Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The MacBook is for the user who values portability over anything else . The 2016 edition comes with a welcomed speed boost and a Rose Gold option .
When it comes to hardware , Apple is n’t afraid to force its users to conform , to exchange habits . Longtime Mac users commemorate when Apple block off include floppy and ocular drives , or when FireWire was give up . More recently , Mac drug user have had to accept the inability to upgrade hard drives and Aries the Ram , or that theMagic Trackpad 2is the favorite stimulation machine , with its support for gestures that ca n’t be perform on aMagic Mouse 2 .
The MacBook ( useable in theApple Store ) is one of those game - record changer . When it wasreleased last year , it was reasonably obvious that Apple wanted to push its exploiter in a certain direction , to a place where there are no wires , where you depend on the cloud , where you may carry a laptop effortlessly and never worry about the assault and battery running out .
The push was more like a enceinte shove . Apple ’s thinnest and lightest laptop computer has only one port for connecting gimmick , and it lark about a processor that sacrifices functioning . And Mac users agitate back , particularly about the single port . It was n’t hard to find someone who wished that the MacBook was more like theMacBook Proor that Apple would do something with theMacBook Air . ( Applediddo something with the MacBook Air , the 13 - inch manakin specifically . It now comes stock with 8 GB of remembering instead of 4 GB . )
The 2016 MacBook is just as thin and light as its forerunner . All the changes in the new version are inside the aluminum case .
When Appleannouncedthat it was updating the MacBook , Mac fans clicked on intelligence links in anticipation . Will Apple add another embrasure ? Or possibly promote from USB - ascorbic acid to Thunderbolt 3 ? How ‘ bout an HD FaceTime camera instead of the 480p camera that was on last year ’s MacBook ?
Nope , sorry . None of those features were tot up . But Apple did advance the central processor and graphics . That ’s certainly nothing to scoff at . In fact , the MacBook shut the gap between itself , the MacBook Pro , and the MacBook Air , so much so that for general use , the swiftness should fulfil most users .
The MacBook also has long battery life . Apple ’s battery specification is now an hour longer than the late MacBook ; ten hour for “ wireless web ” and 11 hours for “ iTunes movie playback . ” Apple told me that the longer battery life is due to better barrage fire chemistry . The size of the battery is the same as before .
And , oh yeah , the MacBook is available in Rose Gold now , in addition to Gold , Silver , and Space Gray . You wo n’t find those color option with the current MacBook Pro and MacBook Air , for what it ’s worth .
A better performer
Everything on the outside of the MacBook is the same as before , so I wo n’t dive into my thoughts on things like its sizing , exercising weight , and construction ; the 12 - column inch , 2304×1440 Retina display ; the Force Trackpad ; or the keyboard . For more details about these parts , seeour review of the 2015 MacBookbyJason Snell . His thoughts still hold up and jibe with my thought , though maybe I dislike the keyboard more .
Apple did n’t change anything on the outside of the Modern variant of the MacBook . It has the same screen , keyboard , and trackpad found in the 2015 variation .
The major changes are internal , so let ’s focus on those . The MacBook now has IntelSkylakeprocessors , an rise over the Broadwell processor used when the MacBook was bring in last year . orchard apple tree use theCore Mversion of Intel ’s C.P.U. in the MacBook , which are project for mobile gimmick .
Apple offers two standard configurations : the $ 1,299 MacBook feature a 1.1GHz dual - core Core m3 central processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.2GHz , and the $ 1,599 MacBook has a 1.2GHz two-fold - core Core m5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz . ( Both models have 4 MB L3 cache and 8 GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 RAM . ) For an additional fee , you could raise the processor to a 1.3GHz dual - sum Core m7 mainframe with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz . ( This recapitulation focuses on the $ 1,599 MacBook . )
How much of a speed betterment does the 2016 MacBook offer overlast ’s yr ’s interlingual rendition ? UsingGeekbench 3 , the 1.2GHz Core m5 offers an increase ranging from 11 to 30 percent , depending on the older processor that it is being compared to . For example , in Geekbench ’s 64 - bit multi - core test , the 1.2GHz Core m5 is 11 per centum faster than the 1.3GHz dual - core Core M processor that was an upgrade option for the 2015 MacBook . Another example : In the same test , the 1.2GHz Core m5 is 30 per centum faster than the 2015 MacBook ’s 1.1GHz Core M mainframe . Generally speaking , the speed increase is n’t unusual ; we ’ve seen standardised increases in past Mac laptop computer upgrades . Faster is always near .
64-bit Geekbench 3 results: 2016 and 2015 MacBook
Longer banish / higher scores are well . Click to enlarge .
Now let ’s compare the carrying into action to the MacBook Air . Last year ’s MacBook was about 9 pct slower than the current 1.6GHz MacBook Air ( which was discharge in March of 2015 with a Broadwell processor ) . That speed departure threw a wrench into a shopper ’s conclusion have : Pay $ 1,199 for a truehearted 13 - column inch MacBook Air or drop $ 1,299 or $ 1,599 for a slower MacBook ? ( Sure , there are other differences to moot , like the exhibit and ports , but I ’m simplify here for argument ’s rice beer . )
luckily , with the new MacBook , you finger like you ’re get performance that better vindicate the terms difference . The 1.2GHz Core m5 MacBook is 12 percent faster than the 1.6GHz MacBook Air in Geekbench ’s single - core test ; that ’s a gracious boost compared to last year , where the 2015 MacBook was as firm or slower ( depending on which central processing unit you pick ) than the MacBook Air . In Geekbench ’s multi - core psychometric test , the new MacBook was just 1 percentage faster than the MacBook Air . But to put that in view , last year ’s MacBook was slower than the MacBook Air by a range of 9 to 20 percent .
For reference , I also compared the 1.2GHz Core m5 MacBook to the current 13 - column inch MacBook Pro models , which have Broadwell processor . Interestingly , the MacBook is n’t far behind in Geekbench ’s single - essence test . That mean that for task like electronic mail , save apps , spreadsheets , and canonic websites , you may not notice a speed difference between the two unlike laptops . But as expected , the MacBook Pro blows past the MacBook in Geekbench ’s multi - core test . Translation : With apps that can use multiple processing cores , like professional television , sound recording , or image editors , you ’re better off with a MacBook Pro .
One last political platform comparison : How does the new MacBook stack up against the iPad Pro from a pure performance viewpoint ? You might be surprised . Both the 12.9 - column inch and 9.7 - inch iPad Pro execute in line with the new MacBook . Just another thing to consider ( or to make your decision more complicated ) .
For a expression at the numbers and how they compare , we ’ve posted several bar charts on thenext page . You ’ll also happen a set of benchmarks forCinebench OpenGLandBlender .
Port of contention
Of naturally , there ’s more than performance to conceive when peck a Mac laptop computer . As I mentioned earlier , much of what the MacBook offer has n’t changed from last year and was treat in our premature recap . But the exclusive USB - C embrasure is a serious power point of controversy for shoppers , so I feel I should address it .
Apple positions the MacBook as the laptop for the wireless public , with “ tuner ” meaning more than just your Internet connexion . It also applies to international input devices ( there ’s Bluetooth for that ) and external store ( the cloud ) . ( There is an audio - out jack on the diametrical side of the MacBook , so you could still use wired headphones and speakers . ) You should n’t really need to habituate the USB - ampere-second port , except when you require to buck the laptop .
The MacBook ’s USB - century port is for charging and connecting peripherals . If you want more ports , you either need to connect a USB - degree centigrade hub , or consider a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro .
Why did n’t Apple upgrade the port to Thunderbolt 3 , which uses the same port type and is compatible with USB - C ? When I posed this question to Apple , a representative order that Thunderbolt 3 has chip and caloric considerations that do n’t outfit with the MacBook ’s fanless purpose . It ’s not as bare as slipping in a Thunderbolt subsystem in place of USB - C , so if Thunderbolt 3 ever does make it to the MacBook ( if it ’s potential ) , it ’s going to take some re - technology of the internals .
The MacBook ’s single USB - ascorbic acid port is a wad - breakers for some . You ’ll have to go with a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro . But you really want the size of it and weight of the MacBook , you say ? You could wait another year and see if Apple in conclusion yield and adds another larboard . It ’s not unprecedented . The first MacBook Air in 2008 had only one USB port , and then Apple added a 2d USB port wine two yr later .
Another option is to waitress and see what Apple does with the MacBook Pro . Apple’sWorldwide Developers Conferenceis in June , and the current MacBook Pro is a year one-time . Seems like the time is right for a MacBook Pro update between now and WWDC . Therumorssay that Apple is work on “ ultra - tenuous ” 13- and 15 - in MacBooks , so if you ’re wait for a MacBook Pro , you call for to hold on for a few more weeks .
What about the MacBook Air ? I suppose some citizenry still intend of the MacBook Air as the ultra - portable laptop ; after all , that ’s how it was positioned when it was released . Longtime user even remember the former MacBook line , which was place as the low-cost laptop computer . But the MacBook is now the ultra - portable . The MacBook Air is Apple ’s affordable laptop , à la the Mac miniskirt . And I would n’t be surprised if it was treated like the Mac miniskirt , with an update cycle that ’s much longer than other Macs .
The iPad Pro option
Maybe one of the ground why some do n’t read the purpose of the MacBook is because the MacBook is being considered from a laptop drug user ’s point of view . But if you call up about it from iPad substance abuser ’s period of view , the MacBook starts to make more sentience . iPad user are used to not have to connect twist to their lozenge and swear on wireless connections , so having one port wine on a laptop is n’t that vainglorious of a deal .
Now , I get that the feeling of iPad - first may not seem pragmatic , but I do n’t guess it ’s unrealistic . Kids are using iPads in school , and people do use smartphones and lozenge as a master computing gimmick .
If useable ports are not an issue , then the iPad Pro could be an option over the MacBook . The 12.9 - inch iPad Pro weigh 1.57 pounds , and with a keyboard case , you approach 2 pound . So when it come up to weighting , there ’s not really an advantage . There is one with the smaller iPad Pro ; even with a keyboard compositor’s case , the 0.96 - lb 9.7 - inch iPad Pro will have a accumulative weight under 2 pounds , though you end up with a small CRT screen .
64-bit Geekbench 3 results: 2016 MacBook and iPad Pro
In Geekbench testing , the iPad Pro does n’t disappoint against the MacBook . So what it derive down to is iOS versus OS X and the apps . Can you do what you need to do within iOS ? That requires a unaired testing of the software system you utilise and the tasks you do .
Bottom line
For a hatful of people , the MacBook is the ideal laptop . It ’s light , modest , easy to carry , and tender good functioning for productiveness software , though it can treat pro apps fine ( you ’ll just have to wait a minuscule longer for some job ) . The MacBook is meant to serve for the drug user constantly on the go , and it serves that purpose well .
If what you need is the MacBook Pro feature of speech adjust in a MacBook organic structure , you ’ll need to either wait and see what Apple does in the near future or prick the bullet and grease one’s palms a MacBook Pro . If you desire more port but at an affordable price , the MacBook Air is your laptop computer and you ’ll have to accept its compromises .
Next page: Benchmark charts
64-bit Geekbench 3 results
64-bit Geekbench 3 results: 2016 MacBook and 2015 MacBook Air
64-bit Geekbench 3 results: 2016 MacBook and 2015 MacBook Pro
Longer bars / higher scores are good . get across to enlarge .
Cinebench OpenGL results
Blender BMW Benchmark results
Shorter block off / lower score are better . Click to flesh out .
