2017 MacBook Pro 13" Base Model
The 2017 update of the 13-inch MacBook Pro ($1,299) isn't a groundbreaking refresh, but it does come with two very important new features: a reduced price and new processor options from Intel's latest seventh-generation Core i5 and Core i7 series.
Since the last major MacBook Pro update, MacBook has been reimagined, macOS has been renamed, and the iPad has gone Pro. So, how does the MacBook Pro respond? By going even faster, thinner, lighter, and brighter. No surprise there: It's almost Apple's battle cry at this point.
Cinematic color gamut, unified ports, ludicrously fast storage, . But memory and graphics constraints, the lack of legacy ports, and an ultra-flat keyboard make things complicated for some of Apple's traditional pro customers right now.
The exterior design remains identical to the previous version, but more performance for less cash easily makes up for the laptop's relative dearth of USB ports and the lack of a Touch Bar compared with the more expensive 13-inch MacBook Pro. Add in vastly improved battery life and better performance benchmark results than many of its Windows competitors, and the result is that this already-excellent ultraportable notebook now earns our Editors' Choice award as the best Mac laptop.
But who is the 13-inch MacBook Pro for and is this mid-range Mac a good deal? And if you purchased one of the MacBook Pro models introduced in October 2016, should you be a bit miffed that Apple has upgraded its offering so soon?
The first thing you notice about the current MacBook Pro is how dense it feels. Sure, it's lighter and smaller — MacBook Air-level lighter and smaller. It looks identical to last year's version, with its thin, low-profile aluminum design. The laptop comes in space gray or silver, and I'd suggest the former, unless you want a MacBook that looks appears to have travelled here from the past, dieting along the way.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is extremely thin for a full-featured laptop, measuring 0.59 by 11.97 by 8.36 inches (HWD) and weighing 3.02 pounds. That's actually thinner than Apple's original and now somewhat dated ultraportable, the 13-inch MacBook Air. But it's not quite as thin as the MacBook (0.52 inches), the New Razer Blade Stealth (0.51 inches) or the 0.41-inch-thin HP Spectre 13, which HP bills as the world's thinnest laptop. The MacBook Pro is almost imperceptibly heavier than last year's model, which weighs 2.99 pounds.
MacBook Pro is available in silver and space gray now. Not gold or rose gold like MacBook, nor jet black like the new iPhones. The space gray of MacBook Pro matches the space gray of MacBook and the iPhone 6 series, so it's lighter than Apple Watch and much lighter than the (matte) black iPhone 7.
Despite the thinness of the new display, Apple did manage to cram in a 720p FaceTime camera. It's a stark improvement over the anemic 420p camera in the MacBook. I'd still prefer 1080p on a MacBook Pro — even if it takes a camera bump to do it.
With 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports (in the left sides) and a headphone jack, the MacBook Pro shows that Apple's future-facing view still requires that we buy dongles to plug in our pre-existing devices. That means We'd need one of the company's $19 USB Type-C-to-USB adapters to connect a device such as my USB hub.
The MacBook Pro's 2560 x 1600-pixel display("Another feature that hasn’t changed is the gorgeous display tech") is a beauty, offering eye-popping color and sharp clarity. Apple has gone all-in on wide color. You can shoot it with iPhone 7, you can display it on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and the latest iMacs, you can manage it across macOS and iOS, and now you can see it on the new MacBook Pro as well.
The MacBook Pro's backlit KeyBoard and TrackPad offer solid input experiences, but they may take some getting used to. Open up the Macbook Pro 2017 and you’ll be presented with Apple’s super-spacious touchpad, introduced on the previous 2016 model. Even on the 13-inch model this is an impressive size, filling the space between keyboard and laptop edge.
The new MacBook Pro comes a new, bigger Force Touch trackpad. If you haven't used one before, a Taptic Engine tricks your fingers into believing vibrations are depressions, and so you "click" a solid surface and are misled into feeling like it really clicked. Basically, science is a lie, your fingers are proprioceptive liars, and nothing makes sense anymore. But it works and well.
Dragging and dropping objects, though, works differently than on any other notebook I've ever tested, requiring you to use a half press before dragging objects. This took as much focused effort to learn as Luke Skywalker needed to move the rocks in Empire Strikes Back. You also have the option of enabling or disabling Apple’s Force Touch support.
Apple’s Macbook Pro keyboard is just as usable as ever also. The 13-inch model sports a more-or-less identical sizing and layout to the larger 15-inch model, mostly because the bigger Macbook has quite wide surroundings (including much bigger speakers). That means the typing experience is essentially the same. Switching from the 15-inch 2016 Pro to this 13-inch updated model was utterly seamless in that respect. The keyboard is a second-generation version of the dome and butterfly design introduced with the 12-inch MacBook
Each key is well-spaced and sized, so mis-hits are quite rare and you can generate a really impressive words-per-minute count in full flow. Only the dinky up and down arrow keys ever proved problematic. The board is backlit as well, so can be comfortably used in the dark.
The keyboard action on this new 13-inch Macbook Pro model was thankfully a lot quieter than typing on the previous-gen laptop. The construction of Apple’s board doesn’t appear to have changed, but tapping in a silent room no longer results in anyone turning around and giving me the evils. A definite plus.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Speakers
The MacBook Pro can kick out the jams. Its speakers filled our large conference room with sound, drowning out our loud air conditioning. BMTH' "shadow moses" sounded great on the notebook, with strong, sturdy bass; clear vocals; and accurate synths. While audio pros likely have high-end headphones and speakers to connect to, this notebook offers some of the best sound We've ever heard come from an ultraportable.
Apple says they have far more dynamic range and separation than before and I have no reason to doubt them. I just know they're LOUD and they're clear.
First iPad Pro, then iPhone 7, now MacBook Pro Apple has seriously upped their speaker game in recent years and I really appreciate it.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Ports
One other thing that could be beneficial to pro users is USB-C with Thunderbolt 3. Two ports in the case of the non-Touch Bar 13-inch models, four in the case of the Touch Bar 13-inch and 15-inch models.
For every one else this may be a bit of a hinderance because currently not many devices have USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, while existing devices that us older USB standards will require an adaptor.
Currently the only MacBooks to offer a USB A port are the older 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, that Apple has probably kept on sale predominantly for the sake of laptop users who require that port.
The Macbook Pro runs Apple’s own MacOS, still in its Sierra version - so there’s no difference in this newest model as far as OS and features are concerned. You can expect an update to High Sierra as soon as the latest version of Apple’s OS is available, of course.
Apple bundles a fair few apps with the Pro, including basic creative software such as GarageBand (check out our how to get started guide) and iMovie. The App Store is of course very well stocked indeed, so you can download and install a wide range of software to cover pretty much any need. You’ll also find plenty of software support out there on the web.
Connectivity is a bit of an issue, even though you get four Thunderbolt 3 ports on the Touch Bar model. If you want a full-sized USB port or a means of connecting your older devices - or even reading a memory card - you’ll need to pay a bit extra for an adapter.
As for the storage, this Touch Bar model offers a choice of a 256GB or 512GB SSD. This is configurable up to 1TB, offering plenty of space for your apps, media files and the rest.
Packed inside this 2017 Macbook Pro model is a fresh new Intel Core i5 or Core i7 Kaby Lake chipset, backed by 8GB of RAM. That’s a step up from the previous-gen Intel chipsets used in last year’s Pro models, with a greater emphasis on 3D rendering and 4K video editing.
If you require dedicated graphics, in order to do some intensive 3D design work or get some serious gaming on the go, you’ll want to look to the 15-inch Pro. That model comes with Radeon Pro dedicated graphics, while this 13-inch model makes do with an integrated GPU.
All the same, video and photo editing is pleasingly smooth on this machine. Final Cut Pro runs well, with nary a stutter as you slap a couple of 4K clips together. We also played plenty of Steam titles, old and new, and enjoyed the smooth frame rates - as long as you don't try anything graphically demanding.
There is still one area of disappointment with regards to processors though. For a range of laptops with pro status, it is disappointing that while the 15-inch models have quad-core processors, the 13-inch models still have only dual-core processors.
The MacBook Pro offers solid battery life, but it's not as long as the runtimes of some PC rivals. Battery life is dependable considering the size of this machine and the smarts crammed inside. We found that we managed at least five hours of heavy use on a full charge, which includes photo and video editing and non-stop Spotify streaming. That cell recharges reasonably quickly too, filling up in under two hours even during use.
If you bought a 13-inch MacBook Pro last October you might be a tiny bit miffed. After all your machine has just been surpassed within months. Does it really matter though? Probably not because chances are you aren’t a creative professional who needs the best processor and graphics card as well as a ton of RAM.
Updated Processor and a Price Drop
The 2017 update of the 13-inch MacBook Pro ($1,299) isn't a groundbreaking refresh, but it does come with two very important new features: a reduced price and new processor options from Intel's latest seventh-generation Core i5 and Core i7 series.
Since the last major MacBook Pro update, MacBook has been reimagined, macOS has been renamed, and the iPad has gone Pro. So, how does the MacBook Pro respond? By going even faster, thinner, lighter, and brighter. No surprise there: It's almost Apple's battle cry at this point.
Cinematic color gamut, unified ports, ludicrously fast storage, . But memory and graphics constraints, the lack of legacy ports, and an ultra-flat keyboard make things complicated for some of Apple's traditional pro customers right now.
But who is the 13-inch MacBook Pro for and is this mid-range Mac a good deal? And if you purchased one of the MacBook Pro models introduced in October 2016, should you be a bit miffed that Apple has upgraded its offering so soon?
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Design
Despite the thinness of the new display, Apple did manage to cram in a 720p FaceTime camera. It's a stark improvement over the anemic 420p camera in the MacBook. I'd still prefer 1080p on a MacBook Pro — even if it takes a camera bump to do it.
With 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports (in the left sides) and a headphone jack, the MacBook Pro shows that Apple's future-facing view still requires that we buy dongles to plug in our pre-existing devices. That means We'd need one of the company's $19 USB Type-C-to-USB adapters to connect a device such as my USB hub.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Display
The MacBook Pro's 2560 x 1600-pixel display("Another feature that hasn’t changed is the gorgeous display tech") is a beauty, offering eye-popping color and sharp clarity. Apple has gone all-in on wide color. You can shoot it with iPhone 7, you can display it on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and the latest iMacs, you can manage it across macOS and iOS, and now you can see it on the new MacBook Pro as well.
The only thing the MacBook Pro screen still can't do is register touch input. macOS isn't a touch-based operating system and Apple's prototyped and disliked multitouch on Macs. So, they're expanding touch in a different way and on a different plane.
The MacBook is best For photo and video editors, the realistic colour reproduction will be just as important a factor. You won’t get any artificially boosted, vibrant hues here. Contrast levels are fantastic (as you’d expect at this price point).
2017 MacBook Pro 13" KeyBoard and TouchPad
The MacBook Pro's backlit KeyBoard and TrackPad offer solid input experiences, but they may take some getting used to. Open up the Macbook Pro 2017 and you’ll be presented with Apple’s super-spacious touchpad, introduced on the previous 2016 model. Even on the 13-inch model this is an impressive size, filling the space between keyboard and laptop edge.
The new MacBook Pro comes a new, bigger Force Touch trackpad. If you haven't used one before, a Taptic Engine tricks your fingers into believing vibrations are depressions, and so you "click" a solid surface and are misled into feeling like it really clicked. Basically, science is a lie, your fingers are proprioceptive liars, and nothing makes sense anymore. But it works and well.
Apple’s Macbook Pro keyboard is just as usable as ever also. The 13-inch model sports a more-or-less identical sizing and layout to the larger 15-inch model, mostly because the bigger Macbook has quite wide surroundings (including much bigger speakers). That means the typing experience is essentially the same. Switching from the 15-inch 2016 Pro to this 13-inch updated model was utterly seamless in that respect. The keyboard is a second-generation version of the dome and butterfly design introduced with the 12-inch MacBook
Each key is well-spaced and sized, so mis-hits are quite rare and you can generate a really impressive words-per-minute count in full flow. Only the dinky up and down arrow keys ever proved problematic. The board is backlit as well, so can be comfortably used in the dark.
The keyboard action on this new 13-inch Macbook Pro model was thankfully a lot quieter than typing on the previous-gen laptop. The construction of Apple’s board doesn’t appear to have changed, but tapping in a silent room no longer results in anyone turning around and giving me the evils. A definite plus.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Speakers
The MacBook Pro can kick out the jams. Its speakers filled our large conference room with sound, drowning out our loud air conditioning. BMTH' "shadow moses" sounded great on the notebook, with strong, sturdy bass; clear vocals; and accurate synths. While audio pros likely have high-end headphones and speakers to connect to, this notebook offers some of the best sound We've ever heard come from an ultraportable.
First iPad Pro, then iPhone 7, now MacBook Pro Apple has seriously upped their speaker game in recent years and I really appreciate it.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Ports
One other thing that could be beneficial to pro users is USB-C with Thunderbolt 3. Two ports in the case of the non-Touch Bar 13-inch models, four in the case of the Touch Bar 13-inch and 15-inch models.
For every one else this may be a bit of a hinderance because currently not many devices have USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, while existing devices that us older USB standards will require an adaptor.
Currently the only MacBooks to offer a USB A port are the older 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, that Apple has probably kept on sale predominantly for the sake of laptop users who require that port.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" OS
Apple bundles a fair few apps with the Pro, including basic creative software such as GarageBand (check out our how to get started guide) and iMovie. The App Store is of course very well stocked indeed, so you can download and install a wide range of software to cover pretty much any need. You’ll also find plenty of software support out there on the web.
Connectivity is a bit of an issue, even though you get four Thunderbolt 3 ports on the Touch Bar model. If you want a full-sized USB port or a means of connecting your older devices - or even reading a memory card - you’ll need to pay a bit extra for an adapter.
As for the storage, this Touch Bar model offers a choice of a 256GB or 512GB SSD. This is configurable up to 1TB, offering plenty of space for your apps, media files and the rest.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Performance
If you require dedicated graphics, in order to do some intensive 3D design work or get some serious gaming on the go, you’ll want to look to the 15-inch Pro. That model comes with Radeon Pro dedicated graphics, while this 13-inch model makes do with an integrated GPU.
All the same, video and photo editing is pleasingly smooth on this machine. Final Cut Pro runs well, with nary a stutter as you slap a couple of 4K clips together. We also played plenty of Steam titles, old and new, and enjoyed the smooth frame rates - as long as you don't try anything graphically demanding.
2017 MacBook Pro 13" Battery
Should you buy one?
However, if you are considering upgrading to this 2017 model, you really don’t need to bother. That performance upgrade is an incremental improvement that simply brings the series more up-to-date, without adding any compulsive new features or abilities.
But If you are a user who needs a decent amount of power but you are balking at the price of the 15-inch MacBook Pro the 13-inch model may well suffice, and if you need a bigger screen you can just plug it into a separate display.
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