Apple has listened to its users. The company today announced new MacBook Pros. While the 13-incher is a step up, real professionals will be wowed by the 15-incher.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar | 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar |
| CPU | 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and Core i7 (quad-core) | 8th Gen Intel Core i7 and Core i9 (hexa-core) |
| GPU | Intel Iris Plus 655 | AMD Radeon Pro 555X or 560X (4GB GDDR5) |
| RAM | Up to 16GB | Up to 32GB |
| Storage | Up to 2TB | Up to 4TB |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 3 (4x) | Thunderbolt 3 (4x) |
| eGPU Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Display | 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600 | 15.4-inch, 2880 x 1800 |
| Size | 12 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches | 13.8 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches |
| Weight | 3.02 pounds | 4.02 pounds |
| Starting Price | $1,799 | $2,399 |
The 15-inch MacBook Pro will start at a hefty $2,399 and use either a hexa-core Intel Core i7 or Core i9 processor going up to 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost running up to 4.8GHz. Unlike the last generation of MacBook Pros, these will go up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and will feature Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 4GB of VRAM. It will support up to 4TB of SSD storage. The display will use Apple’s True Tone technology, which changes color temperature based on your environment. And yes, the Touch Bar and Touch ID are back, this time powered by Apple’s T2 chips. This is the model pros doing 3D rendering, video editing, running virtual machines or other workstation tasks will want.
The 13-inch version starts at $1,799 and uses either quad-core Core i5 or Core i7 processors up uto 2.7 GHz (4.5 GHz on Turbo Boost). It will use Intel Iris Plus 655 integrated graphics and allow up to 2TB of SSD storage. Like the 15-inch version, the 13-incher will use True Tone, the Touch Bar, Touch ID and the T2 co-processor. The T2 processor also allows for "Hey, Siri" compatibility, making these the first MacBooks that don't need a keyboard shortcut to activate the digital assistant.
Additionally, Apple has updated the keyboard on the MacBook Pro. This one should make typing quieter, though there doesn’t seem to be any claims about increased reliability despite the recent repair program the company announced for switches going back to 2015.
Both laptops still use Thunderbolt 3 for data transfer, so you’ll have to deal with dongles. Despite complaints for pros, there are no USB Type-A ports, SD card slots, DisplayPort or HDMI outputs.
Both machines are eligible for Apple’s new back-to-school promotion, beginning today, which includes a pair of Beats headphones with eligible MacBook Pros for college students. These laptops only replace the most expensive models, though, so the cheaper options still use 7th Gen Intel Core i processors (including the popular 13-inch model without the Touch Bar).
Professionals were vocal about the last generation of MacBook Pros, lamenting that Apple wasn’t offering enough power. This year, we’ll see if Apple can win them back. Apple is also at work on a new, modular Mac Pro that is scheduled for a 2019 release.
We’re looking forward to getting these new MacBooks on our test bench to see just how much more powerful they are in person.
