Apple’s next update could boost the speed of your MacBook with a single click

Apple is working on a new toggle that will sacrifice battery life for unfettered power on your MacBook. The new setting, dubbed High Power Mode, has made an appearance in the latest beta version of macOS Monterey, which is scheduled to launch before the end of the year.

The free operating system upgrade, which was revealed during Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference back in June, will be the successor to macOS 11 Big Sur, which launched November 12, 2020. High Power Mode – or an equivalent – has been rumoured for some time. The first references to a power-hungry performance mode appeared in the code for macOS Catalina 10.15.3, which rolled out worldwide in January 2020. Since then, we’ve heard whispers from sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans… but nothing concrete.

However, Apple-centric blog 9To5Mac has discovered a number of references to High Power Mode in the eighth beta of macOS Monterey.

Unfortunately, there are no details on exactly how High Power Mode will function, but it seems safe to assume that it will push the CPU and GPU to run at peak performance levels – regardless of whether your laptop is connected to a charger, or not. It could also immediately trigger the fans to eliminate any thermal throttling. The result? You’re likely to see battery life shrink, but overall speed and performance enjoy a huge boost.

For those who are connected to power – or pressed for time, High Power Mode could be a brilliant new addition. Photographers who need to export a stack of images in minutes, or gamers who want to enjoy the highest graphical fidelity at the expense of battery life would benefit from the setting.

Low Power Mode, which reduces the performance of your Apple gadget to eke as much battery life as possible from the charge in your lithium-ion cell has been a mainstay of iPhones for some time. With macOS Monterey, the feature will be coming to MacBooks for the first time. It’s unclear whether High Power Mode will arrive with the operating system, or whether it will be added at a later date.

Apple is widely-tipped to announce a slew of new MacBook models, powered by a new generation of its custom-designed M-branded chipsets, in the coming weeks. A new MacBook Pro with thinner bezels around the display that squeezes a 14-inch screen into the same body as the current 13.3-inch variant is expected. Apple pulled off a similar trick with its 16-inch MacBook Pro back November 2019.