When it comes to one of the most expensive laptops, Apple’s MacBook pro certainly deserves a mention. It might also come out as the most expensive laptop if you compare it with any other brands laptop in terms of the hardware.
MacBook might be expensive, still lots of people buy it. Not only the MacBooks are elegantly designed but the combination of the macOS and the top of the line hardware it can go toe-to-toe with any competing laptop and might even come out on top in certain scenarios.
So, if you are interested in getting a MacBook Pro during the Black Friday Sale 2018 this review will help you decide whether it is the correct choice or not.
Specifications:
CPU: 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel i5 CPU for the base model and 2.9 GHz hexa-core Intel i9 CPU for the top end MacBook.
GPU: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (MacBook Pro 13-inch) and Radeon Pro 560X (MacBook Pro 15-inch)
RAM: 8 GB LPDDR3 memory on MacBook Pro 13-inch (Expandable up to 16GB) and 16 GB DDR4 on the 15-inch model (Expandable up to 32GB)
Storage: The MacBook comes with 128 GB SSD in the base model and 512 GB in the top model. This could be upgraded up to 4 TB.
Display: 13.3-inch LED backlit IPS display with a resolution of 2560X1600 on the 13-inch variant and 15.4-inch LED backlit IPS display with a resolution of 2880X1800 on the 15-inch variant.
Wi-fi: 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth: Bluetooth version 5.0
Weight: 1.37 Kg for 13-inch model and 1.83 Kg for the 15-inch model.
Price: The base model 13-inch MacBook Pro will cost $1299 and the best 15-inch variant will cost $2799.
REVIEW
Now, that you know about the hardware present in the MacBooks, you would be interested to know how does it work in everyday situations. So, let us look at the performance of these MacBooks.
Display
The display isn’t that different from the previous models but the display on these MacBooks utilize Apple’s True Tone Technology. This feature, borrowed from the iPads uses the ambient light to maintain the white balance on the screen and the Touch Bar.
The resolution of 2560X1600 on the 13-inch model offers 227 PPI and the resolution of 2880X1800 gives a pixel density of 227 per inch of the screen. This leads to pictures which are way sharper and much clearer than any other laptop on the market.
The True Tone display provides the MacBook Pro one of the most natural looking screen on any laptop and this makes it an excellent platform for content creation such as photo editing and video rendering on the go. No doubt most of the professionals rely on Macs for this reason.
Overall, when it comes to display, Apple’s MacBook Pro are on of the best laptops on the market that you can get.
Design
The new MacBook features the popular slim-unibody Aluminum frame introduced back in 2016. Apple managed to put some great features in a body that is both stylish and thin. It can give a tough competition to the HP-Spectre in the terms of design. If you think that the laptop might be fragile then you would be surprised to see how tough it is.
So, if you have used any other laptop then you might find the MacBook a brilliant piece of craftsmanship. In case, you have been using MacBook for a while then you would realize that Apple hasn’t really made anything new but has only upgraded the internals for the 2018 models.
The butterfly switches are still present even after the lawsuit and are not one of the best out there. Microsoft Surface could provide a great key travel then its certainly possible for Apple to do it as well.
So, if you want a great typing experience or want a tactile keyboard then you would feel a bit disappointed. The Touch Bar is still present on the top of the keyboard and replaces the function keys like in the previous models.
The MacBook Pro offers up to 4 USB-C ports that come with Thunderbolt 3 support. These could be used for charging, display output, and attaching accessories.
Performance (for 13-inch MacBook)
The main aspect of any laptop is the performance. If you are one of those people who want to get the latest and fastest hardware then the MacBook won’t disappoint you. It might not have as many ports as the previous models but when it comes to working, the 2018 version leaves its older siblings in dust. The 13-inch Intel Core i7 model scored around 18000 in GeekBench 4 multi-core test when compared to similar machine from the previous year. It even beats the hexa-core Xeon-powered Mac Pro from 2013 by over 1000 points.
This means if you are going to perform CPU intensive tasks such as video editing, audio editing, encoding and decoding then you will notice huge improvements as compared to the previous models.
If you are keen on playing games then you should stray as far away from the Macs as possible. Still, the laptop could play the games designed for Macs without much difficulty at the native resolutions.
When it comes to laptops one of the most important performance metrics is the battery life. The laptop comes with a non-removable 58.0-watt-hour Li-Po battery. It provides up to 30 days of standby time and lets you browse web or use iTunes for up to 10 hours on a single charge.
If you are looking for some of the most extreme graphical performance then you could hook up your MacBook Pro to AMDs RX580 GPU with the help of BlackMagic eGPU which costs $699. This would boost your video editing process by a huge margin and would let you play a variety of games with decent settings and acceptable frame rates.
Pros:
The MacBook doesn’t improve much in the terms of design so most of the changes are internal. These include
- Blazing fast performance thanks to the 8th gen Intel CPUs and dedicated AMD GPU.
- Great battery life.
- A newly designed keyboard.
Cons:
Just like any other piece of equipment, MacBook has certain downsides.
- It has got just 4 Type-C ports.
- The 13-inch variant doesn’t feature a dedicated GPU.
- Touch Bar is good but cannot replace the physical function keys.
- Not much of a design change when compared to earlier models.
Final Verdict
The new MacBook Pro is a significant improvement over the previous models when it comes to performance. If you are an Apple fan then you would definitely love the new models whereas any new comers would be more inclined towards getting any other laptop except the MacBook due to the price premium.
So, if you are a professional who wants to get great performance and productivity on the move then you should definitely get the MacBook Pro during the Black Friday Sale 2018. Otherwise get a Windows/Linux based laptop as it will suit your needs a lot better at only a fraction of the price.
