Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
When Applereleasedthe15 - in Retina MacBook Pro ( ) , it was only a matter of time before the Retina video display made its elbow room to other Apple laptop . That time is now , and with the13 - inch MacBook Pro with Retina display , a compelling debate can be made that Apple ’s new laptop is a perfect combination of performance , portability , and features .
Making a small laptop feel big
The 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro has a 13.3 - inch LED - backlit blind with a native result of 2560 - by-1600 pixels . Do the math : That ’s 4,096,000 pixel . Under the Display system preferences , OS X offers four scaled resolution options : 1680 - by-1050 , 1440 - by-900 , 1280 - by-800 , and 1024 - by-640 pel . For comparison , the13 - inch non - Retina MacBook Pro(which Apple still sells ) has a aboriginal declaration of 1280 - by-800 , and the13 - inch MacBook Air‘s is 1440 - by-900 .
If you ’ve eschew 13 - inch laptop because they do n’t proffer enough on - screen literal estate , it ’s fourth dimension to reconsider . The 1680 - by-1050 setting ( what OS X call More blank space ) gives you more room to work , and with the help of third - party software system such as the freeQuickRes ( ) , you’re able to apply scale solvent that go beyond 1680 - by-1050 . For illustration , QuickRes can set the Retina video display to a judgement - boggling 3360 - by-2100 resolution , which made the picture and schoolbook on screen much too small for my eyes . ( It ’s potential that using the Retina MacBook Pro at these very richly - surmount resolution can adversely affect operation , though I did n’t tape any benchmarks at these setting . ) you may also use third - party software to set the laptop at its aboriginal 2560 - by-1600 resolution .
Unless your eyes ca n’t allow the small on - screen sizes , it ’s hard to argue that you ca n’t get enough workspace on a 13 - inch laptop computer with a Retina display . Of course , some apps and tasks do work best with a 15 - in screen , but I bet some longtime substance abuser of the 15 - inch MacBook Pro will make up one’s mind that it ’s time to tack to a 13 - inch Retina good example .
The Retina display is anin - plane switching(IPS ) panel , which allows for a wide 178 - degree viewing angle . The display also has less glare than the non - Retina MacBook Pro ; Apple says it has reduced glare by 75 pct . While we did n’t gauge the exact amount of glare , you’re able to see a obtrusive remainder , for the right .
In my review of the 15 - inch Retina MacBook Pro , I gushed about the image quality , and fortunately , the 13 - in Retina follows suit . At the good ( Retina ) context , the 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro has superb image and textbook quality . Image detail is great , even evoking a certain feeling of elegance , while text looks very smooth . At any settlement , colors are vivacious and blackness are deep .
A problem , though , is the World Wide Web not catch up to this technology . Many web site still do n’t habituate high - quality images , alternatively optimizing for data throughput . On a Retina MacBook Pro , it ’s potential that you ’ll see websites with crisp text , but picture that are a jaggy mass . Another exit is whether some programs you may apply can take vantage of the Retina display . Apple has updated its own software system , and thelist of Retina - well-disposed appsfrom third party is growing , but it ’s quite possible that your favorite software has n’t yet been update for Retina . It ’s just a matter of time , though , before most software and entanglement developers update their products for Retina display .
Smaller than a 13-inch MacBook Air
Apple actually made the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro smaller than the current 13 - inch MacBook Air . The Retina is 12.35 inch astray ; the Air is 12.8 inch . The Retina is 8.62 inches inscrutable ; the Air is 8.94 inches . The Air , at 0.68 inch thick , is still thinner than the Retina , which measures 0.75 inch thick . For comparing , the 13 - inch non - Retina MacBook measure out 12.78 - by-8.94 - by-0.95 inches .
The 13 - inch MacBook Air ( 2.96 British pound ) is still lighter than the 13 - in Retina MacBook Pro ( 3.57 pounds ) . The 13 - in Retina MacBook Pro is nearly a pound lighter than the 13 - in non - Retina MacBook Pro , which feels like a boat anchorman equate to its Retina Brother .
If you thought the 13 - in MacBook Pro was still too hard and you decided to go with a MacBook Air , that may not be the case any longer , reckon on your margin for the weight .
Just like the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro
The connexion on the side of the 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro mirror that of its 15 - in sibling . One side has aMagSafe 2connector , twoThunderboltports , a USB 3.0 embrasure , and a earpiece jack . The other side has another USB 3.0 port , HDMI TV - out , and an SDXC slot . Also , each side has a set of three melody vents that also output down in the mouth - frequency strait .
And just like the 15 - inch Retina MacBook Pro , the 13 - inch Retina does not have connecter for FireWire or Gb ethernet , which means you ’ll postulate to use adapters , such as Apple ’s $ 29Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapterand the $ 29Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter . Also miss : a SuperDrive , and a Kensington lock slot . Apple has aUSB SuperDrivefor $ 79 .
It ’s these miss lineament on the 13 - column inch Retina that make the 13 - in non - Retina MacBook Pro still a executable product for Apple . You might say that have a bun in the oven around so many adapters and an external SuperDrive hinders the portability of the 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro . Or perchance you believe that exchange FireWire , gigabit ethernet , and a SuperDrive for a Retina showing and Thunderbolt is n’t worth the price . Both are valid logical argument , and that ’s why the non - Retina MacBook Pros are still available .
Limitations
Apple offers two stock configuration framework of the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro . Both role model have a 2.5GHz three-fold - core Core i5 C.P.U. ( Turbo Boostpushes that up to 3.1GHz ) , 8 GB of computer storage , and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU . The $ 1699 model has 128 GB of flash storage , while the $ 1999 model has 256 gilbert .
The 8 GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory can not be reconfigured to add more memory . The memory is work up into the motherboard alternatively of using slots and RAM mental faculty . It ’s 8 GB , and that ’s it , unlike the 15 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro , which comes standard with 8 GB and can be tailor-make at the point of purchase with 16 GB of memory . The 13 - inch non - Retina MacBook Pro and the 13 - inch MacBook Air support a maximum of 8 GB of memory , so it seems that the 13 - inch human body has space limitations that prevent more memory from being install .
Apple does n’t offer much when it get along to construct - to - order option . you could kick upstairs the processor to a 2.9GHz threefold - core Core i7 ( with Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz ) for $ 200 . Flash storehouse upgrades are also useable to 512 GB or 768 GB , with prices tramp from $ 300 to $ 1300 , depending on which poser you are customizing . The flash storage is n’t considered a user - upgradable part , so you need to decide at the point of leverage if you want more store .
Benchmarks: Speedmark 8 scores
The Macworld Lab used Speedmark 8 to see how well the 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro do . In general , the new Retina laptop computer benefit from having flash storage alternatively of a hard thrust .
Overall , the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro posted a Speedmark 8 score of 184 , which is 52 percent quicker than the $ 1199 13 - inch non - Retina MacBook Pro , which has the same processor as the Retina laptop computer . In disk - intensive tests , the Retina MacBook Pro ’s flash storage gave it a huge advantage over the non - Retina model ’s 5400 - rev hard drive . In processor - intensive tests , the non - Retina MacBook Pro was capable to shut the performance gap .
While the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro succeed , overall , over the $ 1499 13 - inch non - Retina MacBook Pro with a 2.9GHz dual - essence Core i7 processor , the latter model did beat the Retina laptop in CineBench ’s CPU and GPU tests , the file - densification trial , Portal 2 , and MathematicaMark .
The 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro was only 11 percent faster than the current 13 - in MacBook Air with a 1.8GHz dual - core Core i5 mainframe . Keep in intellect , however , that because of the smaller profile , the processor in the MacBook Air will limit itself down during heavy - duty processing tasks for maintain an optimal operating temperature . While we did n’t experience that in our Speedmark testing , we have seen it happen .
As expected , the quadriceps femoris - burden Core i7 processors and the discrete graphic chips in the 15 - column inch Retina MacBook Pros helps those machines suck past the 13 - in Retina MacBook Pro . If processing power take precedency over portabililty , conk with the larger laptop computer size is worthwhile .
you may get a sodding spirit at the13 - in Retina MacBook Pro performance trial result , which include scores in the individual test that make up Speedmark 8 .
Battery life
The 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro has a 74 - watt - hour lithium - polymer battery . Apple says that the battery life sentence can last up to 7 hours , establish on “ wireless Web ” usage . Our battery life trial is more stringent . It involves playing a video in a continuous grummet until the stamp battery is enfeeble .
In our test , the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro had the short stamp battery liveliness of all the current Apple laptops . It average out 4 hour and 40 hour , 67 minutes shorter than the 13 - inch non - Retina MacBook Pro with the same 2.5GHz Core i5 central processor , and 44 minutes short than the 13 - inch MacBook Air .
During our battery mental testing of the 15 - inch Retina MacBook Pro , we examine that the Retina laptop computer was n’t able to keep pace with the non - Retina MacBook Pros , so our result with the 13 - in Retina MacBook Pro was n’t a surprise . It takes a hatful of succus to display over 4 million pixels , so project accordingly .
Apple include a 60 - W power adapter with the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro . agree toApple documentation , it ’s OK to habituate a power adapter of high-pitched electrical power . For example , you could apply the 15 - inch Retina MacBook Pro ’s 85 - James Watt adapter with the 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro . Or you may use the 60 - W arranger with a MacBook Air . Apple enjoin that if you use a power adapter of lower electrical power ( the 45 - W MacBook Air transcriber with any Retina MacBook Pro , for object lesson ) , that adapter is n’t able-bodied to provide enough electricity to power the machine .
The Retina MacBook Pros habituate MagSafe 2 connectors . If you have an older MagSafe adapter you want to apply , you need the $ 10MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter .
Bottom line
Who is the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro for ? It ’s ideal for professional users who want a large , yet compact digital workspace that does n’t give a lot of processing carrying into action . The MacBook Air is still the selection for drug user for whom exercising weight is a top priority — traveling business users or student who need to write papers in - between treks across campus . However , the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro is n’t that much grueling than the 13 - column inch MacBook Air , so if you are a demanding user who works on location , you wo n’t experience like you ’re sacrifice much portability with the 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro . The non - Retina MacBook Pro be less than the Retina model — and it may be preferred over the Retina MacBook Pro because of its FireWire and Gb ethernet ports , and its SuperDrive .
During the debut of the 13 - in Retina MacBook Pro , Apple Senior VP of Marketing Phil Schiller order that the 13 - inch MacBook Pro is Apple ’s best - betray Mac . And with good reason : hoi polloi love the combination of operation and portability that the 13 - inch MacBook Pro provides . The 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro is poised to continue the bequest of Apple ’s mighty little laptop .
Updated 10/26/12 at 2:45 p.m. PT with Rapid Review video clip .
