Macbook Pro 13 2019 Base

Laptop Mag Verdict

The thirteen-inch MacBook Pro (2019) delivers the all-time combination of speed, battery life and brandish quality for the most reasonable price.

Pros

+
Dandy battery life
+
Very fast functioning
+
Bright and colorful display
+
Powerful speakers
+
Touch ID is convenient

Cons

-
Keyboard has shallow travel
-
Simply ii Thunderbolt 3 ports
-
Thick bezels

Editor'southward Note vii.19.21: Laptop Mag doesn't generally recommend laptops two years or older. If y'all're in the market place for a new MacBook, please cheque out our reviews on the MacBook Pro 2020 (13-inch) and Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) .

The "MacBook Pro Light" is no more. At least that's what I've been calling the entry-level MacBook Pro 13-inch over the last couple of years. It had an sometime 7th-gen processor, no Affect ID or Touch on Bar, and a questionable keyboard.

The new MacBook Pro 13-inch for 2019 (starting at $one,299, $1,499 as tested) packs a much faster 8th gen Intel Cadre CPU and both Affect ID and the Touch Bar. And while the keyboard even so isn't great, Apple has introduced pocket-size enhancements that will (hopefully) make it more reliable. Add in more than 10 hours of battery life and y'all accept i of the best laptops around, and the best Apple tree laptop for most people -- at least those who want a future-proof arrangement.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019) price and configuration

The thirteen-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 and includes a 1.four-GHz 8th-gen Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, which is not enough storage for the price. The $i,499 model I tested boosts that to 256GB just keeps the other specs the same.

MORE: Best Apple tree Laptops

If you're willing to spend $1,799, you can move from 2 Thunderbolt ports on the entry-level and midrange models to 4 Thunderbolt ports and upgrade to a faster two.4-GHz 8th-gen Core i5 CPU. Those who buy AppleCare+ tin can use our Apple Warranty Check guide to larn how to view the remaining time on their plan.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019) design

This is going to audio like a cleaved tape, but Apple really needs to milkshake things upwardly on the design front. The xiii-inch MacBook Pro has sported the same aesthetic for years. It's a handsome and elegant look, for sure, with a solid unibody aluminum chassis. But the design is a bit on the chunky side, and the bezels look chunky, too, next to the likes of the Dell XPS 13.

While you do get two color options with Infinite Grayness and Silver, I would accept liked for Apple to add the aforementioned gold colour hue that the MacBook Air offers.

This is going to audio similar a broken record, but Apple tree really needs to shake things up on the design front.

Weighing 3.02 pounds and measuring 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.59 inches, the MacBook Pro 13-inch is portable enough to sideslip in a backpack without it weighing you downwards. Still, the Dell XPS xiii (ii.7 pounds 0.3-0.46 inches thick), the HP Spectre x360 (2.8 pounds, 0.6 inches) and the MacBook Air (ii.8 pounds, 0.ii-0.vi inches thick) are all slimmer and lighter.

MacBook Pro xiii-inch (2019) ports

Just the kind of minimalism I don't similar, this version of the thirteen-inch MacBook Pro packs a whopping two Thunderbolt 3 ports, which are both on the left side. That means you can charge your system and use ane other peripheral at the aforementioned time, unless y'all jump for a dongle or use a USB-C hub at your desk. The right side houses a headphone jack.

Despite having a thinner chassis, the Dell XPS 13 offers three USB-C ports (ii of which support Thunderbolt iii), plus a microSD carte slot. And the HP Spectre x360 comes with both USB-C and a traditional USB-A port.

Certain, you lot tin can become four Thunderbolt 3 ports from Apple tree if y'all footstep up to the $1,799 model, but I don't feel like you should have to pay an extra $500 for that privilege (though that config does include a faster CPU and graphics).

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019) display

Whether you're a creative pro or yous just appreciate a stellar picture, the 2560 x 1600-pixel Retina Brandish on the 13-inch MacBook Pro is one of the best I've seen on any laptop.

When watching the 4K trailer for The Panthera leo Male monarch on this laptop, I could make out individual wisps of fur on Simba'southward manus as he placed information technology on the dirty footprints of his father, and the sweeping African vista looked gorgeous with its pale blue sky and sun-dappled baobab tree in vibrant light-green.

Whether you're a creative pro or you just capeesh a stellar pic, the 2560 x 1600-pixel Retina Brandish on the thirteen-inch MacBook Pro is one of the best I've seen on any laptop.

The MacBook Pro's console also impressed in our labs, equally it registered a very skilful 163% of the colour gamut and a bright 441 nits. That MacBook Air's screen is good, only information technology's dimmer and covers less of the color spectrum (100% / 343 nits). The 1080p version of the Dell XPS 13 (126% / 357 nits) also falls backside the MacBook Pro, as does the 4K display model (119% / 375 nits. The screen on the HP Spectre x360 (150%/287 nits) is nearly every bit colorful as the MacBook Pro simply notably dimmer.

MacBook Pro thirteen-inch (2019) audio

The dual speakers that flank the keyboard on the MacBook Pro produce rich and nuanced sound, every bit I discovered when streaming "What The?!" from 311. The swirling guitars and pulsing beat were powerful without overwhelming the dueling vocals from Due south.A. Martinez and Nick Hexum. Meanwhile, James Earl Jones' vocalism sounded fifty-fifty more god-like than usual when I watched The Lion Rex trailer, and the soaring strings got very loud without getting distorted at max volume. But if yous want a more intimate concert, you'll want to invest in a solid pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019) keyboard and touchpad

Every bit someone who has been using the 2nd-generation MacBook Pro Butterfly keyboard for a couple of years, anything is an upgrade. And I do discover the 4th-gen Butterfly keyboard on this new MacBook Pro to exist quieter and slightly more comfy. More than important, Apple says that it has added a new material to the mechanism to forbid reliability problems, such equally accidental double presses or keys not registering.

The 0.86 mm of primal travel we measured is yet well below that of most laptops, but that is properly balanced past the 70 grams of actuation force required. In my testing, I reached 71 words per infinitesimal with 92.3% accuracy, which is comparable with my average. There are rumors that Apple is working on a whole new keyboard for a futurity MacBook Pro, but there's no telling when or if that will evidence upward.

MORE: MacBook Keyboard Troubleshooting Guide

There's not much to say about the touchpad, other than that information technology is very large and works really well. You but don't accept to remember about scrolling or performing gestures like three-finger swipes up for activating Mission Control view. And that's the manner it should be.

MacBook Pro xiii-inch (2019) Touch ID and Touch Bar

Apple used to reserve the Touch ID sensor and Touch Bar for the more premium xiii-inch MacBook Pro, but they've now fabricated their mode to the entry-level model. I'g happy nigh one of those decisions.

Bear on ID makes it easy to unlock your Mac with a single press, and then you don't have to rely on a countersign. Plus, you can use it for the App Store, iTunes, Apple Pay and in the Safari and Chrome browsers. Yep, a Face up ID feature would exist faster, merely that will probably come in futurity Macs.

MORE: How to Customize the MacBook Pro Touch Bar

I'm more than ambivalent virtually the Touch on Bar. In some cases it actually makes information technology harder to go things washed, such equally raising or lowering the volume. For example, you press the volume key and then slide upwards or downwards, every bit opposed to only striking the volume upwards or down button. In that location are some shortcuts I like, such as being able to skim through photos and pressing on my favorite sites when using Safari, but overall, I'd prefer a proper bear upon screen.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019) performance

Here is the biggest reason to get the xiii-inch MacBook Pro over the 2019 MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro packs a much faster quad-core, eighth-generation Core i5 processor (U series), compared with the weaker dual-cadre Core i5 bit (Y Series) in the Air.

In that location'due south a pretty stark difference regarding real-world performance. Take our video-editing test, in which we transcode a 4K clip to 1080p. It took the MacBook Pro just xiv minutes and 42 seconds, compared with 36 minutes on the Air. Past comparison, the Dell XPS xiii took xix:20 and the HP Spectre x360 22:30.

In everyday use, I found the MacBook Pro very responsive. Even with 22 tabs open in Chrome, the Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw trailer started streaming instantly. And that was with Slack, Skype and Pixelmator also running in the groundwork.

On Geekbench 4, a constructed benchmark that measures overall functioning, the MacBook Pro scored 17,366, which is more than double the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro besides surpasses the XPS xiii (14,936) and the Spectre x360 (14,935).

The MacBook Pro continues to offer ane of the fastest SSDs in a laptop. On the Blackmagic Disk Speed Exam, the arrangement notched a write speed of 1,220 MBps. The MacBook Air was slightly behind at 1,011. The XPS 13 mustered only 226.4 MBps on the aforementioned test, while the Spectre x360 was slightly better at 616.3 MBps.

The MacBook Pro continues to offering one of the fastest SSDs in a laptop.

If you lot're looking to game, the MacBook Pro will deliver a smoother experience. For instance, on the Dirt 3 racing championship, we saw 30.87 fps from the MacBook Pro and just 19.89 fps from the MacBook Air. Nosotros consider 30 fps playable.

MacBook Pro thirteen-inch (2019) battery life

No criminal offense to the MacBook Air, but hither's even so another reason to choose the Pro over information technology. The thirteen-inch MacBook Pro features a 58.2 watt-hr battery, compared with a 49.ix WHr battery on the Air. On the Laptop Magazine Bombardment Test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the MacBook Pro lasted an fantabulous 10 hours and 39 minutes, which outlasts the 8:51 from the Air.

Nonetheless, the Pro doesn't make our list of laptops with the longest bombardment life, as other ultraportables last longer on a charge. The HP Spectre x360 turned in a runtime of 12:07, and the 1080p version of the XPS 13 endured for 12:22.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019) oestrus

No surprise here. The MacBook Pro kept its cool on our heat test, in which we stream video for 15 minutes before measuring dissimilar parts of the notebook. The MacBook Pro stayed nether our 95-degree comfort threshold, hitting 91 degrees on the keyboard, 88 degrees on the underside and simply 82 degrees on the touchpad.

Lesser line

The xiii-inch MacBook Pro (2019) shows u.s. where we are in the development of Apple tree'south laptops. The all-time MacBook for nigh people costs $i,299. Y'all can complain about the "Apple Tax," but I'm telling you lot that this system is a meliorate value than the MacBook Air at $ane,099. You lot get a much faster processor, brighter display and considerably longer battery life for your money.

Should anyone get the Air? Yep, those who prefer a thinner and lighter blueprint, hate the Bear upon Bar and actually don't mind less horsepower. Simply overall, my recommendation is the MacBook Pro thirteen-inch. I just wish Apple tree included more ports.

If you are willing to go the Windows road, the Dell XPS 13 is nevertheless our choice for all-time overall laptop, as information technology offers a comfier keyboard, an additional USB-C port and microSD menu slot, and a slimmer and sleeker pattern. Plus, it lasts longer on a charge. But if you're set on macOS, the xiii-inch MacBook Pro is the one to get.

Credit: Laptop Magazine

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MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019) Specs

Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0
Brand	Apple
CPU	1.4GHz quad'core eighth'generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Heave upwards to 3.9GHz
Company Website	www.apple.com
Display Size	13
Graphics Card	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
Hard Drive Size	128GB SSD
Hard Bulldoze Type	SSD
Highest Bachelor Resolution	2560 x 1600
Native Resolution	2560 x 1600
Operating System	macOS Mojave
Ports (excluding USB)	Headphone, Thunderbolt 3
RAM	8GB
RAM Upgradable to	16GB
Size	0.59 x 11.97 x 8.36 inches
Touchpad Size	five.3 x 3.2
Warranty/Support	ane yr limited
Weight	iii.02 pounds
Wi-Fi	802.11ac

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Responsible for the editorial vision for Laptopmag.com, Mark Spoonauer has been Editor in Primary of LAPTOP since 2003 and has covered engineering for nearly 15 years. Marking speaks at key tech manufacture events and makes regular media appearances on CNBC, Fox and CNN. Marker was previously reviews editor at Mobile Computing, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc.