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Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro sits exactly in the middle of Apple’s line of laptops, however, at least for the next short time, it somehow manages to cloud your choices. Or rather, it does so for a significant group of people and their needs.
If your purchasing decision could be just about performance or physical differences like size and weight, then your choice could be an easy one. If a 16-inch MacBook Pro or MacBook Air is the right machine for you, chances are you know it.
Likewise, if you knew you need more power sometimes, but not all the time, then the new 13-inch MacBook Pro should be the clear winner.
But you should also consider the price, and right now two issues are affecting if the 13-inch MacBook Pro is your best bet. The first is that to get more than just the performance you got from last year’s model, you need to buy the high-end versions of the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
That means the price will be higher and enough for it to head towards the retail price of a 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple sells the 16-inch MacBook Pro for $ 2,399, compared to the entry price of the 13-inch MacBook Pro at $ 1,299. That’s a difference of over a thousand dollars, so clearly these machines are priced to appeal to different audiences.
He used to assume that the base model of any Apple device was really inadequate, that he would at least have to look for some kind of update. We are so used to this that it makes the 16-inch model feel even more expensive.
This time, however, it is not entirely true. While it may justify spending more, the performance and features you get for the entry-level 16-inch MacBook Pro are good.
To be fair, now that its minimum SSD size has doubled, the new, lower-priced 13-inch MacBook Pro is perfectly suited from the get-go.
However, that new 13-inch machine is pretty much last year’s model with better storage and an improved keyboard. If that’s not enough for your needs, or you want a little more power, you’re looking for the higher priced versions.
You’re really looking at the 13-inch MacBook Pro models that come with newer processors and faster RAM. You should be aware of 13-inch MacBook Pro versions that start at $ 1,799 or $ 1,999.
The difference between $ 1,999 and $ 2,399 is still significant, even if it is less than half the thousand dollar gap it appeared to be.
And right now, that gap is regularly much smaller. That 16-inch MacBook Pro has been out long enough so you can get it regularly for $ 200 less than what Apple sells it for. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro will also see discounts eventually, but they are rarer at the moment.
We’re not saying everyone should jump on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but when the realistic price difference in the real world is only $ 100, you should consider it.
What you want for your money
This doesn’t just apply to the top of the 13-inch MacBook Pro line and to the bottom of the 16-inch model. It is applied when you need more power.
If you’re looking for the high-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, it will be because of the newer, faster processors. It will be for the fastest RAM. So it’s really about performance.
At almost all price / performance levels, a discounted 16-inch MacBook Pro will come closer to the price of a high-end 13-inch model. But the proximity is more marked the higher your budget.
The largest amount of RAM a 13-inch MacBook Pro can have is 32GB, and the largest storage is 4TB. Processors are always harder to compare directly, but the fastest this model can be purchased with is a 2.3GHz quad-core 10G Intel Core i7. If you select the top version of each of these, your 13-inch MacBook Pro will set you back $ 3,599.
While the offers will always change, AppleInsider It tracks them, take a look at our own constantly updated pricing guide, and we’ve consistently seen $ 200 discounts.
Given that, you can buy a 16-inch MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM, 4TB of storage, and a 2.6GHz 8-core 9-core Intel Core i9 processor for $ 3,712. The closest equivalent Apple currently has – the same spec bar as a 2.4GHz processor – will cost you $ 4,399 directly from the Apple store.
The difference between $ 3,599 and $ 4,399 is again enough for you to rule out the switch to a 16-inch MacBook. But the difference between Apple’s $ 3,599 for a 13-inch model and the $ 3,712 we’ve seen 16-inch ones for is again just over a hundred dollars in the difference.
We’re not saying it’s a casual difference, and certainly, even if it’s on the market for a $ 3,599 machine, it might not be for a $ 3,712 machine.
Your mileage makes the difference
Remember that our examples are just that, examples. Discounts vary, both from top to bottom from day to day and sometimes from hour to hour. Your ideal setup may be less powerful than what we have chosen here.
However, it remains that for a smaller price difference than you might imagine, or that Apple might want you to think, you can get much more. However, not everything is tilted in favor of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
If price and performance could somehow be made from the decision, for example, the 16-inch MacBook Pro would offer a much better screen than the 13-inch model. However, it would be at the cost of a much larger chassis.
The difference between a 13-inch and 16-inch model is enough to make the bigger one, however lightweight, much closer to what used to be called luggable. Chances are many of them are bought to sit at a desk and never travel, in which case a desktop Mac becomes more cost-effective and a completely different discussion.
What you get for your money
If the physical size of the 16-inch MacBook Pro is not a problem, the screen will be, in a very positive way. That extra screen area means that on the smallest machine you get 2,560 by 1,600 at 227 ppi. In the largest, you get 3,027 times 1,920 at 226 ppi.
The two displays are equally bright at 500 nits, but they are not the same in the way they are handled. The 16-inch MacBook Pro includes a discrete, separate GPU, where the 13-inch model does not.
Add that the processor is faster on the 16-inch model, and the result will be a noticeable speed difference when performing intensive tasks like video rendering.
Photography work is clearly better on the 16-inch MacBook Pro as well, given the screen size and separate graphics processor. But audio is also better on the bigger machine.
How to make your choice
It looks like we’re building to recommend the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and we’re not. In every way, it’s the best machine, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best option.
That question of the size of the two machines is one, sorry for the pun, big. A 13-inch MacBook Pro is simply much more convenient and easily portable than the 16-inch model. If you have the best machine, but never carry it with you, you really don’t have it.
So, too, although this price gap is smaller due to discounts, it is still a gap and the 13-inch model is still cheaper. Sometimes that difference is not at all, but it is always for some.
Perhaps what we are really building is that the 13-inch MacBook Pro is not the standoff of the lineup. Actually, they are two different machines, with a high-end that borders on the 16-inch model.
And a low-end one that adjoins the MacBook Air.
Consequently, if you’re looking for a MacBook Air, there are perks to spending a little more and getting a lot more with the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro. However, if you are looking for a high-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, there are many advantages to spending a little more and buying the 16-inch model.
This will change
If there were no constant discounts on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, then this wouldn’t be a problem. A price difference of $ 300 is greater than one of $ 100. Then the 13-inch MacBook Pro will get regular discounts soon enough, so the price difference will widen that way again.
And of course both machines will be updated sometime. The 16-inch model is a bit older, so you’ll surely see an update soon. But then there is the problem that so many signs said that the 13-inch MacBook Pro would upgrade to a 14.1-inch one.
If that is still going to happen, we can’t know when. All you can follow is what is available now and what those products cost at the moment.
So, for now, if you need a high-end MacBook Pro, don’t rule out that 16-inch model too expensive. Not until you have used our price tracker.
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