2017 12-inch MacBook
The MacBook Air has been one of Apple's most popular, most enduring laptop designs, but that wasn't always the case. When the first version of the laptop was released back in 2008, you had to pay too high a price for its thinness and lightness. And I'm not just talking about the literal price of the thing, either, although its $1,799 starting price was steep by any standard.
When Apple first introduced the new 12-inch MacBook in 2015, the company once again redefined what it meant to be an ultralight laptop. With a remarkably thin Retina display, new butterfly switch keys, physics-defying Force Touch Trackpad, terraced battery, super-fast storage, and only a single, solitary USB-C port, it was like a laptop from the future. And it had the price tag to match.
Like its larger, more powerful MacBook Pro siblings, the 2017 MacBook received a minor CPU speed increase with the adoption of Intel Kaby Lake processors. Beyond that, not much has changed, but Apple's latest thin-and-light boasts substantial improvements in efficiency and lower heat output that could strike a cord with on-the-go users.
As a minor refresh, the only visual differences between the 2017 MacBook and its predecessor are a couple of updated logos on the control and option keys. The overall chassis design remains unchanged, but the sleek lines are still fresh compared to Windows PC offerings.
Weighing just 2.03 pounds and measuring 0.52 inches thin, the MacBook is still one of the thinnest and lightest laptops around, even if it's not the most attractive system in its class. Apple takes advantage of every square inch, as the keyboard stretches from edge to edge on the deck. We continue to appreciate the solid-feeling aluminum chassis, which is available in Gold, Rose Gold, Space Gray, and Silver.
Color options still include not only the MacBook Pro-like silver and space gray but the iPad Pro like gold and rose gold. Yes, the 12-inch MacBook gets the rose gold option. That's something the 12.9-inch iPad Pro can boast.
The screen bezel is still black and still not as minimal as some television sets and competing laptops have become. And, sadly, the FaceTime camera is still 480p.
Opening the device, users will find the keyboard has been updated with second-generation butterfly switches first introduced with the 2016 MacBook Pro. The keys have been tuned to offer more travel and a "clickier" feel than first-generation parts and are a welcome addition to the low-profile design.
The display of the MacBook 12 has also remained the same in 2017. The laptop still uses a 12-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 2304x1440 pixels. Resolution and display diagonal ensure a very sharp image. Texts in particular appear very sharp. In direct comparison with the recently renewed MacBook Air, the Air shows noticeable weaknesses in terms of display sharpness. The other measured values of the predecessor's display also do not show noticeable weaknesses. As so often, the glossy surface is controversial.
The MacBook's panel is pretty bright, too, as it puts out 340 nits. That beats the Asus ZenBook 3 and HP Spectre but falls behind the MateBook X (375.6 nits). The MateBook X's screen also produces more of the color gamut than the MacBook at 136 percent to 117 percent. The MacBook's other close competitors are in between 93 and 111 percent.
Unfortunately, the MacBook is still very light on ports. You get only a single USB-C port, and it doesn't support the Thunderbolt 3 standard, which is growing in popularity and can be found on laptops that cost hundreds less. This would allow you to plug the MacBook into a dock and power two displays simultaneously, or attach to a growing number of external graphics amplifiers for when you need more oomph. At this point, no laptop priced $1,000 or more should lack Thunderbolt 3.
The MacBook includes a USB-C cable and a 29-watt power adapter, so you can plug it into a wall to charge the same way you would an iPad. Also like an iPad, you could also plug it into an external battery pack and charge that way. In addition, you can transfer data at up to 5 Gpbs over USB (or ethernet with a USB adapter) and power an external display using a DisplayPort 1.2 (with an HDMI or VGA adapter). All in an ambi-copular package 33 percent the size of standard USB.
For traditional computer people, the lack of legacy and multiple ports is a considerable annoyance. A donglelife-level annoyance. For the mainstream that's grown up on iPad, though, the simplicity isn't a compromise it's a feature.
MacBook 12-inch Keyboard
Thanks to four touch sensors, the MacBook trackpad can sense how much pressure you're using when you press down on it. Thanks to the electromagnetic "Taptic Engine", the trackpad can then return a feeling to match that level of pressure.
The 4.4 x 2.7-inch Force Touch trackpad is still pretty roomy given the limited real estate on the deck, and it provided a snappy click sensation along with buttery smooth scrolling. Executing multi-finger gestures, like a three-finger flick up to see open apps, felt effortless.
MacBook 12-inch Webcam
The 12-inch MacBook Pro has a poor FaceTime camera, with a non-HD 480p sensor, compared to high-definition 720p on the 13-inch MacBook.
We wish Apple would have upgraded the webcam on the MacBook, as it's still limited to a very low 480p resolution. The color of blue jacket in a selfie I took looked accurate, but the details in my hair and face were fuzzy. If you do a lot of video calls, you're better off buying an external webcam.
The 12-inch MacBook beats all of the skinniest laptops in one key area: endurance. On the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi, the system lasted 9 hours and 29 minutes.
That runtime beats the ZenBook 3 (7:05) and HP Spectre (6:06) by more than 2 hours, and really means the difference between being able to leave your charger behind or having to take it with you. The MateBook X lasted a very good 8:41 but was behind the MacBook. If you're willing to live with more bulk, the XPS 13 lasts nearly 14 hours on a charge.
It's taken a while, but the MacBook finally has a faster, Kaby Lake chip inside. Because the MacBook sports a fanless design, it comes standard with a 7th-generation 1.2-GHz Core m3 processor that's optimized for efficiency. You also get 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD that promises more speed than the last model. (You can upgrade to a Core i5 or Core i7 Y Series CPU. See configuration options.)
Overall, I found the entry-level MacBook quite responsive. I had no problem editing a photo in Pixelmator while streaming Spotify with more than a dozen tabs open in both Safari and Chrome. However, other Windows ultraportables with full-power Core i7 CPUs are faster.
On Geekbench 4, which measures overall performance, the MacBook notched 6,853. That's below the category average of 7,218, and it also trails the HP Spectre (7,888), ZenBook 3 (7,449) and MateBook X (8,419), all of which pack 7th-generation Core i7 chips.
Importantly, Intel's latest chips are extremely efficient. Even with the higher clock speed we found that battery life for video viewing increased by up to 2 hours compared to last year's model. Longevity remained the same for other tasks like web surfing, suggesting Apple's hardware is tuned for video playback.
Apple promised major performance enhancements with MacBook's storage, and the SSDs didn't fail to impress. We tested the flash storage with a Blackmagic disk test and found the new modules to be around 63 percent faster than the previous model, offering faster transfer speeds as well as quicker boot and app loading times.
If you carry your computer around a lot, the MacBook is the ideal laptop - as with previous models, it’s ridiculously thin and light. The keyboard and power boosts also mean it’s more capable of becoming your full-time computer. But I’m struggling to justify it at that price.
For the same amount, you get a perfectly portable MacBook Pro with more power, an inch more of screen and, crucially, two ports (albeit at 128GB, half the storage). If your laptop is going to spend most of the time on its desk, there’s little reason not to go for the Pro.
There’s also a lot of cheaper premium competition out there, from Microsoft’s very nice new Surface Laptop to Apple’s own recently-upgraded MacBook Air, which will match it for power and battery life, albeit without the retina display or the MacBook's looks. There’s no doubt that the MacBook’s sleek design and extreme portability makes it a superior machine - if you’re willing to stretch to it.
Overall, the MacBook is certainly worth the premium, but it's not a slam dunk. That's because Apple now offers a 13-inch MacBook Pro for the same $1,299 price as the MacBook, one that offers an additional USB-C port, Thunderbolt 3 and a faster Core i5 processor. However, that version of the Pro also weighs about a pound more than the 12-inch MacBook and has half as much storage (128GB vs 256GB). So if you prefer macOS, get the MacBook if you want to travel really light, but buy the Pro if you want something more versatile.
Is it worth it?
When Apple first introduced the new 12-inch MacBook in 2015, the company once again redefined what it meant to be an ultralight laptop. With a remarkably thin Retina display, new butterfly switch keys, physics-defying Force Touch Trackpad, terraced battery, super-fast storage, and only a single, solitary USB-C port, it was like a laptop from the future. And it had the price tag to match.
Like its larger, more powerful MacBook Pro siblings, the 2017 MacBook received a minor CPU speed increase with the adoption of Intel Kaby Lake processors. Beyond that, not much has changed, but Apple's latest thin-and-light boasts substantial improvements in efficiency and lower heat output that could strike a cord with on-the-go users.
But maybe you’re still a holdout. You’re out there, I know, still not convinced that the MacBook is a good buy. Well, I have some good news: The newest MacBook is a better buy than it has been, thanks to performance improvements by its processor and graphics upgrade. What Apple has in the MacBook is a small and light laptop that packs a nice speed punch.
MacBook 12-inch Design
As a minor refresh, the only visual differences between the 2017 MacBook and its predecessor are a couple of updated logos on the control and option keys. The overall chassis design remains unchanged, but the sleek lines are still fresh compared to Windows PC offerings.
Weighing just 2.03 pounds and measuring 0.52 inches thin, the MacBook is still one of the thinnest and lightest laptops around, even if it's not the most attractive system in its class. Apple takes advantage of every square inch, as the keyboard stretches from edge to edge on the deck. We continue to appreciate the solid-feeling aluminum chassis, which is available in Gold, Rose Gold, Space Gray, and Silver.
The screen bezel is still black and still not as minimal as some television sets and competing laptops have become. And, sadly, the FaceTime camera is still 480p.
The 12-inch MacBook only has a single USB-C port, while the MacBook Pro boasts two that support Thunderbolt 3. In contrast, the 12-inch MacBook only supports the Gen 1 USB 3.1 protocol, limiting transfer speeds to 5Gbps. That compares to 10Gbps with Gen 2 USB 3.1 on the MacBook Pro. Users can also upgrade to four USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports if they choose the MacBook Pro model with Touch Bar and Touch ID, which aren't options for the 12-inch MacBook.
Opening the device, users will find the keyboard has been updated with second-generation butterfly switches first introduced with the 2016 MacBook Pro. The keys have been tuned to offer more travel and a "clickier" feel than first-generation parts and are a welcome addition to the low-profile design.
MacBook 12-inch Display
There's still no multitouch on the MacBook's screen, of course. Apple is sticking to its belief that Macs are ergonomically ill-suited for touch, and macOS is optimized for a mouse and pointer, not a finger. When it comes to multitouch, there's literally an iOS for that.
MacBook 12-inch Ports
Unfortunately, the MacBook is still very light on ports. You get only a single USB-C port, and it doesn't support the Thunderbolt 3 standard, which is growing in popularity and can be found on laptops that cost hundreds less. This would allow you to plug the MacBook into a dock and power two displays simultaneously, or attach to a growing number of external graphics amplifiers for when you need more oomph. At this point, no laptop priced $1,000 or more should lack Thunderbolt 3.
For traditional computer people, the lack of legacy and multiple ports is a considerable annoyance. A donglelife-level annoyance. For the mainstream that's grown up on iPad, though, the simplicity isn't a compromise it's a feature.
Apple has brought the 2nd-generation butterfly keyboard design from the MacBook Pro line to the MacBook. Thanks to refinements to the dome switches, the result is a layout that feels a lot better than its mere 0.5 mm of travel might suggest. The keys are still flatter than anything you've probably used before, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy to type quickly and accurately.
The 2nd-generation butterfly keyboard feels a lot better than its 0.5 mm of travel.
MacBook 12-inch TrackPad
Force Touch might have been introduced with Apple Watch and gained ubiquity with 3D Touch on iPhone, but it launched first with the 12-inch MacBook. Since then, it's also spread to the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. Initially, it held the promise of unlocking new interface paradigms thanks to force clicks and Taptic feedback. None of that has really materialized. But that hasn't stopped the Force Touch trackpad from becoming the best trackpad Apple's ever made.
Thanks to four touch sensors, the MacBook trackpad can sense how much pressure you're using when you press down on it. Thanks to the electromagnetic "Taptic Engine", the trackpad can then return a feeling to match that level of pressure.
The 4.4 x 2.7-inch Force Touch trackpad is still pretty roomy given the limited real estate on the deck, and it provided a snappy click sensation along with buttery smooth scrolling. Executing multi-finger gestures, like a three-finger flick up to see open apps, felt effortless.
The 12-inch MacBook Pro has a poor FaceTime camera, with a non-HD 480p sensor, compared to high-definition 720p on the 13-inch MacBook.
MacBook 12-inch Battery
That runtime beats the ZenBook 3 (7:05) and HP Spectre (6:06) by more than 2 hours, and really means the difference between being able to leave your charger behind or having to take it with you. The MateBook X lasted a very good 8:41 but was behind the MacBook. If you're willing to live with more bulk, the XPS 13 lasts nearly 14 hours on a charge.
MacBook 12-inch Performance
Overall, I found the entry-level MacBook quite responsive. I had no problem editing a photo in Pixelmator while streaming Spotify with more than a dozen tabs open in both Safari and Chrome. However, other Windows ultraportables with full-power Core i7 CPUs are faster.
The move to Intel's newest Kaby Lake processor nets MacBook a 100MHz increase in base clock over last year's model. Even more impressive is that the new chip turbo boosts up to 3.0GHz instead of 2.2GHz.
Importantly, Intel's latest chips are extremely efficient. Even with the higher clock speed we found that battery life for video viewing increased by up to 2 hours compared to last year's model. Longevity remained the same for other tasks like web surfing, suggesting Apple's hardware is tuned for video playback.
Apple promised major performance enhancements with MacBook's storage, and the SSDs didn't fail to impress. We tested the flash storage with a Blackmagic disk test and found the new modules to be around 63 percent faster than the previous model, offering faster transfer speeds as well as quicker boot and app loading times.
Should you buy One?
For the same amount, you get a perfectly portable MacBook Pro with more power, an inch more of screen and, crucially, two ports (albeit at 128GB, half the storage). If your laptop is going to spend most of the time on its desk, there’s little reason not to go for the Pro.
There’s also a lot of cheaper premium competition out there, from Microsoft’s very nice new Surface Laptop to Apple’s own recently-upgraded MacBook Air, which will match it for power and battery life, albeit without the retina display or the MacBook's looks. There’s no doubt that the MacBook’s sleek design and extreme portability makes it a superior machine - if you’re willing to stretch to it.
Conclusion
Still small, still ultra-light, still with a single port, the 12-inch MacBook still feels like an iPad in the Mac's clothing. With its newfound power, though, it also feels more than ever like a Mac. And that's a good thing. Scratch that — it's great.
With MacBook, Apple is targeting road warriors and users looking for the thinnest, lightest, and most portable system on the market. For most users, however, the performance benefits offered by the base MacBook Pro far outweigh sleek design.
The Pro version gets better speakers, better FaceTime camera, a bigger touchpad, a bigger, brighter, more colorful display with increased resolution, and major performance improvements. It even gets double the usb-c ports with the option of adding more. Most importantly for Apple's connectivity-constrained MacBooks, each port on the MacBook Pro supports Thunderbolt 3.
Unless portability is extremely important to you, our advice is to skip the 12-inch MacBook and go for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro instead.
With MacBook, Apple is targeting road warriors and users looking for the thinnest, lightest, and most portable system on the market. For most users, however, the performance benefits offered by the base MacBook Pro far outweigh sleek design.
The Pro version gets better speakers, better FaceTime camera, a bigger touchpad, a bigger, brighter, more colorful display with increased resolution, and major performance improvements. It even gets double the usb-c ports with the option of adding more. Most importantly for Apple's connectivity-constrained MacBooks, each port on the MacBook Pro supports Thunderbolt 3.
Unless portability is extremely important to you, our advice is to skip the 12-inch MacBook and go for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro instead.
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