Apple has refreshed its MacBook Pro line with faster chips, up to 32GB of memory, True Tone Display and the Apple T2 chip for enhanced system security. The new notebooks targeted at the pros boast up to 70 percent faster performance, yet still deliver all-day battery life. Apple says, “it’s the best notebook for pro users.”
The new MacBook Pro packs six-core 8th Generation Intel Core processors on the 15-inch model, boasting up to 70 percent faster performance. Meanwhile, the quad-core 8th Gen Intel Core processors on the 13-inch model offers performance that’s twice as fast.
The 15-inch MacBook Pro now supports up to 32GB DDR4 RAM, something the pros will appreciate. The 13-inch, on the other hand, uses older DDR3 RAM, supporting up to 16GB.
In terms of storage, the 13-inch model gets up to 2TB of SSD, while the 15-inch up to 4TB SSD.
Macs always had the best displays, and the new MacBook Pros are no different. The Retina display on the new notebooks offers 500 nits of brightness with support of P3 wide colour gamut and now with True Tone technology.
What’s new on the MacBook Pro is the Apple T2 chip, which debuted on the iMac Pro. The chip delivers enhanced system security with support for secure boot and on-the-fly encrypted storage. This also enables Siri to come to the Mac for the first time.
Apple says the keyboard has been improved for quieter typing, while the large Force Touch trackpad remains the same.
The Touch Bar and Touch ID make a return, and that aside, the new MacBook Pros also feature dynamic stereo speakers and a silent Apple-designed cooling system.
Connectivity-wise, the MacBook Pros pack four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Specs at a glance:
15-Inch MacBook Pro
– 6-core Intel Core i7 and Core i9 processors up to 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.8 GHz
– Up to 32GB of DDR4 memory
– Powerful Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 4GB of video memory in every configuration
– Up to 4TB of SSD storage2
– True Tone display technology
– Apple T2 chip
– Touch Bar and Touch ID
13-Inch MacBook Pro
– Quad-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz and double the eDRAM
– Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics 655 with 128MB of eDRAM
– Up to 2TB of SSD storage2
– True Tone display technology
– Apple T2 chip
– Touch Bar and Touch ID
Apple also announced leather sleeves for both models, in Saddle Brown, Midnight Blue, and Black. The sleeves are designed with high-quality leather and a soft microfiber lining for extra protection.
The new MacBook Pros run macOS High Sierra out-of-the-box and is Mojave-ready (coming this fall).
Pricing and availability
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro starts from MYR7,499 for the 256GB storage model and MYR8,299 for the 512GB storage model. The 15-inch MacBook Pro also comes in two configurations – 2.2GHz processor + 256GB storage for MYR9,999 and 2.6GHz processor + 512GB storage for MYR11,599. Colour options include Space Gray and Silver.
Orders ship within 4-6 weeks, with free shipping.
You can buy it online at the Apple Store Online, as well as Apple Premium Resellers like Machines and Switch, and other authorised Apple resellers.
