New Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch
The 16-inch MacBook Pro addresses the shortcomings of its 15-inch predecessor and then takes a massive leap with a host of remarkable features, none so much as the record-tumbling audio system.
By trimming the bezels, Apple enlarges the display without necessarily bumping up the form factor, and by re-introducing the self-styled “magic keyboard”, the typing experience gets a much-needed confidence boost.
Then there are a couple of processor configurations that can go the distance and a battery that can walk the extra mile.
A complicated cooling system and a lack of port diversity mean it is not all rosy with this laptop, not that we were expecting it to be.
Design And Appearance
The Apple MacBook Pro 16″ laptop is a massive 4.3-pound slab of aluminum, built with unibody construction, and finished with a slight sparkle of silver or a space gray hue.
There are no whistles and bells with this all-too-familiar design, the lid is smooth and plain, the only highlight being the iconic Apple logo in its reflective halo.
The chassis is robust, and the unibody construction serves to stave off the creep-in of material weaknesses that are associated with construction joints.
All the parts of this Macbook are designed to be tough and durable, the hinges are sturdy in their swivel, without a trace of accompanying flex on the lid. The keyboard deck and trackpad also benefit from this material strength, the keys will not waver no matter how punchy the press is, and the deck by extension will not yield even when you pound out data entries from your spreadsheet in quick-fire motions.
Ports and Connection
The port lineup on this MacBook is a one-way street; traffic of data, video output, and watt-hours among other things through a single channel, the Thunderbolt 3.
The Apple Macbook Pro 16″ has a whopping four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, an overkill of sorts, and that is even though each of these connectors is a multipurpose utility.
While it wouldn’t hurt to feature a port variety, the Thunderbolt is a shoe size that fits all, or quite a lot with the help of cables and adapters, it can plug into external display monitors, device peripherals, charging outlets, the list is endless.
And as there is no SD card slot here, you either make do with the base storage or upgrade it up to a massive 8TB capacity, for a significant fee of course.
Wireless connectivity is provided by 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, the tech is not up to the minute, but they still suffice for all your connectivity needs with expeditious speed and expansive bandwidth ranges.
Keyboard and Input devices
The keyboard on the MacBook Pro 16 wears a new and exciting look, Apple makes amends for the spectacle that was the “butterfly keyboard” from the previous MacBook rollout by employing the service of the spectacular and aptly named “magic keyboard”.
It is a cracking upgrade, the keys feel softer and now sport a travel distance of 1 mm, it is not exactly ideal or industry standard, but it is a massive 0.7 millimeters step-up from the previous version.
There are a couple of other notable changes to the keyboard ensemble, the physical escape bar makes a much-sought-after return, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor is no longer domiciled in the touch bar, while the keys are firmer and actuate with a more moderate press, accompanied by a springy feedback.
The trackpad is not too far behind, it gets a generous footprint to go with a sensitive surface that responds swiftly to the slightest of taps and mildest of swipes.
The tactility and precision of the trackpad surface enhance the overall ergonomic appeal of the keyboard and the typing experience as a whole. Most first-time users of this keyboard and older MacBook owners alike will react with a huge sigh of relief, and it is not difficult to imagine why.
Audio
The MacBook Pro 16-inch’s new six-speaker system is arguably the best part of this laptop, it is propped with a ton of game-changing effects and presets, the best in the business.
With the help of dual force-canceling woofers, the sounds are resounding and turn out free of distortion, every detail of the melody is enhanced regardless of the volume levels-which can reach the roof, and the pulse of the bass is so palpable that you can cut it with a thin knife.
You can pop into your block party while firing music off the speakers from this laptop and you’ll not look out of place, it is that good.
And there is even more, this MacBook’s 3-mic array is all the muse that you can muster for your content creation needs.
Your Podcasts or recordings will turn out without the hiss and static-like sounds that spoil the fun, there is enough juice here to turn your bedroom into a studio.
Display
With a brightness of nearly 500 nits and a 3,072 x 1,920 resolution, the 16″ screen of this MacBook reels off displays that are vibrant and visually stimulating for the most part.
It gets help from a couple of features, the retina display is soft and easy on the eyes with the production of sharper text and imagery, and the true tone technology tweaks the screen in response to the lighting ambiance of your room.
Creative professionals will find value in the screen’s capacity to reproduce 113.9% of the sRGB color gamut, and in the provision for varying the display’s refresh rates from 47.95Hz to the peak 60Hz.
These features help them achieve greater control over the colors-which are brilliant by the way and the frame rates of their creative contents.
And with slimmer borders to boot, there is ample space with which you can switch seamlessly through open tabs or binge on all your favorite shows.
Graphics
This MacBook comes equipped with a base AMD Radeon Pro 5300M, users can opt for more graphic oomph by upgrading this GPU to 5500M in exchange for some serious bucks.
These graphic cards are equipped with a copious fill of shaders that plug every pixel in the 16″ display with the color and contrast to capture your attention. The MacBook Pro 16″ is a creators’ delight, it can stomach most of the brunt of graphics-intensive tasks that are the staple of graphic designers and other professionals in the creative scene.
Commonplace tasks like photo editing will be a walk in the park, more advanced tasks like rendering effects and video transcoding might take a toll on the device, but the strain is mostly more felt in battery runtimes than display lagtimes.
Gaming
While Apple MacBooks are not famous or notorious for their gaming prowess, this laptop can lay bold claims to being a decent gaming tool, as it is arguably the best at gaming from the Apple lineup.
Casual gamers will get a treat or something remotely related, and as more games become adapted to the Mac OS, the 16” occupants of the Apple community are well placed to enjoy the gaming experience.
There is ample screen real estate, a bright display, and good graphics to boot, most compatible games will benefit from these props.
Battery
Battery power is another strong suit of this Macbook, it gets an unmatched 100Wh capacity, one for the Apple record books.
This laptop can take you through a full day workload of spreadsheet crunching and Internet browsing on a single charge.
However, the battery descent is drastic during more advanced tasks that are processor intensive, thankfully the laptop refills its Watt-hour tank very quickly.
11 hours of wireless web browsing and video playback is the touted runtime before blackout. It is pretty decent if you ask me.
Cooling and Noise Emission
Apple pulls all the stops to make this MacBook as cool and quiet as it should be, but the results are not always the desired outcome.
As this Macbook is a workhorse in its own right, Apple has reinforced the thermal framework, the airflow has been enhanced, the heat sinks improved, and the fans get extra gear, all in an effort to handle the toll.
The Processors blow hot at the peak of their operating powers, and the laptop carriage might heat up as a result. But the temperature rise is mostly tolerable and the thermal throttle is temporal until the fans catch up and blow off the heat.
It must be said that the noise of the fans will have a loud and hard say though.
Performance
Whether you’re making a go at the most complex codes, or editing pictures and video with 3D virtuals and visuals, this MacBook has all the firepower to take it all in its stride.
The processors are workhorse-graded in all their configurations, from the base intel core i7 to the Core i9 CPU. The base model features the 2.4-GHz, 8-core, ninth-generation Intel Core i9 CPU with 32 GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
These specifications are upgradable of course, the storage can go as high as 8TB, a record figure, while memory can also reach 64GB, this is more power than most people will ever need.
This Macbooks’ performance in work and gameplay is smooth and speedy, system commands fire off with prompt and aplomb, and multitasking elevates to a whole new height.
In essence, this 16″ laptop is a trusty companion, at home, in the office, or anywhere else.
Final Verdict
The Macbook Pro 16″ is undoubtedly priced on the high side, but it delivers commensurate returns in almost all ramifications of system specifications and output.
From the robust build design to the brilliant display, the powerful processors, and the power-packed battery, the account is the same.
Then there is a “magic keyboard” that makes all your reservations disappear, true to its name, and to the pick of the crop, an astounding audio system that is music to the ears.
There is massive room for improvement, the fans can operate more quietly, and the port selection will need a little more spice, and just maybe, you’ll need ladders to get to the top shelves where this 16″ beauty will be firmly nested.
Device Specifications
Processor
Ninth-generation 6-Core Intel Core i7
RAM
16GB RAM
Storage
512GB SSD
GPU
AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics with GDDR6 memory
Display
16-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina display
Operating System
Mac OS
Battery Life
Up to 11 hours of wireless web surfing
Weight
4.3 lbs.