This year’s refresh of the MacBook Pro 15-inch (2019) features the latest Intel processors – but are there any other reasons to upgrade?
The MacBook Pro 15-inch 2019 received the incremental changes in internals as well as some new features that cements its status as an excellent professional laptop. And, in a time when all these impressive Windows laptops have raised the stakes in the Ultrabook category, it’s certainly given Windows users more than enough reasons to switch to macOS and Apple the win it needed
Perhaps because Apple was saving its major updates for the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), which came out shortly after, the MacBook Pro 15-inch 2019 has none of that massive redesign we’ve been waiting for. That makes it feel somewhat like an iteration of its predecessor. Still, it does come with more powerful specs and a much improved keyboard, which are both welcome updates for MacBook Pro owners with a 2017 or older MacBook.
In other words, there’s not a lot of updates here to make it worth the upgrade for newer MacBook Pro owners, even if it is a bit cheaper. If you’re one of them, you might be better off with the 16-inch model. Otherwise, MacBook Pro 15-inch 2019 is just the update you’ve been waiting for, especially if you want to stick to that 15-inch form factor.
The MacBook Pro 15-inch (2019) is available in two main configurations (which you can further customize to better suit your needs and budget). First, there’s an option with a 2.6GHz 6-core 9th generation Intel Core i7 processor, Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD storage for $2,399 (£2,399, AU$3,499/AED9,999).
Then, there’s a model equipped with a 2.3GHz 8-core 9th generation Intel Core i9 processor, Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, 16GB DDR4 memory and 512GB SSD storage for $2,799 (£2,799, AU$4,099/AED11,679/R44,999).
In the US and Australia, this price compares favorably with last year’s base model, which sold for $2,399 (£2,349, AU$3,499) and came with a 2.2GHz, 6-core 8th generation Intel Core i7 CPU, Radeon Pro 555X GPU, 16GB of DDR4 memory and a 256GB SSD. That’s basically the same spec, aside from the updated processor and GPU.
While the US and Australia essentially get an upgrade for free, UK readers will have noticed a price increase. This is due to Apple bringing UK prices into line with US dollars, so for Apple, £1 = $1. Now, for anyone with even a passing familiarity of exchange rates, you’ll know that this is a fairly raw deal for the UK. However, keep in mind that the US price doesn’t include tax, whereas the UK price does.
As we stated earlier, all the MacBook 2019 models can be configured to add more powerful components if you want – and can afford – them.
In fact, the model Apple sent us to review is something you’d have to configure yourself. It’s the highest-end model, so it comes equipped with an 8th generation Intel Core i9 processor with 8 cores and a 2.4GHz clock speed (5.0Ghz boost), 32GB RAM, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB of HBM2 memory and 4TB of SSD storage for $5,149 (£4,914, AU$7,859, AED21,549).
This means if you want to buy the model we’ve tested here, then you’re going to need to spend a lot of money. Still, at least there are lower-priced options, and the base MacBook Pro 15-inch (2019) compares favorably with the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2019), one of the latest Windows laptops trying to win professionals away from Apple. That sets you back $2,499.99 (£2,399.99, AU$4,299) for the base model with a 6-core 9th generation Intel processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card.
Comparing the two, we’d give the edge to the MacBook Pro 15-inch (2019) as a pure productivity device, taking into consideration the specs, build quality and (slightly) lower price.
