MacBook Pro 2021: These ports are back

A remarkable move by Apple: the MacBook Pro 2021 brings back all kinds of ports that were previously gone. These are all connections that you will now get again.

MagSafe

As handy as those universal USB-C cables are, we have to admit that we missed MagSafe. It was always a nice idea that a trip over the charging cable wouldn’t drag your entire MacBook to the ground. Thankfully, the magnetic charging port returns with the 2021 MacBook Pro! Apple has upgraded it to MagSafe 3, which is distinguished by a much higher maximum power supply.

The other side of the MagSafe cable now has a USB-C connector, so you can replace the cable without immediately needing a new adapter. You can also still use the MacBook’s USB-C port to charge it, so you don’t have to throw away your old accessories.

HDMI

Have you ever stood with your MacBook next to a beamer, television or monitor, only to realize that you have forgotten your HDMI adapter and can therefore forget to connect it? That will no longer happen to you with the MacBook Pro 2021. It ‘just’ again has an HDMI port, so you can easily connect it to all kinds of screens.

SD card reader

SD cards are very fast these days, so they are usually more pleasant when transferring photos or videos from your camera than a cable. Unfortunately, since the MacBook Pro 2016, you always had to carry a separate SD card reader with you to make use of this speed. That’s fixed now: the built-in SD card reader is back!

Incidentally, there is a good chance that special cards will now be released to permanently expand your MacBook storage: they already existed before 2016.

MacBook Pro 2021 ports: 3.5mm jack as a bonus

Wait: The MacBook’s 3.5mm headphone port never disappeared, did it? That’s right, but he does have a new trick. It now supports high-impedance headphones. This means that you can now connect hi-fi headphones, as well as professional studio headphones, directly to your MacBook.