MacBook Pro: The biggest and baddest Mac laptops
Apple's premium laptop comes in 13- and 16-inch screen sizes. Each model includes 2-4 USB-C ports for charging, accessories, and data transfer. Higher-end models also include the Touch Bar.
MacBook Pro has been the product name for Apple’s high-end laptop since early 2006 when the transition to Intel processors began. It has a storied history with many different models, and has lived through at least distinguishable generations. Here’s everything you need to know about the MacBook Pro at a high level, including a brief history and look at the most recent models.
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MacBook Pro history
The aluminum build of the first generation models was significant, while the second generation took that innovation to the next level with a metal unibody. Then, the third generation MacBook Pro line introduced the famed Retina display, while the fourth generation brought the infamous Touch Bar and USB-C ports. The fifth generation models brought back the Magic Keyboard after years of Butterfly Keyboard madness, and the most recent sixth generation models brought the laptops into modern times with Apple Silicon.
Current generation 16-inch MacBook Pro
In November of 2019, Apple released a new high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro which replaced the 15-inch lineup. The model brings the return of the scissor switch mechanism with a ‘Magic Keyboard’, a six-speaker system, up to 8-core processor, and up to 64GB RAM.
In a statement, Apple VP Tom Boger described it as featuring a “larger display, blazing-fast performance, the biggest battery possible, the best notebook keyboard ever, awesome speakers and massive amounts of storage”.
The laptop brought a larger display, great performance, the biggest battery physically possible (literally — it’s the largest battery you can still carry on a plane), and high performance speakers. The keyboard is great, bringing back the inverted T arrow key.
While it’s not an Apple Silicon model (those are rumored to be coming later), Apple improved the thermal performance in the 16-inch model. The new models feature 6- and 8-core CPUs and up to 64GB RAM, and GPUs that offer up to 2.1 times faster graphics performance than the previous standard configuration.
Apple is claiming this is the first notebook in the world to offer an 8 TB option for internal storage. As standard, it now comes with 512GB SSD — double the previous generation. With the release of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple discontinued the older 15-inch model.
16-inch pricing
There are two main base models for the 16-inch MacBook Pro: an i7 model with 512GB of storage and an i9 model with 1TB of storage. You can check Amazon prices below, or configure your own at Apple.
16-inch MacBook Pro i7 (Check Amazon)
- 2.6GHz 6-core 9th-generation Intel Core i7 processor
- Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz
- AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
- 16GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory
- 512GB of SSD storage¹
- 16-inch Retina display with True Tone
- Magic Keyboard
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
16-inch MacBook Pro i9 (Check Amazon)
- 2.3GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor
- Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
- AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
- 16GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory
- 1TB of SSD storage¹
- 16-inch Retina display with True Tone
- Magic Keyboard
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
Current-generation 13-inch MacBook Pro
Apple recently refreshed the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and with that refresh came one of the biggest changes to Apple’s lineup of laptops in quite some time: Apple Silicon. For right now, the difference between the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 16-inch model are pretty major, and it all comes down to how the laptops fare in CPU performance. Both in raw performance and heat/battery consumption, the 13-inch models are better.
13-inch pricing
There are two main models for the 13-inch MacBook Pro: an M1 model with an 8-core CPU and 256GB of storage, and an M1 model with an 8 core CPU and 512GB of storage.
13-inch MacBook Pro 256GB (Check Amazon)
- Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
- 8GB unified memory
- 256GB SSD storage¹
- 13-inch Retina display with True Tone
- Magic Keyboard
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Force Touch trackpad
- Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
13-inch MacBook Pro 512GB (Check Amazon)
- Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
- 8GB unified memory
- 512GB SSD storage¹
- 13-inch Retina display with True Tone
- Magic Keyboard
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Force Touch trackpad
- Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
Differences between 13-inch and 16-inch models
In terms of size, the 16-inch is noticeably larger and heavier. In addition to the overall increase in footprint to accommodate the larger display, the 16-inch model is also around 1-pound heavier. You will notice slightly smaller bezels on the 16-inch model compared to the 13-inch. Here are all of the details:
Both the 13-inch and 16-inch are available in silver and space gray.
As mentioned, the biggest difference between the two MacBook Pro models sold by Apple is the CPU. Apple Silicon is a whole new ballgame, and until Apple launches a 16-inch model with the M1 or M2 chip, you might want to hold off on buying the larger one.
There’s also the display: the 16-inch MacBook Pro features a resolution of 3072×1920, which equates to a density of 226 pixels-per-inch (PPI). The 13-inch MacBook Pro features a resolution of 2560×1600, which equates to a density of 227 pixels-per-inch (PPI). Both displays feature things like Apple’s True Tone display technology for adaptable color temperature, a P3 color gamut, and more.
Perhaps a more apt comparison — apples to apples, no pun intended — would be the 13-inch MacBook Pro compared to the 13-inch MacBook Air. Both sport the M1 chip, and you can read about the differences here.
