We did not notice any differences in typing speed compared to the previous MacBook Pro models, and quick inputs without typos were no problem even in the first session. After this has happened, the switch back to the old MacBook pro is actually pretty difficult, because we now found it to be rather spongy in comparison. This second generation of Apple's own Butterfly mechanism was noticeably improved compared to the 12-inch MacBook, but you still have to get used to the typing experience. The very even stroke does leave a positive impression though. The shallow travel will once again be a shock when you use it for the first time. The new 2016 MacBooks use the second generation of the chiclet keyboard, which was introduced with the 12-inch MacBook.
We therefore hope this is a software problem, which will hopefully be fixed in the near future.
The phenomenon is unfortunately not reproducible all the time and we did not have any issues while running Windows 10 in the beginning, either (one time over the course of the review). We often noticed it with the Kensington Docking Station, for example. We did notice some connectivity problems when we used a 2.4 GHz AC WLAN from our Linksys EA8500 router in combination with an external USB-C device.
Apple probably equipped the entry-level system with a lower-spec WLAN card, the Touch Bar models should perform even better. The excellent performance of the previous model (in this case the 2013 model) is not reached by the new MBP, but it is still faster than the fastest Windows notebook, so this is criticism on a very high level. However, our WLAN test does not confirm any suspicions that the performance is now reduced. The integrated AC WLAN card cannot use antennas behind a black plastic strip anymore.
11/21 16:00 CET – WLAN update (also problems with Windows), WiFi runtime improved (second run added), gaming performance reworked, DPC Latency added (screenshot), Verdict updated.11/09 17:45 CET – WiFi problems in 2.4 GHz networks, pro/contra added.11/08 20:20 CET – Headset port analyzed, Gaming Battery test added.11/06 22:00 CET – PWM and response times of the display.
We already have the latter in review, which is supposed to be very similar to the Touch Bar siblings except for the mentioned differences. The lineup includes 13 as well as 15-inch systems, although the 13-inch model is also available as slimmed-down version without Touch Bar, only two Thunderbolt ports (instead of four), and less powerful CPU/GPU configurations. The new MacBook Pro 13 is also thinner, lighter and reduces the port variety to Thunderbolt ports. Many of them were confirmed, especially the new Touch Bar, a multifunctional touch display strip instead of the function keys, which is supposed to offer many additional input options depending on the application. 3D Printing, 5G, Accessory, AI, Alder Lake, AMD, Android, Apple, ARM, Audio, Benchmark, Biotech, Business, Camera, Cannon Lake, Cezanne (Zen 3), Charts, Chinese Tech, Chromebook, Coffee Lake, Comet Lake, Console, Convertible / 2-in-1, Cryptocurrency, Cyberlaw, Deal, Desktop, E-Mobility, Education, Exclusive, Fail, Foldable, Gadget, Galaxy Note, Galaxy S, Gamecheck, Gaming, Geforce, Google Pixel, GPU, How To, Ice Lake, Intel, Intel Evo, Internet of Things (IoT), iOS, iPad, iPad Pro, iPhone, Jasper Lake, Lakefield, Laptop, Launch, Leaks / Rumors, Linux / Unix, List, Lucienne (Zen 2), MacBook, Mini PC, Monitor, MSI, OnePlus, Opinion, Phablet, Radeon, Raptor Lake, Renoir, Review Snippet, Rocket Lake, Ryzen (Zen), Science, Security, Single-Board Computer (SBC), Smart Home, Smartphone, Smartwatch, Software, Storage, Tablet, ThinkPad, Thunderbolt, Tiger Lake, Touchscreen, Ultrabook, Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR), Wearable, Wi-Fi 7, Windows, Workstation, XPS, Zen 3 (Vermeer), Zen 4Īs always, there were many rumors and speculations about new features ahead of the announcement on October 27th.