It should be noted that I’m using a model of the MacBook Pro that’s slightly more kitted out than the $2,399 base configuration. My model, which Apple loaned me for testing, has the 2.4GHz 8-core 9th generation Intel Core i9 CPU with 32 GB of RAM, an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M graphics card with 8 gigs of memory, along with 2 TB of storage. All of that techspeak essentially means it’s very powerful, and the final price? $3,899. That’s not even as high as you can go with the upgrades, either. You could take the RAM all the way up to 64 GB and bump the storage up to an insane 8 TB for a price tag of $6,099.
I’m wary about complaining too much about weight and size. Apple has long tried to build the most lightweight and portable products, yet we can see a change this year. The iPhone 11 Pro is heavier and thicker than its predecessor, with the upshot of class-leading battery life. The heavier and thicker MacBook Pro allows for better heat management and a better keyboard. So if the removal of constraints requires a little suffering, I’ll take it.
If you have the funds and want the best and biggest laptop Apple has to offer, then the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the way to go.
MacDailyNews Take: Wired rates Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro 9/10 or “nearly flawless.” Wired‘s “flaws” include the cost, the size and weight, and the lack of Face ID.
Our 16-inch MacBook Pros are the same config as Julian’s review unit, but with 1 TB of internal storage, which we find to be more than fine for the road (we have external storage on our desks, of course). Our Geekbench benchmarks for one of the machines are here.