2017 MacBook Pro 13" with TouchBar

2017 MacBook Pro 13" with TouchBar

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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. 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.

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, the Touch Bar — a capacitive multitouch strip that provides for dynamic controls — and Touch ID define the company's vision for the future of the MacBook Pro. 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 that was last fall. This summer Apple's already updating the MacBook Pro. It's got Kaybe Lake processors, better graphics, and a new $1299 entry-level option.

So, how much difference does eight months and a processor generation make?

2017 MacBook Pro 13" TouchBar Design

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is the best-looking laptop on the market right now. The aluminium chassis is machined from a single piece of metal and it shows. It doesn’t bend or flex, but it’s still incredibly light at just 1.37kg.

For the first time, the MacBook Pro is available in a choice of colours: classic aluminium or a darker Space Grey; there’s no Rose Gold option yet, but the other two options look superb.

At just 15mm tall, it’s super-thin and happily slid into my already-crowded work bag without issue. The footprint is smaller than previous 13-inch MacBook Pros, but the screen size remains the same. The difference isn’t huge, but it still helps the 13-inch Pro to feel far more portable than any of its predecessors.

There are a few key physical differences to this model compared to the base model, and they all make a significant difference to how you’ll use it.

The first and perhaps most important for professionals is the addition of two extra USB 3.1 Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 combination ports, making a total of four. Two sit on the right edge and two sit on the left, and any of them can be used for charging, which is a nice touch.

Apple doesn’t provide any adapters in the box for regular USB connectors, SD cards or Ethernet cables, so you’ll need to consider an extra spend if you need these. I wish Apple had provided one consolidatory USB-A (“normal USB”) adapter; I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t appreciate it.

Still, the Thunderbolt ports are supremely useful for professionals, who’ll benefit from lightning-fast data transfers and the ability to hook up to an external monitor with a resolution of up to 5K with only a single cable.

The other external difference is the Touch Bar and TouchID module, which takes the form of a strip of OLED touchscreen that replaces the top row of function keys.

2017 MacBook Pro 13" Touch Bar

One feature that could be useful, but seems a bit gimmicky to us if we’re honest, is the Touch Bar.

The Touch Bar, which seems to be Apple’s alternative to a touch screen, is actually more difficult to use than a touch screen as you need to have your eyes both on the keyboard and the screen in order to use it.

The Touch Bar isn’t completely pointless though. Along with Touch ID capabilities, there is integration with a number of Apple apps, such as Safari, which gains forward and backwards buttons, or Mail that gains auto complete suggestions.

What really matters to creative pro users, though is apps like Photoshop, and to business users, Office. And the good news is both Microsoft and Adobe have embraced the Touch Bar already and offer useful tools.

Although using the Touch Bar does take some getting used to there are some fun implementations. We’d like to see features like the Dock replicated there, and we expect that the launch of MacOS High Sierra will bring more in the way of Touch Bar integration with apps.

However, if Apple’s recent introduction of a second non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro at the 13-inch level may be in response to slower than expected sales of the new Touch Bar enabled MacBook Pro models.

There have been reports suggesting that Apple customers are picking the non-Touch Bar models over their more expensive siblings, and it may well be that Apple is responding to the interest in the non Touch-Bar equipped laptops.

It’s also been noted that Apple didn’t introduce a new Touch Bar enabled keyboard with its updated iMacs, something that had been anticipated. So perhaps the Touch Bar hasn’t been the success Apple was hoping it would be.

2017 MacBook Pro 13" TouchBar DISPLAY

A quick look at the specifications could make you think Apple’s new MacBook Pro 13 had an old display. It’s still Retina, which means the resolution is still 2,560 × 1,600. That was stunning in 2012, but today it seems mediocre next to QHD+ (3,200 × 1,800) and 4K screens.

But don’t worry, Mac faithful. You can banish any concerns about the display from your mind. It’s fantastic.

We measured a maximum brightness of 548 lux. That’s ridiculously brilliant, and complete overkill for use indoors, but it can help make the screen, which is still very glossy, usable in extreme situations. By comparison, the Dell XPS 13 with QHD+ display only hits 278 lux, and the HP Spectre x360 hits 355 lux. Both those systems can have a problem with glare in bright conditions, though Dell gives you the choice to combat that with a matte display option.


Brightness is only important in a bright room. What’ll stun you, no matter where you use the MacBook Pro 13, is its color. The display can achieve 100 percent of the sRGB gamut, as well as 91 percent of AdobeRGB. It also delivered an average color error value of .72 (lower is better). Anything below one is generally unnoticeable to the human eye, and this reading is the lowest we’ve ever recorded from a laptop. The previous record holder, Dell’s XPS 15, boasted an average error value of .78.


Even the contrast ratio of 1,200:1 is excellent. The Pro can deliver dark blacks next to brilliant colors without trouble.

The only flaw we found is gamma, which came in at a reading of 2.3. The ideal curve is 2.2, and the MacBook Pro 13’s result indicates it portrays content a bit darker than it should. But this is a very minor fluctuation, and plenty of competitors miss it, too.

When the numbers are tallied, the new Retina display comes away a winner. It defeats the Dell XPS 13, Acer Swift 7, Asus Zenbook 3, HP Spectre x360, and Lenovo Yoga 910, beating all of them in color gamut, color accuracy, and contrast ratio.

That’s not to say it lacks competition, though. Microsoft’s Surface Book can go toe-to-toe with it. Though our tests found the Surface Book had a narrower contrast ratio of 1010:1, its gamma curve reading was the proper 2.2.

There’s also a small handful of Windows systems, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga, available with OLED displays. These clobber the MacBook Pro 13’s strong contrast ratio, and deliver an even wider color gamut, all with accurate gamma. But they don’t match the Mac’s out-of-the-box color accuracy.

Numbers aside, the display on the MacBook Pro 13 is excellent, and looks it in everyday use. Games and movies are crisp and vibrant, and high-quality photos render with such detail that you might think your display was switched with a canvas print. The Retina display may not be this Pro’s headline feature, but it remains its most attractive trait.

2017 MacBook Pro 13"TouchBar 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.

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"TouchBar 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 has always shown an affinity for audio quality rarely found elsewhere, and the MacBook Pro is no exception. In fact, its speakers are the best we can recall hearing in a 13-inch system. That’s saying a lot, because a few recent laptops in this category, like the Asus Zenbook 3, have surprised us with their quality.

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"TouchBar 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

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.

2017 MacBook Pro 13" Performance

Specifications have never been Apple’s area of focus, but that used to be a marketing concern, rather than an indication of the company’s preference for hardware. Over the last few years, though, that has changed. The MacBook Pro fell behind, adopting new Intel processor lines late, or not at all.

The new Pro only partially addresses the problem. Our entry-level MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar has an Intel Core i5-6267U. As the numbers suggest, it’s part of Intel’s sixth generation Core line, rather than the newer seventh generation. Can it stand up to Intel’s latest hardware?

For the most part, yes. The system’s Geekbench 3 multi-core score of 7,638 is not the best we’ve seen, but it’s certainly in range of competitors. The Lenovo Yoga 910 hit 7,973, and the Dell XPS 13 hit 7,835. Both were tested with Intel’s Core i7-7500U. The MacBook Pro 13 scored even better in Geekbench 3’s single-core metric, beating all competitors, if only by a hair.

You might wonder how the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar can keep up, given it has an older architecture. The secret is the specific processor used by Apple. It has a 28-watt Thermal Design Power, while most Intel Core mobile chips are designed under a 15-watt Thermal Design Power. Put simply, the MacBook Pro 13 keeps itself competitive by drawing more juice under load.

While the Pro does keep up, it’s still disappointing to see it stick with an older generation of hardware, especially given the price. The faster Core i7 competitors we tested can be had for hundreds less than the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar. Though quick, this level of performance is typical in laptops priced above $1,000.

2017 MacBook Pro 13" Battery

The battery in this model is slightly smaller than the unit in the base model, and with a more powerful processor and the added strain of the Touch Bar, it’s easy to imagine the laptop faring far worse than the base model. In practice, the difference isn’t significant – although, anecdotally, other members of the team who used the MacBook Pro for the day found they were only able to squeeze just under seven hours out of it at a little over half brightness. we was able to get around eight hours at a much lower brightness. I’m comfortable with a dim screen, but many buyers might not be.

we also found the battery indicator to be less reliable than on the base model; not always providing an accurate reading. You might want to consider this MacBook's big brother if you want longer battery life. The 15-inch MacBook Pro lasted 10 hours and 59 minutes on this test, which is long enough to make me consider leaving the power cable at home.

Should you buy one?

Wewasn’t convinced by the base model MacBook Pro, but the the Touch Bar model has done a good enough job to justify its high cost. Processor performance is far better than on the base model, the number of ports included is far more generous, and the Touch Bar is a bonus feature that could become essential for some.

All that, plus the same amazing build, screen, keyboard and touchpad as the base model and you have, quite simply, the best laptop on the planet right now. It doesn’t get the full five stars because I still have concerns about the awkward Thunderbolt decisions Apple has made – but make no mistake, this is the best laptop I’ve used this year.

If you’re looking to edit photos and HD video then the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is the best option available – if you can afford it. If not, consider the Core i7 Dell XPS 13 instead.

As you’ll have seen in our long-term review on the first page, battery life inconsistencies might be a problem, but equally might not affect you at all. At worst you’re looking at a six-hour machine. With such great processing performance, I think it’s an acceptable, if slightly annoying compromise, but not everyone will agree.

Conclusion

The 2017 Macbook Pro offers the blisteringly fast speed that professionals need, as well as a superbright and colorful display. The speakers are also impressive. However, this laptop would be even better if Apple had offered a wider variety of ports and a more affordable starting price for the Touch Bar model. If you're willing to live without the Touch Bar, consider the $1,299 MacBook Pro, which has two Thunderbolt 3 ports instead of four, less storage and a slower CPU.

But if you're not married to the macOS platform, you can save a lot of money by getting a Windows 10 machine instead. Opting for a Core i5 HP Spectre x360 with comparable specs (and a touch-screen display) will save you a whopping $810, and a similarly configured Dell XPS 13 is $700 less. You can even save $300 by going with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which has one of the best keyboards we've seen in a laptop. But the MacBook Pro outperforms all of those systems.