We’ve been hearing for a few months that Apple would replace the 15-inch MacBook Pro with a 16-inch model this year, and we expected to see the new laptop come out during a late October Apple press conference. Apple didn’t hold one this year, preferring to quietly announce new products. The AirPods Pro were unveiled just a few weeks ago, and a couple of reports said that the 16-inch notebook would make its debut on Wednesday, November 13th. That day is finally here, and Apple has now launched the new MacBook Pro.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro will be an almost identical copy of the 15-inch model — and the difference is obvious. The laptop features a 16-inch display with smaller bezels than the 15.4-inch model that preceded it, featuring a 3072 x 1920 native resolution.
Other new features might not be as evident. We’re looking at a brand New Magic Keyboard that should offer a permanent fix to the sticky keys problem that affected various MacBook, Air, and Pro models released in the past three years. However, the keyboard does feature a standalone, physical Escape key, and the Touch ID sensor isn’t built into the Touch Bar anymore. Also, the arrow keys now get the “inverted T” design you loved on previous versions.
Also, the 16-inch MacBook Pro will feature, improved cooling, louder speakers and noise-canceling microphones.
When it comes to specs, the new laptop will pack 16GB of RAM and at least 512GB of storage, with Intel’s 9th-gen Intel Core i9 powering the show. You also get a Radeon 5300M graphics card with 4GB of GDDR6 of memory paired with an Intel UHD Graphics 630 card. Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac support is also included.
Battery life sits at 11 hours for wireless web, but you’re getting a brand new 96W USB-C charger in the box.
When it comes to ports, we’re still looking at the same four Thunderbolt ports, two on either side, as before.
Pricing starts at $2,399 for the cheapest model, but can go up significantly depending on how you choose to customize it. You can pack up to 64GB of RAM and up to 8TB of storage on this one, while graphics go up to AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory. The 16-inch Macbook is available today online and in stores.
Apple also snuck in the press release launch details for the 2019 Mac Pro. The new desktop will be available to order in December, alongside the Pro Display XDR monitor.
