For Mac Eyes Only Comparing Apples To Lemons For Mac

Compared is a series focused on showcasing products that operate in the same space as Apple hardware. These may include laptops, phones, tablets, smart watches, etc. I recently got my hands on Huawei’s just-launched. It’s a Windows-powered machine in an ultrabook form factor with a stunning 13.9-inch 3:2 minimal-bezel display. At first glance, it looks very much inspired by the MacBook, almost like a mix between the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro. How does Huawei’s flagship compare to the MacBook Pro?

• For Mac Eyes Only Comparing Apples To Lemons For Mac Free
• For Mac Eyes Only Comparing Apples To Lemons For Macbook Pro

Watch our hands-on video for the details. Display The most notable part of Huawei MateBook X Pro is its glossy 13.9-inch 450 nit 3:2 display (3000 x 2000, 260 PPI), which provides a 91% screen-to-body ratio. This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen thin bezels on a Windows laptop, but the look never fails to impress, especially when you’re used to the MacBook Pro’s substantial bezels. The MateBook X Pro also enjoys better off-axis viewing angles than the MacBook Pro, and its 450 nits of brightness places it within striking distance of Apple’s machine. Huawei’s colors are a tad more saturated, which some people may prefer.

Jun 26, 2018 - If you want to be on the cutting edge of Apple software this summer, you can. The betas of iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 - the latter was labeled with another California place name, 'Mojave' - were initially delivered only to registered developers. Compared to Microsoft, which publishes several Windows 10.

Let’s just be honest; the MateBook X Pro’s display makes the MacBook Pro seem dated, but the good news is that Apple seemingly realizes that minimal bezels are the future (just look at the iPhone X). I think it would be a mistake for Apple to release a major MacBook Pro redesign without some serious bezel reduction. Video walkthrough The MateBook X Pro also features a touch screen, and I know that a lot of Apple fans will disagree with me on this, but I like the idea in general. We’re so used to touch screens by now that not having touch feels somewhat backwards, and for users who are only familiar with touch-enabled devices, kind of broken. If Apple did end up doing a touch-enabled Mac, I feel like it would pay extra attention to things like screen wobble when touching the display. The MateBook X Pro doesn’t have terrible screen wobble, but it’s noticeable.

Camera How does Huawei pull off the minimal bezel design while still accommodating a front-facing camera for video calls? They could have gone the route that other PC laptop makers have gone, and placed the camera at the bottom of the bezel, aka “chin cam”, or it could make a splash by doing something different. Huawei chose the latter option, and hid the camera under a retractable key. I think we’ll eventually get to the point where having a camera pointing at you constantly is going to seem “weird”, but I’m not sure if Huawei’s implementation is very practical. I think the decision to hide the camera is great for privacy, but the placement is less-than-ideal.

Chassis Going along with the display, the chassis of the MateBook X Pro looks more modern than the MacBook Pro. Huawei even uses polished chamfered edges on its laptop, a design feature that Apple has used for its iPhones and iPads, but never for its Mac lineup. The result is a modern looking MateBook X Pro, that “blings” for the lack of a better word, when the light hits it at certain angles. The downside of the chamfered edge design is that it doesn’t look nearly as clean with the lid closed. The overall build quality of the MateBook X Pro is impressive.

PC manufacturers have indeed come a long way over the past few years, and it’s blatantly obvious. The unibody teardrop tapered design of the MateBook X Pro looks great, and I actually prefer its take on space gray (yes, Huawei shamelessly calls it that) over Apple’s take on the color.

I’m fairly ignorant about the ins and outs of the refining process that goes into producing aluminum products, but it’s clear that Apple is really good at it. Although I’m incapable of intelligently explaining why, the MacBook Pro’s aluminum feels better to the touch and feels more dense and less “hollow” than the material on Huawei’s machine. I also noticed that the MacBook Pro’s anodized aluminum does a much better job of rejecting fingerprints when compared to the MateBook X Pro. Keyboard The MateBook X Pro keyboard feels more substantial to type on, with more key travel. When comparing the two laptops, I preferred typing on the MateBook X Pro. Everyone knows that the MacBook Pro’s keyboard is extremely polarizing, and it would be all too easy to pile on to the growing amount of complaints that we see on a daily basis.

Besides, I’ve already lamented about Apple’s keyboard woes on. That said, I love the MacBook Pro’s individually backlit keys. Each LED is situated in a way so as to not have the backlight bleed through underneath each key. It’s a small detail, but one that makes the MacBook Pro appear more premium than the MateBook X Pro.

I don’t use enough PCs to know if any other manufacturers employ this backlighting technique, but they definitely should. Trackpad Every PC laptop trackpad that I’ve tried has always felt inferior to Apple’s trackpads, and the MateBook X Pro does nothing to change this. It’s not that Huawei’s trackpad is bad, but it doesn’t feel as responsive as the MacBook Pro’s. Apple is just really good at making trackpads — after all, this is the same company that makes a huge wireless standalone solid state trackpad with Force Touch. The migration to the Force Touch trackpads a few years back has further separated PC trackpads from Apple’s offerings in my eyes. For example, there are “dead zones” near the top of the MateBook X Pro trackpad, while you can click anywhere on the MacBook’s trackpad and it responds in uniform. Fingerprint sensor Huawei’s MateBook X Pro includes a Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint sensor built into the power button.

The fingerprint sensor is fast and responsive, unlocking the Windows lock screen in less than a second. The base model 13-inch MacBook Pro lacks a fingerprint sensor, which is unfortunate given how useful it is. To get a fingerprint sensor in a MacBook Pro, you have to step up to more expensive Touch Bar-enabled models.

I’ve minced no words on how I feel about the Touch Bar, so I won’t regurgitate that all here, but just know that I don’t find it to be all that useful. The fact that you have to look down in order to use it kills the idea for me.

Hopefully Face ID will replace the need for a fingerprint sensor in future consumer-grade MacBooks. Speakers The MateBook X Pro ships with a quad speaker setup featuring two top-firing tweeters and two bottom-firing woofers. The speakers sound decent, but I feel like the MacBook Pro offers cleaner, crisper sound on the high-end. Obviously in such a diminutive laptop form factor, low-end frequency is basically non-existent.

Specs Huawei offers different configurations for the MateBook X Pro. The configuration that I’m using is the top of the line $1499.99 version, which includes a Core i7 quad-core processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a discrete GPU.

For the original German review, see. The big highlight during the announcement of the new MacBook Pro models at the end of October was without a doubt the new Touch Bar, a touch-sensitive display strip above the keyboard, which replaces the function keys and also supports other functions that are dynamically controlled by corresponding software. Contrary to the smaller 13-inch counterpart, the 15-inch MacBook Pro is only available with the Touch Bar. It does not matter what you think about a touch display above the keyboard, the fact is that Apple made the MacBook Pro much thinner and lighter compared to the predecessor, and it is actually pretty close to the MacBook 13 from 2015 (1.6 kg, 18 millimeters).

Another question is whether the radical change of the port selection with only four Thunderbolt ports as well as the reduced battery capacity (100 Wh vs. 76 Wh) counteracts the diet. Our test model is once again a product we ordered from Apple's online store (no press sample).

We will publish our results in this article and update it regularly. Smaller and lighter, but still clearly a MacBook: This is the first impression of the new case. Not much changed in terms of quality, because the aluminum unibody chassis is still excellent. This is the case for the design, the tactile feel as well as the stability. You have to look at some details to find differences compared to the previous model. Besides the familiar version in 'Silver', Apple also offers the system in the slightly darker 'Space Gray'. Opening the device is subjectively not different from the old model, even though the hinge is now much thinner. However, Apple does not use a plastic cover for the hinge of the new model anymore, because it is now completely made of aluminum. Underneath the display is once again space for the 'MacBook Pro' lettering, which was not the case for the previous Retina models. Once you open the lid, you will immediately notice the Touch Bar above the keyboard as well as the huge trackpad.

For Mac Eyes Only Comparing Apples To Lemons For Mac Free

The Apple logo on the lid is not illuminated anymore and is now glossy, similar to the MacBook 12. The bottom panel is still secured by Pentalobe screws. The port selection of the new MacBook Pro is probably one of the most discussed and criticized changes. Apple equips the new MBP 15 with a total of four Thunderbolt 3 ports. They are extremely versatile, but you will most likely require (expensive) adapters in the foreseeable future. Contrary to the smaller, the ports on the right side can use the full bandwidth.

For Mac Eyes Only Comparing Apples To Lemons For Macbook Pro

The system also supports two external 5K displays. Although the ports are obviously very versatile, we would have preferred a less radical approach, because even Apple's own hardware (e. IPhone or iPad) cannot be attached without an adapter. Here are some examples for adapters from Apple: USB-C to USB-A adapter: $19, Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 (mDP): $49, USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet: $34.95. Looking at the maintainability and upgradeability, more and more notebooks move towards an encapsulated system, which is (unfortunately) also the case for the majority of smartphones. Apple's MacBooks will probably be the champions in this questionable discipline.

If you can open the device – among others, this requires special Pentalobe screw drivers – the user does not have a lot of options besides accessing the fans for cleaning. Even the battery is covered in glue and very hard to remove.

Parts like the CPU, RAM or the SSD storage are directly soldered onto the mainboard (logic board). The only rate the current MacBook Pro 15 with 1 out of 10 points on the repairability rating, the worst score you can get. Besides the two 13-inch versions, Apple also uses the same new keyboard with Butterfly switches for the MacBook Pro 15. There is unfortunately still no numeric keypad. Similar to the 12-inch MacBook, the shallow travel of the individual keys will be a shock when you use it for the first time.

The very even stroke does leave a positive impression though. This second generation of Apple's own Butterfly mechanism was noticeably improved compared to the, but you still have to get used to the typing experience. After this has happened, the switch back to the old MacBook pro is actually pretty difficult, because we now found it to be rather spongy in comparison. We did not notice any differences in typing speed compared to the previous MacBook Pro models, and quick inputs without typos were no problem even in the first session. The typing noise will depend heavily on your usage scenario. It is slightly louder compared to the old model with ten fingers, but we do not consider it to be disturbing even in quiet environments. If you type forcefully with just two fingers though, the noise will be much louder.

You can see a comparison in the video below this section. Because of the shallow travel, the 16-level keyboard illumination of the individual keys is well implemented into the case and it will not dazzle. Touchpad The glass trackpad of the new MacBook Pro models is much bigger compared to the previous models, but the technology is otherwise identical. It is still the reference for a touchpad, even though Windows devices like the Surface 4 Pro start to close the gap. Thanks to the taptic engine, tactile clicks are identical all over the surface and it is also possible to trigger a firmer 'Force Press'.

Both systems work so well that you do not want to go back to a conventional touchpad with rocker switches. The software support of the trackpad (in macOS) is also still unrivaled. Gestures, Drag & Drop (via second finger in the corner) and the response times were excellent in our tests. The palm rejection worked well, but it is also necessary due to the larger surface, because you will often put a finger or two on the touchpad. Accidental cursor movements were very rare when we used the keyboard. Touch Bar Similar to the more expensive, our test model is equipped with the Touch Bar above the keyboard, which replaces the function keys.

Besides familiar special and function keys, it can also show customized options and commands based on the application you use. However, this feature has to be supported by the software and the range is between useful and gimmicky right now. A handy function is the indication of the runtime when you watch videos, for example. The hardware itself was well implemented. The surface does feature convenient gliding capabilities and the execution was always smooth and sufficiently quick during our tests. Adjusting the luminance was no problem, either. The use of PWM to adjust the luminance could be an issue for some users though.

We can also notice slight color fringes around the edges of letters. There are drawbacks with the new Touch Bar as well. Especially the 'blind' adjustment of the volume and the luminance is not possible anymore. The Touch Bar is also deactivated when you do not use it for a while to save power, so it requires 2 touches to trigger a function (like the Esc key).

All in all, the Touch Bar is currently more of a gimmick in our opinion right now. However, this might change with better software support. We do miss a tactile feedback – similar to the trackpad via taptic engine – in general. Touch ID Sensor The power button on the right side of the Touch Bar is equipped with the Touch ID sensor we know from the iPhone. It recognizes the finger print quickly and reliably for authentication. It worked really well in practice, only the tactile feedback of the button is not perfect. ≤ 200 cd/m² brightness The display backlight flickers at 117000 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 80% (200 cd/m²) and below.

There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 117000 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. Flickering occurs even at high brightness setting and may have an effect on the user during everyday use.

In comparison: 52% of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8929 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured. The biggest differences between the current Apple MacBook Pro 13 and the 15-inch model we review here are Intel quad-core processors as well as dedicated graphics cards from AMD (, or ), while the 13-inch system is shipped with ULV dual-cores with integrated Intel Iris GPUs. Every SKU of the MacBook Pro 15 is equipped with 16 GB RAM (13-inch also with 8 GB) and either 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB SSD storage. Just with the mentioned hardware options, the prices for the Apple MacBook Pro 15 Late 2016 are between $2399 for the entry-level model and $4299 with all the options. Apple uses quad-core processors from Intel for the MacBook Pro 15, more precisely chips from the Skylake generation.

Kaby Lake chips are only available as dual-core ULV processors so far, and more powerful versions are expected for next year, so we will probably have to wait for a refresh of the MacBook Pro models in about a year for them. Users can choose between three models right now: 2.6 GHz, 2.7 GHz, and 2.9 GHz. The corresponding CPUs have the designation,. More details on the chips are available in our tech section. The analysis of our initial benchmarks shows that the new MacBook Pro is on par with the replaced MBP with a Haswell i7-4870HQ CPU in the Cinebench R15 Single test, while it is 12% faster in the Multi-Core Rendering test. All in all, the results are within the expected range of all tested 6700HQ processors. Cinebench R15 Multi clearly shows the advantage over the current Apple MacBook 13: +115%.

Even though the 256 GB SSD in the MacBook Pro 15 is soldered, it seems to be the same model we can find in the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar, where it can be replaced. Both benchmarks from Blackmagic and AJA determine comparable results. Compared to the Windows-based rivals, the results are pretty good and it is among the best SSD in terms of sequential transfer rates.

The 512 GB model is much faster in the benchmarks (tested without encryption, but it should not have a big impact). The graphics calculations of our entry-level model are handled by the new in combination with the integrated. Similar to previous models, Windows can only use the Radeon graphics card, while macOS switches dynamically depending on the application. It is not really confirmed how the system works (probably via multiplexer like in the times before Optimus or Enduro, respectively). The Radeon Pro 450 shows its performance in the Unigine Valley GPU benchmark and is 63% ahead of the inside the small.

Windows laptops with the Quadro (950M) or (960M) manage comparable OpenGL scores. Our test model with the Radeon Pro 450 performs surprisingly well in 3DMark 11 and is roughly on par with the GeForce, while the more challenging 3DMark Fire Strike Test determines a performance comparable to the Geforce. The latter seems to be a more realistic comparison, which is also supported by the following gaming benchmarks. One big advantage of the Radeon 450 Pro in Windows 10 is the missing driver support of the generic Radeon driver (so far). Bootcamp comes with the old Radeon 16.6 driver and cannot be updated to the latest 16.10.4 at the moment. Some modern titles like Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, for example, give a warning that you should install a newer driver version.

Intel Iris based MacBooks 13 have an advantage here, because we could just install the latest driver from intel.com in our review. The optional Radeon Pro 460 in the top configuration of the MacBook Pro 15 (Late 2016) should be a bit faster than a GTX 960M, but still behind the according to initial benchmarks on the Internet.

We could not determine throttling of the GPU performance in the Unigine Valley benchmark. The GPU reaches a decent temperature of 70 °C and even managed a slightly higher score once the system was warmed up. High ultra 4K (2015) 40.9 20.3 fps (2015) 67.2 fps (2015) 44.6 fps (2015) 87 18.3 fps (2015) 70 24.1 fps (2015) 39.6 34.1 fps (2016) 66.6 20.7 fps (2016) 63.7 24.2 15.5 5.6 fps (2016) 29 26 17 fps (2016) 77 21.6 15.8 fps (2016) 53.4 20.4 fps (2016) 153 57 39.5 fps (2016) 51.2 18.3 7.5 fps (2016) 28.3 fps (2016) 101 24.2 21.7 fps (2016) 61 25.8 fps (2016) 63.4 24.7 fps (2016) 58.7 36 fps (2016) 29.5 fps (2016) 47.4 17.6 fps (2017) 82.3 29.3 27.9 19.4 fps (2017) 48.2 21.3 18.5 8 fps (2017) 68.2 26.5 16.4 fps (2017) 47.5 19.3 fps (2017) 63.3 fps (2017) 95 41 33 fps (2017) 38.9 12 fps. The new MacBook Pro 15 has two system fans that dissipate the heat from the chassis. We can see that both fans always run at 2160 and 2000 rpm, respectively, even without load.

Subjectively, they are very quiet and only audible in very quiet environments at a distance of less than 50 centimeters. Even though the frequency is very convenient, it is still a clear step back. Almost all Apple notebooks so far were silent without load. In our initial benchmarks (Unigine Valley) for around 15 minutes, we noticed a fan speed of 3200-3400 rpm (right) and 3500-3600 rpm (left). The noise can once again be described as an audible murmur, which is free of annoying frequencies. Here we can measure pretty quiet 35.9 dB(A).

The adjustments of the fan speed are seamless, so the frequency in the Valley benchmark does always vary a bit between the mentioned levels. We were not able to reach the theoretical maximum fan speed of 5927 rpm (left) and 5489 rpm (right) so far. The cooling system could reach up to 50 dB(A) with these speeds. You can easily see the cooling concept of the MBP 15 in the pictures from. Two fans are connected via one individual heat pipe, which runs across the core components in the center (CPU and GPU) like a bridge. The surface temperatures always remain uncritical during our tests. The aluminum chassis is pretty cool while idling, and even the hot spot after a continuous loop of Cinebench R15 for more than 1.5 hours is still pretty cool at 40 °C.

The palm rest stays at a very convenient 27 °C in this case. Extreme workloads (FurMark + Prime95 in Windows 10) will result in the highest temperatures, even though 43 °C are still far away from problematic. The bottom stays even cooler (up to 40 °C at the hotspot above the CPU /GPU), so there should not be any issues when you use the system on your lap. However, the fans now dissipate the heat towards the bottom rear, so a very soft surface can affect the air flow and therefore cause higher temperatures. The sensors show much higher values for the internal temperatures. The GPU reaches uncritical 70 °C in Unigine Valley, but the CPU will level off at 91 °C in Cinebench R15. The scores do not collapse in macOS though, so there should not be any problems with throttling.

The two fans also have some headroom in terms of rpm. MacOS is pretty conservative with the fans in general and accepts higher temperatures, but the cooling system can keep them away from the surfaces quite effectively. (±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.7 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 30.9 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia. (±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 36.5 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.

(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 38.8 °C / 102 F (+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 30.9 °C / 88 F. (+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28 °C / 82.4 F and are therefore cool to the touch. (±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 29.1 °C / 84.4 F (+1.1 °C / 2 F). You might not believe it due to the size, but Apple created a new reference in terms of audio quality with the.

The subjectively first-class sound quality is confirmed by our measurements: The Apple MacBook Pro 15 is consistently louder than the MacBook 12, but the result is not quite as linear in return. The two visible peaks in the chart are a result of the speaker setup (2x2).

All in all, still an excellent performance – especially when you consider the thin base unit. During the Bootcamp installation, however, we noticed a big issue.

The left speaker started to produce loud crackling sounds (during the installation of drivers and software). Since then, the woofer on the left side is damaged and does not work in macOS anymore, either. It seems we are not the only ones with this problem, but a colleague (RA!) with the 512 GB version did not notice any problems. It seems that not all systems are affected. Apple MacBook Pro 15 2016 (2.6 GHz, 450) audio analysis (+) speakers can play relatively loud (86 dB) Bass 100 - 315 Hz (±) reduced bass - on average 6.6% lower than median (±) linearity of bass is average (12.8% delta to prev. Frequency) Mids 400 - 2000 Hz (±) higher mids - on average 5.2% higher than median (±) linearity of mids is average (9.6% delta to prev. Frequency) Highs 2 - 16 kHz (+) balanced highs - only 2% away from median (+) highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev.

Frequency) Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz (+) overall sound is linear (9.2% difference to median) Compared to same class » 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 94% worse » The best had a delta of 3%, average was 18%, worst was 41% Compared to all devices tested » 2% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 98% worse » The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%. Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis (+) speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB) Bass 100 - 315 Hz (±) reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median (±) linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. Frequency) Mids 400 - 2000 Hz (+) balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median (+) mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev.

Frequency) Highs 2 - 16 kHz (+) balanced highs - only 2% away from median (+) highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. Frequency) Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz (+) overall sound is linear (9.3% difference to median) Compared to same class » 2% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 96% worse » The best had a delta of 8%, average was 19%, worst was 50% Compared to all devices tested » 2% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 98% worse » The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%. Apple MacBook Pro 13 2016 audio analysis (+) speakers can play relatively loud (83.2 dB) Bass 100 - 315 Hz (±) reduced bass - on average 8.4% lower than median (-) bass is not linear (16.7% delta to prev. Frequency) Mids 400 - 2000 Hz (+) balanced mids - only 4.7% away from median (+) mids are linear (6.3% delta to prev. Frequency) Highs 2 - 16 kHz (+) balanced highs - only 1.1% away from median (+) highs are linear (2.6% delta to prev.

Frequency) Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz (+) overall sound is linear (8.6% difference to median) Compared to same class » 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 98% worse » The best had a delta of 8%, average was 19%, worst was 50% Compared to all devices tested » 1% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 98% worse » The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%. Despite the smaller battery, the MacBook Pro 15 2016 does manage the promised 10 hours in the WLAN test. Video playback is only possible for 8.5 hours though.

Both tests were performed with a luminance of 140 nits (the next level would be 192 nits). A full business day should be possible with one battery charge, except you have to use very complex application.

Even though the battery capacity was reduced by almost 25% compared to the predecessor, Apple still managed to improve the overall runtimes with the 76-Wh battery. Our WiFi test determines an advantage of 130 minutes, so little more than two hours. Is also beaten (despite the bigger battery). The current lasts around one hour longer.

The new Apple MacBook Pro 15 builds on the advantages of the predecessor and is one of the best devices you can buy right now in some respects. This definitely includes the excellent chassis, where the diet did not affect the quality or the stability. Apple was also able to improve the display even further and surpass the previous model in all areas.

The trackpad is now much bigger than before and it is still much better than all the Windows rivals. It is trickier to get a verdict on the keyboard as well as the touchpad. Similar to the two smaller 13-inch models, Apple uses its own second generation Butterfly switches.

The result is a very precise key stroke, but it requires some learning period in combination with the extremely shallow travel. We really like the fingerprint scanner inside the power button. The highly advertised Touch Bar was well implemented by Apple, but the usability primarily depends on the software support. In practice, it can even make common actions (like brightness or volume control, for example) more complicated due to an additional touch. In its current state, we think it is more of a gimmick.

A look at the performance parts shows that Apple uses the best hardware in terms of mobile quad-core processor and mainstream GPUs that is available right now. However, with the corresponding Kaby Lake chips and mainstream GPUs from the Pascal generation right around the corner, the MacBook Pro 15 might be outdated pretty soon. This is obviously not a great perspective, especially for a device that will cost at least $2399. We are a bit surprised that the smaller battery capacity was compensated that well. The runtime does take a hit when you really stress the system, but Apple was actually able to improve the runtimes in the practical tests.

The biggest problems besides the price are the bugs and the port situation in our opinion. There are currently issues with WLAN connections in 2.4 GHz networks when a USB-C device is attached.

Similar to the smaller sibling, this results in a point deduction from the final rating (- 2%). There can also be problems with the speakers when you install Windows via BoootCamp (our test model was affected) and the graphics card can cause errors.

Both issues should be fixed with upcoming or already shipped updates according to Apple. A point that cannot be fixed by an update is the port situation. Four Thunderbolt 3 ports – all of which can use the full bandwidth unlike the smaller sibling – are very versatile and also future-proof, but this radical approach is just inconvenient in practice in the foreseeable future, because you need corresponding adapters. We think Apple could have found a more elegant and better solution for the customers.

All in all, the new MacBook Pro 15 does feel like an interim solution. Now, we get a new design with some changes, before the next model will (most likely) provide more performance and fix all the issues (which does remind us of the iPhones). The MacBook is still a very good multimedia notebook and many customers will certainly be happy with it, but you can easily skip this model and wait for the refresh next year if you do not really need a new system right now.