Apple has included a number of under-the-radar enhancements with its newly-announced MacBook Pro and iMac with the M3 family of chips. The new Mac machines include expanded support for High Power Mode and high-impedance headphones support.
14-inch MacBook Pro High Power Mode
Apple’s High Power Mode is now available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro configured with the M3 Max chip. Previously, High Power Mode was only supported on the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1, M2, and M3 Max chips, and wasn’t available on the smaller laptop model no matter its chip configuration. Apple has updated a support document to reflect the change.
Apple says High Power Mode “can improve performance in graphics-intensive workflows such as color grading 8K ProRes 4444 and 8K DNxHR video.” High Power Mode can also improve playback and export times in video editing and 3D applications. However, the mode could result in “additional fan noise” as it runs faster to keep up with increased power demand.
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High Power Mode can be enabled through macOS by navigating to System Settings > Battery > Energy Mode and choosing appropriate modes when the MacBook Pro is connected to power or on battery.
24-inch iMac high-impedance headphones support
In another support document, Apple has confirmed that the M3 24-inch iMac now includes support for high-impedance headphones through an upgraded 3.5mm headphone jack.
Apple says that the M3 iMac’s headphone jack supports DC load detection and adaptive voltage output. “Your Mac can detect the impedance of the connected device and will adapt its output for low- and high-impedance headphones, as well as for line-level audio devices,” the document adds.
In addition, an improved built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC) now supports sample rates of up to 96 kHz. Apple first introduced support for wired high-impedance headphones with the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro in 2021. With the iMac’s support, all Mac models that Apple currently sells now offer improved DAC and high-impedance headphone support.
