Apple MacBook Pro 13 '' 2016: make way for USB-C!

Presentation

First of all, note that we are testing here the "entry level" version of the new MacBook Pro, the one without the famous shortcut bar above the keyboard and with only two USB Type-C ports instead of four. It is a model that seems to us all the same interesting, because sold for less - it remains very relative -, but which remains fairly complete. Sold around 1,700 €, it is 250 € more expensive than the high-end 13-inch MacBook Air: a difference justified by its Retina screen and its faster processor, but the connectivity is more limited.

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Construction

Here we find a MacBook Pro with the chassis type "unibody" aluminum which dates from 2008. This vintage 2016 however evolves significantly, with measurements revised downward, at the expense of connectivity - we will come back to this below. The set weighs only 1.37 kg, for 1.49 cm thick, barely more than a MacBook Air (1.35 kg for 1.7 cm). Unsurprisingly, the finish is impeccable and this MacBook Pro exudes solidity and noble materials.

Big change on the keyboard side, since its design comes directly from the MacBook. It therefore offers convex keys, very slightly pressed in the middle, and a very short stroke which can put off at first sight. It is undeniably necessary to spend a little time on this keyboard to manage to appreciate it, but it is clear that it ends up being convincing and offers a precise and rapid typing, if not very pleasant. The backlight offers no less than 16 levels of brightness.

The touchpad goes into XXL version and occupies a large space on the chassis. Its 15.5 cm diagonal is 3 cm longer than the previous MacBook Pro. Of course, the Force Touch is always there, so we are dealing with a haptic system, not a mechanical one. Its use is once again ultra-convincing, even if one wonders if such excess is really useful.

On the connection side, the MacBook Pro has been imposed on a drastic regime and we can only regret certain choices and certain disappearances. First of all, remember that this entry-level model only offers two USB Type-C ports altogether, when the version equipped with the shortcut bar has four. No more USB 3 port (this is not really a surprise), no more HDMI port, but above all, no more MagSafe connector, however much appreciated, nor an SD card reader. Two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, therefore, one of which will be regularly dedicated to charging. Apple still had the generosity to leave us the headphone jack, contrary to what many rumors suggested.

As is often the case with MacBooks, noise and heat management are exemplary. After running the Unigine Heaven benchmark for an hour, we find a hot spot at 42 ° C at the front, at the keyboard, and 40.2 ° C under the chassis. Very good figures, which are accompanied by perfectly acceptable noise, since it does not exceed 35 dB. The laptop emits a light breath when it is heavily used, but you really have to listen to hear it.

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Screen

This MacBook Pro has a brilliant 13.3 inch IPS panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 px. On paper, this new screen is much the same as that of the 2015 MacBook Pro, and we therefore expect our probe to display excellent figures.

In practice, we are not disappointed: the maximum brightness shows at 461 cd / m² (a gain of more than 100 cd / m² compared to the previous MB Pro), while the contrast ratio reaches a very nice score of 1005: 1 (the 2015 model had a contrast of 925: 1). This benefits from excellent readability.

delta color E = 3 gamma 2.3 temperature 7270 K

The color balance is also very good, but very slightly less satisfactory than on the MacBook Pro 2015. The Delta E (difference between actual colors and displayed colors, considered excellent below 3) increases to 3, while the color temperature reaches 7260 K, a figure fairly close to the standard (6500 K). Let's be clear: these figures remain excellent, but slightly behind compared to last year, since we did not exceed 2 for the Delta E and 6480 K for the temperature. A slight drop in quality which will however be very difficult to notice with the naked eye. A word, finally, on the gamma curve, very stable except towards the end, where there is a slight drop in the light colors, a sign of slightly burnt white. Once again, what is observed via our probe is invisible here to the naked eye. In general, the screen of the MacBook Pro is of excellent quality.

The configuration tested The configuration received in test includes an Intel Core i5-62360U processor, 8 GB of RAM in DDR4, a 256 GB SSD.

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Performances

This version of the MacBook Pro runs on an Intel Core i5-6360U processor. It is a dual-core CPU displaying frequencies between 2 GHz and 3.1 GHz in Turbo mode. In addition, there is a PCI-Express SSD. A fairly explosive cocktail, which allows the notebook to display high performance, as you can see in our graph below. Note that the power index calculated here is based on a series of benchmarks (file compression, photo editing, audio and video conversion, etc.).

In practice, this MacBook Pro delivers the same performance as a notebook running with a Core i7-6500U or 6600U. You will therefore be very comfortable in many everyday tasks, from the most basic to the most advanced, even if you will have to be a little patient in the context of heavy video montages or large photo edits.

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Games

The Intel Core i5-6360U processor is accompanied by an Intel Iris Graphics 540 iGPU. It is a graphics processor that offers entry-level performance, halfway between an Intel HD Graphics 520 and an Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580. The 3D Mark performance index is placed right between these two iGPUs.

So don't be too demanding with this MacBook Pro: 2D games play well, just like older 3D titles, but not much more.

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Mobility / Autonomy

Mentioned at the start of the test, the new measurements of the MacBook Pro are certainly an asset and it is now almost as easy to transport as a MacBook Air. If it struggles to fight against the most discreet ultraportables on the market, like the MacBook or the HP Specter 13, it is placed in a very interesting "in-between".

Autonomy is most satisfactory. Under Chrome, it is possible to use Netflix for 6 hours by lowering the brightness to 200 cd / m² and by turning off the keyboard backlight. A figure that explodes when you go to Safari, since you reach 10:52. It is therefore possible to use the MacBook Pro for a dozen hours before having to connect it to the mains.

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Audio

As often on Apple notebooks, the audio is good. There is thus a headphone jack with a low distortion rate (0.01%), good output power (155 mVrms), as well as good reproduction of the sound spectrum.

Speakers side, despite a fairly striking saturation at full volume, the balance is very correct (graph above): the bass is very behind, but we take advantage of a good presence of mids and high mids. The treble, on the other hand, is a little aggressive, which gives a fairly metallic finish.

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Conclusion

If this new version of the MacBook Pro is successful and ticks all the boxes that make an excellent notebook, we can only be disappointed by Apple's desire to always limit the connectivity, the main defect of this entry-level model. Remains a well finished laptop, comfortable to use and very autonomous, with everything you would expect from a MacBook.

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