Apple MacBook Pro 13 (Late 2016, 2 GHz i5, without Touch Bar) Laptop Review

[Klaus Hinum]

I finally could also reproduce the Wifi problem with an USB-C device attached. It only happens with a 2.4 GHz network attached in macOS. 5 GHZ (which is my default choice in the office) is without any problems so far (and thats why we did not find out earlier). As soon as a 2.4 GHz is attached, the ping to the router is unreachable -> no connection. Will look into it in more detail.

Another note on keyboard noise, the keys are rather silent if you press them slowly and keep your finger on the key. If you press it from a distance with some force, they can be rather loud (for non 10-finger users maybe an issue).


@Long time reader
Yes our measurements are done at maximum brightness level usually. Not sure about the display technology so far.

[Zsolt Arpadfy]

Hi Klaus,I love this Mac. I have 9-10 Hours battery life, play grid 2,dirt 3 40-50 FPS,1440x900,middle details.Please help: I can't make bootcamp work.

[senzen]

Up to now I do like the typing comfort of the new keyboard quite a lot. The first hours with it I was not sure if I like it and a bit slower than with the old keyboard, but now the old one feels inaccurate in comparison. Still want to use it a bit more before writing the final comment on it. But definitely no deal breaker for me, but also a bit of a initial phase you have to overcome.

Interesting, thank you!

[Klaus Hinum]

I get to like the new keyboard more and more the longer I use it. Regarding boot camp, we had some troubles with the first install where we created the ISO image from a bootable USB stick in macOS. When downloading the latest ISO with the media creation tool from Microsoft, everything went smooth with the Bootcamp assistant.

[devvon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYVjIjBMx6o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXQKWijA4r4

[JTL]

WIll be interesting to see if the touch bar uses PWM.

I know Apple cares a lot about not using PWM in their products :)

[PeterO]

Can someone explain me how it is possible that Apple presents new display as wide gamut DCI-P3 but it from your review we can see that it only cover 93% of sRGB? sRGB is included in P3 so this should be cover in 100%.

[Simo_N]

 Some additional info on the USB and WiFi Issues:
It seems to be caused the interference issue between the USB 3 standard, which can emit noise in the 2.4 - 2.5 GHz spectrum, and the 2.4 GHz WLAN band. I'm seeing the same problems with my Surface Pro 4, when I am connected to a 2.4 GHz network and have data transferred from my external HDD. To me it is a shame that these problems even exist in in these "premium" products, and I need to say I'm very angry about that. Of course, connecting to a 5 GHz WiFi network solves the issue, but you don't always have the possibility for that. In my case, due to business reasons, I am living in a hotel for the next 7 month, and I am not able to use my external HDD and the internet a t the same time!
More info the the interference issue can be found here: http://uk.pcmag.com/networking-reviews-ratings-comparisons/13179/opinion/wireless-witch-the-truth-about-usb-30-and-wi-fi-interference

[Surprised]

Did you really give this a score of only 82%, or is that a mistake? Because that's ridiculously low for an Apple device.

[Klaus Hinum]

We had a problem in the rating system (set to Multimedia and missing some points in the chassis subrating). Rating is now complete and due to the -2% it misses the "Very Good" - mostly due to the missing ports.

Regarding color space, as color spaces are complex 3D bodies, the calculation is not that simple. We use Argyll to calculate the intersection, but its true that it nearly hits P3.

[E]

These are pro machines as Apple wants us to believe, so will you test them as PRO machines, we want to see how they fare when taken to the limit, try Prime95 and Furmark and all that heavy bench marks that will take the fluffy coats off these sticks of models called work horses (PRO). You did it with the ThinkPads do it with the "PROs"

[Marko Suker]

https://9to5mac.com/2016/11/08/hands-on-late-2016-13-inch-macbook-pro-without-touch-bar-video/

"...low-end model has an Intel Iris 540, and features a power-sipping 15W TDP. In other words, don't expect this machine, whose dual core processor can turbo up to 3.1GHz, to run at high speeds for an extended amount of time."

Can somebody explain this to me? Does it mean the old processor is better? Does it mean it's just much better in complex tasks or what?
I saw that new processor have TSX instructions, and in theory - it should behave better for multitasking. Any input?

[ManuCH]

Did you ever figure out if the fan rattle is actually a defect or if it "can happen" on any MBP? I have this issue on my 15" MBP (late 2016), depending on how I move it and on the fan rpm. I'm pondering whether to return it or not.

[Franck]

Thank you so much for this awesome review !

[Franck]

Live-Review // Brilliant, even without Touch? The new MacBook Pro laptops have arrived. The most striking new feature: a Touch Bar instead of function keys. Apple still offers a model without this novelty, and wants to target the "entry-level sector" – price: 1699 Euros ($1499). We already have a device in our editorial office and will share our results in this live review.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-Late-2016-2-GHz-i5-without-Touch-Bar-Laptop-Review.182374.0.html

I forgot to quote you, sorry, well ... Thanks a lot  ;D