. This is a progressive improvement over something like the Midnight M2 MacBook Air, but it’s not a cure-all.
Similarly, I need to warn you not to get too excited about Apple finally making a black MacBook Pro. Space Black is not actually as black as space. It’s a dark gray. Yes, it’s appreciably darker than the Space Gray on the current MacBook Pros (and the new base model), but it’s still a shimmery metallic gray. Fans of Darth Vader stand down.
Another hands-on…
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