The wait for Apple to update its MacBook Pro is over. Despite sharing the same aesthetics as its late-2017 predecessor, the 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro is one of the most powerful laptops Apple has ever created. In rolling out the 2018 MacBook Pro update, Apple has discontinued older MacBook Pro models that did not ship with USB-C ports, included a more powerful battery, of course better display aesthetics.
The 2018 MacBook Pro with new chips, processors and higher storage options is built for premium use. Though surrounded by controversy due to the price tag it comes with it, ongoing design issues, and lack of gaming prowess.
The new MacBook Pro looks exactly like 2016 and 2017 design, however, the design is still better than the former MacBook Pro. It’s a slim aluminium beast, made with silver and space gray with elegant, tapered edges.
Based on what we have gathered so far, here’s all we can say about the latest machine released by Apple.
2018 MacBook Pro Specs (15in)
- 6-core Intel Core i7 and Core i9 processors up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
Apple has equipped its new laptops with Intel’s latest eighth-gen processor chips, and claims these will produce dramatic speed boosts.
- It has up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM
Unlike previous Apple laptop that comes with 16GB RAM, the 2018 MacBook Pro is built with 32GB RAM for speed and almost eliminates device lags,
- Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 4GB of video memory
- Up to 4TB SSD storage
You can now get a 4TB SSD on the 15in Pro; the maximum in the 2017 generation was 2TB.
- True Tone display
Apple has equipped the new MacBooks with True Tone screens. Apple’s True Tone technology was first demonstrated in the 2016 iPad Pro: it adjusts colour and brightness output to compensate for changing environmental lighting conditions.
- Apple T2 chip
All of the new MacBook Pros models get the T2 subsystem controller chip previously seen in the iMac Pro.
- Touch Bar
All of the updated MacBook Pro models come with a Touch Bar (and therefore Touch ID). Apple will continue to sell a non-Touch Bar 13in model, but it’s not updated.
Price
The 15in models, again all featuring Touch Bar controls, still start with £2,349 and $2,399, as they did in 2017. However, before the latest update MacBook pro, Apple was still selling a non-Touch Bar 2015 model of the 15in MacBook Pro for £1,899/ $1,999, but that unit is no longer on sale.
Battery Life
Apple hasn’t made any claims about improved battery life for the new MacBook models. However, the reduced power-consumption made possible by Coffee Lake mean there may be some improvements in this area.
The MacBook Pro is one long-lasting laptop. The notebook endured 10 hours and 20 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test — web browsing at 150 nits — which is almost 2 hours longer than the 8:22 premium notebook average. The XPS 15 (11:53) and the Surface Book 2 (11:34) made it longer, while the Dell Precision 3530 (8:53) was closer to the average. The HP Spectre x360 lasted a mere 5:20.
Keyboard
2018 MacBook Pro’s keyboard is a quieter version, it’s reportedly more reliable, as a teardown of the system confirms that a membrane rests underneath each key. This should prevent debris from entering the keyboard and, as a result, help avoid stuck keys.
Conclusion
15-inch MacBook Pro recorded major internal upgrades to the CPU, RAM, storage and display and the Core i9 version delivers a worthwhile speed boost on processor-intensive tasks.
However, the design hasn’t been updated, keeping the same advantages and flaws.
The 2018 MacBook Pro 15-inch laptop comes with serious computing muscle that power users and will satisfy creative professionals looking for raw power, but the cost, ongoing design issues, and lack of gaming prowess will keep some people away.