Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) HP Envy x2 12-e051na
The obvious choice if you’re after a hugely powerful 13in laptop, even if others beat it for value and weight
If you’re hoping for a dramatic overhaul to last year’s 13in MacBook Pro, prepare for disappointment. This 2018 update is exactly the same size and shape as before, has most of the same features, and is offered in the same colours, too. (Note that Apple hasn’t updated the non-Touch Bar 13in MacBook Pro. That’s still available with seventh generation Core processors, and prices start at £1,249.)
But there are changes. First, Intel’s eighth-generation Core processors are now in place: choose between a 2.3GHz Core i5-8300H or 2.7GHz Core i7-8559U, costing £1,749 and £2,019 respectively, and then pick which components you want to upgrade. The base spec is 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, with an upgrade to 16GB of RAM costing £180 and a 512GB SSD £200. Ouch. But the real pain comes if you choose the 2TB SSD, which adds £1,400 to the price.
Apple sent us the top-of-the-range spec, and the performance of the Core i7-8559U proved just a little bit special. With a base clock of 2.7GHz and a maximum Turbo Boost clock of 4.5GHz – plus, at 128MB, double the amount of eDRAM in last year’s Core i7 MacBook Pro – it powered to an overall 151 in our benchmarks. That’s over 50% faster than the Dell XPS 13.
Storage performance from the 2TB SSD was exceptional too, reaching consistent speeds of 2.6GB/sec and 2.5GB/sec for sequential reads and writes. There are no discrete graphics, but Intel’s integrated Iris Plus 655 still managed 109fps in the GFXBench Manhattan 3 off-screen test. That’s only 5fps behind the MateBook X Pro with its Nvidia MX150 graphics.
The second big change is the improved butterfly-switch keyboard, which now has a thin rubber membrane between the keytops and its aluminium base. This has multiple effects. First, it makes the keyboard quieter and, oddly, it also imparts a softer, more finger-friendly feel. It should make the keyboard more resistant to dust and grit, too.
The final upgrade is a True Tone display, which works just as well here as it does on Apple’s iPad Pro tablets. Its resolution is a “Retina-class” 2,560 x 1,600, which means it’s as sharp as the eye can see at normal distance. Technically, it’s beyond reproach: brightness peaks at a ludicrous 502cd/m2 and the contrast ratio is 1,451:1. The screen also covers 99% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut.
As it has done for some years now, the 13in MacBook Pro marries good looks with a good dose of practicality. The Touch Bar machines have four USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports – a pair on each side – allowing you to connect everything from monitors to external graphics boxes. The lack of an SD card reader or USB Type-A port is irritating, but the huge flexibility and bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3 more than makes up for this.
Elsewhere, it’s impossible to criticise Apple’s decisions. It hasn’t upgraded the webcam, but it didn’t need to: with its crisp images, it’s still the best in the business. From a physical perspective, this remains a gloriously desirable machine. Its solid machined aluminium chassis, clean lines and minimalist looks strike all the right notes.
It’s true that others beat it for weight, however. You only need to
“The MacBook Pro 13in powered to an overall 151 in our benchmarks – that’s over 50% faster than the Dell XPS 13”
look at the Asus ZenBook 13 Deluxe ( see p60) or the HP Envy 13 ( see p61) to see how light other manufacturers are making 13in laptops, but 1.37kg is still little enough to sling in your bag without worrying.
Battery life is strong, lasting for 8hrs 25mins in our video-rundown test. Its only key rival with better battery life is the Dell XPS 13 ( see A-List, p16), which lasted for 10hrs 58mins, and it’s certainly better value.
If it’s sheer grunt you want in a 13in laptop, however, the MacBook Pro is unbeatable. It’s hugely fast in its Core i7 guise and you can configure it to a degree that you simply can’t with a Dell XPS 13.
Combine that with Apple’s traditional strengths – a great screen and fabulous build quality – and you have a laptop that sits proudly alongside the very best that the Windows fraternity has to offer. SPECIFICATIONS Quad-core 2.7GHz Core i7-8559U processor
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 16GB RAM 13.3in IPS display, 2,560 x 1,600 resolution 2TB M.2 PCIe SSD 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5 4 x Thunderbolt 3 58Wh battery macOS High Sierra 304 x 212 x 14.9mm (WDH) 1.37kg limited warranty