Apple is updating its flagship MacBook Pro line of laptops to make them faster, brighter and quieter. The company on Thursday announced the revamped 13- and 15-inch laptops which start at $1,799 and reach a whopping $6,699 for the most tricked out model. The only laptops getting updates are the most expensive models, the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Touch Bars. No updates were announced for other models.
The new devices represent a significant power jump for the line, and come with the latest Intel 6- or 8-core processors. The bigger model is 70% faster than the previous one, while the 13-incher is up to twice as fast. Apple said the improved performance lets users do things like handle large data sets, perform complicated simulations, and edit film faster than ever.
“The latest generation MacBook Pro is the fastest and most powerful notebook we’ve ever made,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of marketing, said in a statement.
The 15-inch MacBook Pro gets the more impressive bump. It will come with a 6-core, eighth-generation i7 or i9 Intel processor and the ability to spec up the RAM to 32GB of DDR4 memory and the storage to 4TB. The top-line processors can run at 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz, and the GPUs are Radeon Pros with 4GB of video memory. A fully specced-out 15-inch model costs a whopping $6,699, but the base model is keeping the same price as before at $2,399.
The 13-inch model gets quad-core i5 or i7 chips, with clock speeds ranging up to 2.7GHz / 4.5GHz Turbo Boost. That’s paired to the usual Intel Iris 655 integrated graphics with 128MB of eDRAM. Storage can be configured up to 2TB. Pricing for the base model here also stays the same at $1,799.
Both come with True Tone displays, which allows the screen to change its color temperature based on the color temperature of the room. The Touch Bar will also support True Tone. These will also be Apple’s first laptops to support “Hey Siri,” which will allow you to invoke the digital assistant by speaking instead of hitting a specific key combo. That feature — as well as many of the security and Touch Bar features in the MacBook Pros — is powered by a specialized chip Apple calls “T2.”
Apple is also releasing official leather sleeves for the MacBook Pro lineup following the introduction of the same product for the 12-inch MacBook last year. The sleeves will come in black, brown, and dark blue. Short list of specs for both models is found below:
15-inch MacBook Pro:
- 6-core Intel Core i7 or Core i9 processors. Up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
- Up to 32GB of DDR4 memory
- Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 4GB of video memory in every configuration
- Up to 4TB of SSD storage
13-inch MacBook Pro:
- Quad-core Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. Up to 2.7GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz
- Intel Iris Plus 655 integrated graphics with 128MB of eDRAM
- Up to 2TB of SSD storage
New Features On both:
- Third-generation butterfly keyboard
- True Tone display and Touch Bar
- Apple T2 chip
In both cases, the battery capacity has been increased to compensate for the extra power draw from the new processors and RAM.
