If it ain’t broke, give it a new keyboard

Since 2006, the MacBook Pro has typically received innovative upgrades — from its aluminum unibody and Retina display, to a revamped keyboard and “innovative” Touch Bar. 

But not all of these features have been welcomed with open arms by users. Throughout recent years, Apple’s received harsh criticism for the MacBook Pro’s faulty Butterfly keyboard, limited number of ports, and what some have considered a useless Touch Bar given that it’s not very intuitive. 

Apple has clearly been paying attention, as a wave of welcome changes have been coming along incrementally. And while the new MacBook Pro family doesn’t reinvent the category altogether, the company has at least addressed its most glaring flaws, starting with the keyboard. 

Last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro was the first to finally ditch the Butterfly Keyboard in exchange for the company’s new and improved Magic Keyboard. And the change has officially reached this year’s 13-inch MacBook Pro, as well. 

In addition to the Magic Keyboard, Apple has doubled the amount of base storage across all of its 13-inch MacBook Pros. The $1,299 base model starts at 256GB, while the $1,499 and $1,799 versions start at 512GB, and the $1,999 model starts at 1TB SSD.

Both of the lower-tier models come with older, 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processors, which can be upgraded to a Core i7 if you’re willing to shell out a little extra money. 

But the real star of the show here is, of course, the model with the beefiest base processor (and a price tag to match).

I received the $1,799 13-inch MacBook Pro to review, which features the latest 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of memory, and an Intel Iris Plus Graphics card that Apple says improves graphics speed by up to 80 percent. It comes with that Core i5 processor by default, but you can upgrade to the Core i7 processor if you want more power.

It’s safe to say that most of you might not need that beefier spec. But regardless of the configuration, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is a very worthy option if you’re looking for a new laptop that’s capable of handling intense creative tasks, like video editing, graphic design, or other forms of media production. 

Of course, for those of you who want the ability to power through the heaviest of workloads without watching your Pro crack under the pressure or fill up quickly due to large file sizes, you’ll likely want to opt for the $1,999 model.

And given that pricier model also packs the latest Intel processor, you won’t have to upgrade for quite some time.

A signature design

At this point, it’s not surprising that Apple stuck to its aluminum unibody design with the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. It’s sleek, elegant, and the epitome of the ol’ maxim: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 

The exterior is made of 100 percent aluminum and is available in the standard Silver or Space Gray color options. The $1,799 model I reviewed comes with four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, with two on each side. If you opt for the lower-end models, you’ll only have two of these ports in total. 

Open it up and you’ll find a 13.3-inch Retina display, Touch Bar, Touch ID sensor, and Magic Keyboard. 

The Touch Bar doesn’t come with any new features. It still functions the same: Depending on which app you’re currently using, it provides shortcuts, control keys, typing suggestions, function keys, and more.

I’ve never really taken advantage of it, but I’m reminded of a line from our 2018 review of the 15-inch MacBook Pro which concludes that “the Touch Bar forces you to think.” 

After using it for a little while, I think that’s the perfect way to summarize how I felt by the end of writing this review.

At first, I thought it was a cool feature, but I think that’s because it’s aesthetically pleasing. There’s no denying this thing looks sort of futuristic, as text and icons flash back and forth between apps.

But then I found it to be irritating, particularly because I wasn’t used to relying on it and I didn’t want to, either. Instead of tapping through different options to find what I need, I’d rather click on them using the trackpad.

The inclusion of the Touch Bar is not a dealbreaker, but it’s certainly not a selling point when contemplating whether you should upgrade.

It’s also not optimized for all apps, but luckily, it is for the particular ones I use on a daily basis. With Telegram, for instance, the Touch Bar grants easy access to all of my sticker packs. Fire up iMessage, and you’ll be able to quickly start a new message window or choose from recently used emoji right from the Touch Bar. 

I also missed having the physical keys when listening to music. Adjusting the volume and accessing the playback controls sometimes requires a few extra taps on the Touch Bar. Most of the time, I ended up finding the Spotify app and pausing the music using the cursor.

Speaking of physical keys, the new MacBook Pro now has a physical Esc key. The button was removed completely back when Apple introduced the new 15-inch MacBook Pro in 2016. It was then reintroduced on last year’s 16-inch model.

On its predecessors, the button was integrated into the Touch Bar and sat all the way to the left, the same place it appears on traditional keyboards. But on those models, the virtual key disappears depending on which apps you’re using and requires tinkering with Settings to keep it permanently available. 

While I don’t use it often, I prefer having the physical key because I know it’s always there when the dreaded, spinning rainbow wheel appears and I need to force quit an app.

Those familiar with the previous 13-inch Pro will also notice the Touch ID sensor now has its own designated button as well, which sits to the right side of the Touch Bar.

When initially setting up the laptop, you can register your fingerprint(s) and then use it to unlock the MacBook, make purchases with Apple Pay, and download apps — rather than having to manually type in your password each time. And, as with the MacBook Air which has the same feature, it’s really quick and responsive to the touch. 

Apple finally sets the Butterfly Keyboard free

The one major upgrade that truly revolutionizes the new Pro experience is the keyboard itself. So much so, that it merits its own section. 

Apple has finally incorporated its new Magic Keyboard into the 13-inch lineup, which uses a scissor switch mechanism and has 1mm of key travel. 

But before I get into why this keyboard is actually befitting of its “magical” moniker, let’s all take a moment to recognize that this model was the last of the MacBooks to receive the upgrade. The Magic Keyboard was originally introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019 and on this year’s refreshed MacBook Air. From here on out, we will never have to experience the loud, fragile, dusty mess that was the Butterfly Keyboard ever again. 

In comparison to the Butterfly Keyboard, the Magic Keyboard has an additional .3mm of key travel.  While I know that sounds like a minor improvement, it really makes a world of a difference. The keys are the perfect height — they’re not too high to require much extra effort, but also not too low. 

Most importantly, the new keyboard isn’t obnoxiously loud, either. 

A vivid display

As with its design, the display on the MacBook Pro doesn’t bring anything new to the table. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features a Retina display with 2,560 by 1,600 resolution at 227ppi (pixels per inch). Even on the lowest brightness setting, colors look vivid and sharp.

I do wish it were a touch screen, though. The ability to navigate the display through touch and gestures, rather than looking down at a bar, just seems a lot more intuitive.

There were moments while using the Pro that I’d accidentally tap on the screen instead of reaching for the Touch Bar because that’s what my brain is conditioned to do at this point in our technological history. 

The Pro also features True Tone technology which uses sensors to adjust the brightness and intensity of your display depending on the ambient light around you.

Unfortunately, Apple has yet to upgrade the MacBook Pro’s camera. And, at 720p, it looks super grainy on video chats and FaceTime calls. I’d often find myself using my iPhone instead because its front-facing camera is of higher quality.

It’s not something I would normally dwell on, but given the current video conferencing-focused, at-home state of our world, it’s much more relevant nowadays. 

Strong performance, underwhelming battery life

As I mentioned before, the 13-inch MacBook Pro comes in a variety of different configurations, which can get a little confusing. 

Essentially, you can customize the processor, memory, and storage before purchasing your MacBook Pro, but of course all of that comes at an additional cost.

The $1,299 model comes with 256GB, while the $1,499 model comes with 512GB, but both can be increased up to 2TB. As for memory, you get 16GB standard on both, but that can be doubled to 32GB.

Additionally, you can choose between an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz or a Core i7 processor with up to 4.5GHz. I’d recommend going for the latter if you know your workload and multitasking will be on the heavier side. 

Both lower-end models also come with an older Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 card, which is the same one used in 2019’s 13-inch MacBook Pro. 

The $1,799 13-inch MacBook Pro — the model I received for review — packs the 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and 512GB of storage. It also comes with the newer Intel Iris Plus Graphics card.

The $1,999 model features the same specs as the $1,799 model, except with 1TB of storage right off the bat. Both of the high-end models can be increased up to 4TB.

The MacBook Pro is really an ideal laptop for creatives, especially if you’re using it for things like editing photos or videos, and importing or exporting footage on a daily basis. But given my job description, I really only used it for word processing and my usual collection of daily apps, and found that it performed flawlessly. 

For starters, the fan only kicked in when I had a ridiculous amount of tabs and Chrome windows open, in addition to other apps. And I have yet to come face to face with the dreaded rainbow wheel. 

With the MacBook Air 2020, I could often feel when I was pushing it past its limits. When there were too many apps and tabs open, it’d start to lag and heat up before the fan eventually started to roar. 

Meanwhile, the Pro operated with zero hiccups. At one point, I had Slack, Telegram, Spotify, iMessage, and the App Store all open at once. I also had about about 20 tabs open across six different Chrome windows. 

The MacBook Pro’s fan did turn on about a half hour after I finally stopped opening more tabs, but that only lasted about ten to fifteen minutes — most likely because I was constantly flipping back and forth between windows and tabs with other apps running at the same time. The bottom of the MacBook only felt slightly warm, too. 

As for its battery life, the MacBook Pro is supposed to last up to ten hours on a single charge. And I believe that’s fairly accurate if you stick to Apple’s native apps like Safari.

After using the Pro as my primary laptop during the workday, however, my battery ran down to about 36 percent after only three hours of use. An hour later, it dropped to five percent while I was on a video call. So, that means it lasted me about four hours before I had to plug it back in. 

When I checked Activity Monitor to see which apps were causing it to deplete so quickly, there was only one culprit: Google Chrome. 

My Google Chrome usage is in addition to all of the other aforementioned apps I have running at the same time. It also doesn’t help that I keep my laptop at 100 percent brightness. 

The best MacBook Pro, so far

All four new 13-inch MacBook Pro models come equipped with more storage, a redesigned and comfortable keyboard, and strong performance. But there are a few things to consider before making your purchase.

If you’ve been holding onto your MacBook Pro for years now, then it’s certainly time to upgrade. Not only will you have double the storage, but you’ll also get to say goodbye to the dreaded Butterfly Keyboard. 

The same goes for those with last year’s 13-inch MacBook Pro. But if you’re only eyeing the $1,299 or $1,499 models, then it’s important to take into account that both versions use the same 8th-generation Intel Core processors as the model you currently own, so you’re not going to see a boost in performance. In fact, you’ll really only be swapping it for the new keyboard and additional storage. 

If you find that your daily tasks aren’t intense enough for the Pro, then you might as well opt for the new MacBook Air (2020). The $999 base model comes with a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and 256GB of storage. 

All that said, I’d say the $1,799 model is the top pick overall, even if it is a bit pricey. With the latest 10th-generation Intel processor, you can rest assured that this MacBook Pro will operate without a hitch, ensuring your ability to run processor-intensive applications on a daily basis. And if you opt for this model, it’s unlikely you’ll have to drop that kind of money on a new MacBook Pro for a very long time. 

Unless, of course, Apple decides to nix the Touch Bar in favor of a touchscreen display on its next MacBook Pro. At which point, I’ll probably be singing a very different tune.