


A subsequent leak of Apple support documents seem to confirm that the new keyboards feature a thin, rubberized membrane layer under the keycaps. This should prevent dust from getting into the keys and reduce the risk of sticky keys. My best score on the 2016 MacBook Pro was 75 wpm but I made more errors, resulting in 93.8 percent accuracy.Ī teardown by iFixit of the new MacBook Pro keyboard has discovered that Apple has employed a thin rubberized layer of silicone under its keycaps. I notched 72 words per minute with 97.6 percent accuracy. Regardless, I typed quickly with few errors on the 10FastFingers typing test. It also has a slightly softer feel than my current laptop, though I noticed less of a difference in both feel and volume between the 2017 MacBook Pro and the 2018 version. For now, the keyboard is adequate, and with some minor adjustments it could go from being something that's easy to like to being easy to love.In side-by-side tests with my 2016 MacBook Pro, the keyboard on the 2018 model is indeed quieter. We're confident that this could be alleviated with a little bit more travel – say, up to 1mm or even 1.5mm. In comparison, the new Pro's keys are cold, harsh and calculated undoubtedly efficient yet lacking in personality. The wobble of the MacBook Air and Pro's keys almost gave them character as you bounced from one key to the next. Typing never becomes uncomfortable, but it is curiously unsatisfying. The unfortunate part is that hammering on them for hours a day, as we have been for the past week, starts to feel like a chore after a while. The switches' clicky nature allows you to settle into a more comfortable typing rhythm, and it's possible to bash out plenty of words in a short space of time. It offers a much improved typing experience over both the 12-inch MacBook and previous MacBook Pros. It has allowed Apple to achieve the machine’s slim dimensions, features per-key backlighting that results in zero light bleed, and its enlarged keycaps make sense considering the MacBook’s newly enlarged trackpad.
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On the plus side, the new keyboard is a fantastic fit for the new MacBook’s aesthetic.


Want to use a mechanical keyboard and a wired mouse? Then you’re going to need a USB-C adapter that provides additional USB-A ports.
#2016 macbook pro review touch bar free
In fact, the 13-inch MacBook is more compromised than the Air because, assuming that you want to keep one USB-C port free at all times to charge it, that leaves you with a single port for connecting devices. However, Apple’s decision to only include two ports on this entry-level MacBook Pro is an unfortunate limitation, and it also positions the machine as a direct MacBook Air successor. The multi-talented USB-C standard allows you to connect peripherals and hook up external displays to your MacBook while charging the machine at the same time.įar more versatile than USB-A and capable of much faster transfer speeds (40Gbps versus 60MBps), USB-C is undoubtedly the future of connectivity. All of the above have been replaced with two Thunderbolt 3.0-speed USB-C connections. Previous 13-inch Pros featured a healthy array of connections – including HDMI, mini DisplayPort, two USB-A ports an an SD card reader. Laptops do not receive better build quality than this. It may not be the complete redesign that some were hoping for, but it's undeniably premium and solid to boot, thanks to its all-aluminum enclosure. It’s still shaped like a Pro, keeping the same thickness throughout the base, unlike the MacBook Air’s tapered design. The new MacBook Pro measures 14.9mm (0.58 inches) thick, and is 17% thinner with 23% less volume compared to the previous generation model. Even the area to the left and right the keyboard now houses two speaker grilles that emit loud and full-bodied sound. If you value simplicity and the tactile feel of function row keys, you may even prefer it to the more expensive model.īased on the same design philosophy as the 12-inch MacBook, there is barely any wasted space on any part of the machine.
