The MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is Apple’s most anticipated laptop in years. The latest M1 chip has a long battery life, and it has performed admirably in our early tests. It’s just a shame that the old version is still in use.
Advantages
Huge battery life (Up to 17 hours battery life)
Great performance
Can run iOS apps
2560 x 1600 13.3-inch Retina Display
Apple M1 chip
Touch Bar and Touch ID
Latest Magic Keyboard feels great
8GB or 16GB RAM, storage up to 2TB SSD
Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
Starting at $859.99
Our review
The MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is a big step forward for the MacBook Pro series, thanks to Apple’s renowned 5nm M1 chip. It has brought the smallest Pro back to life in a manner that none of its more recent versions have been able to.
The new MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has a new processor at its heart, the same one that drives the Mac mini (M1, 2020) and the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), which provides far better performance than the Intel CPUs that powered its predecessor.
It’s not only 2.8 times faster than the early 2020 edition, but also three times faster than comparable Windows laptops, according to Apple. At the same time, due to the chip’s improved power consumption, it has a longer battery life than previous Intel versions.
Although there were a couple of powerful challengers during our M1 chip test, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 4800U-powered Lenovo Yoga Slim 7, and there aren’t any big design changes, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) still meets almost all of our demands. Apple definitely succeeded in launching something groundbreaking if it intended to do so.
Price and availability
Apple MacBook Pro 13″ (M1 2020) (128GB 8GB RAM) at Amazon for US$859.99
What’s more, for $$859.99 the latest MacBook Air (M1, 2020) is compatible with the same M1 chip, as well as the same amount of RAM and 512GB drive.
Normally, we wouldn’t equate the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, but given how similar the specifications are, and the fact that the latest MacBook Air has a screen that supports the P3 color gamut, which was previously only available on MacBook Pros, some people may believe the Air is a better option, particularly because it comes with twice the potential for less cost.
The following is the configuration of the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020).
CPU: Apple M1 (8-core)
Graphics: Integrated 8-core GPU
RAM: 8GB Unified PDDR4X-4266 MHz SDRAM
Screen: 13.3-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 Retina display (backlit LED, IPS, 500 nits brightness, wide color P3 gamut)
Storage: 128GB SSD
Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: 720p FaceTime HD webcam
Weight: 3.0 pounds (1.4kg)
Size: 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.61 inches (30.41 x 21.24 x 1.56cm; W x D x H)
Designs
Because of its latest M1 silicon brains, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is one of Apple’s most promising launches in a long time, but you wouldn’t know that when you first get it out of the box.
That’s because it’s almost identical to the previous one, measuring 0.61 x 11.97 x 8.36 inches (1.56 x 30.41 x 21.24cm) and weighing 3.0 pounds (1.4kg).
Anyone expecting a bold new look to complement the futuristic new hardware inside would be disappointed. It looks and sounds much like previous MacBook Pro 13-inch versions.
We believe Apple has squandered a chance here. We’d like to see Apple be just as bold with the look of the MacBook Pro 13-inch as it has been with the M1 chip and macOS Big Sur – this is a big enough improvement to merit the name “macOS 11” rather than “macOS 10.17,” so we’d like to see Apple be just as bold with the look of the MacBook Pro 13-inch.
Apple, along with some of its followers, will actually contend that the MacBook Pro 13-inch’s architecture is fine and that it’s pointless to change it.
In some ways, that’s understandable – the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is still a good-looking laptop, and it’s still impressively small and light; but, as Apple’s competitors, such as Dell and HP, are doing revolutionary stuff with their designs, such as super-slim bezels or 2-in-1 designs that make you use the laptop as a tablet, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020)’s look begins to feel a little dated.
Still, for the purposes of this MacBook analysis, the architecture of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) isn’t bad; it’s simply familiar – and that comfort is sustained when you open the laptop.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Touch Bar, it’s a slim touchscreen that runs along the top of the keyboard and displays context-sensitive buttons and shortcuts based on which program or tool you’re using.
The keyboard
The keyboard is the same Magic Keyboard that came with the 13-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year.
This was a welcome improvement at the time, as it replaced the infamous Butterfly switch keyboard, which was notorious for its lack of reliability.
It’s nice to see it back in the latest MacBook Pro 13-inch, and it’s a joy to type on once more.
The Magic Keyboard has a good blend of travel and stability, and no reliability problems have been recorded.
The screen
The screen, which has a Retina resolution of 2560 x 1600, is also unchanged.
This produces a sharp picture, but rivals such as HP and Dell, who are placing higher-resolution displays on their 13-inch laptops, outperform Apple here.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) screen, however, remains bright and vivid.
It also supports the P3 wide color gamut, which provides excellent color reproduction – this is perfect for photographers and video editors who need accurate color reproduction, but it’s worth noting that the latest MacBook Air (M1, 2020) also supports P3 wide color.
Ports
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has just two Thunderbolt 3 ports (both on the left) and an audio jack on the right.
Though we’re relieved that Apple’s transition away from Intel hasn’t resulted in the loss of Thunderbolt 3 (it is, after all, an Intel product), the shortage of ports continues to be an issue for professionals.
You’ll need to buy a dongle if you want to copy images from a flash card or use peripherals that use the older USB-A ports. Apple, unlike Dell, does not have one in many of its USB-C-only laptops.
Users can upgrade the Intel models with up to a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor that can turbo boost to 4.1GHz for increased efficiency. These variants, however, fall short of the standards set by the M1 edition.
Webcam
The M1 chip in the late 2020 platform improves video-chat capabilities.
The M1 only has a 720p camera, but it now has Apple’s newest image signal processor, which improves image quality.
Greater dynamic range, improved noise removal, superior auto white balance, and machine-learning-enhanced facial recognition are all features of the new ISP.
This will help you appear smoother on FaceTime or Zoom calls.
The touch ID
A click on the sensor activates your Mac immediately, while a push locks it.
Without needing to reenter your password, use your fingerprint to rent movies, purchase games, and unlock items like locked documents and device settings.
Touch ID also fills up your delivery and billing information without revealing your credit card information while you buy online with Apple Pay.
Performance
The efficiency of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) amazed us during our time with it.
Apple boasted that the M1 chip’s CPU is 2.8 times better at constructing Xcode projects, twice as high vector output in Affinity Picture, 5.9 times the 3D title render speeds in Final Cut Pro, and 2.9 times the performance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider thanks to its GPU.
It was much more impressive that this latest M1 MacBook Pro could complete the job quicker than my year-old Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro, which had a 2.9GHz 6 core Intel i9 processor and 32GB of RAM, which was twice as much as the M1 Mac.
Despite this, the M1 took 4:22 to complete, compared to 6:22 on the Intel Mac.
Perhaps more remarkable, the M1 MacBook Pro never got hot enough to trigger its fan, staying completely silent throughout.
After just a few minutes, the Intel Mac’s fans began to spin, and they managed to spin for several minutes after the mission was completed.
The M1 MacBook Pro hit a peak surface temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) while the i9 MacBook Pro was still at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) at idle and crept up to 114 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) after 5 minutes.
This suggests that the current M1 MacBook Pro isn’t simply using the fan more sparingly than previous Intel Macs. Instead, it doesn’t need it quite as much. Apple’s latest MacBook Air comes with the same chip but no fan.
As a result, not only will you have a quieter computing experience, but your back will still be much cooler.
Intel MacBook will easily get uncomfortably warm when placed on your lap. The MacBook remained virtually cold to the touch for the majority of the research.”
Battery life
Similarly, the battery life is insane. A 61W charger is included with the M1. It’s a fast charger, but you won’t need to use it all that much.
The laptop rarely consumes any power during normal usage, which includes web surfing, viewing videos, sending emails, and doing some light photo editing.
Take a look at this image as an example. The MacBook Pro M1 used a little over 1% of its battery in an hour of web surfing, installing some applications, and uploading a little over 1GB of files (it became 2 percent several minutes after this screenshot was taken).
Battery drains faster when you’re editing a video or a batch of images in Lightroom and Photoshop, or when you’re making hour-long video calls.
Even then, the latest MacBook Pro 13-inch will easily get 18 to 20 hours of battery life, which means you’ll only need to charge it every two to three days.
It often helps if you don’t turn up the brightness on the MacBook Pro’s 13-inch panel, something you won’t have to do too much since the MacBook Pro’s screen is great.
This is the same screen that was used by the previous Pro. The colors are vibrant, the brightness is excellent, and True Tone, as well as the DCI-P3 color space, are provided. To put it another way, I don’t see anything wrong with this screen.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a new laptop and don’t mind investing some good money, the new MacBook Pro is a great option.
It is well worth the money. It’s a great general-purpose machine that nearly everybody can enjoy, with the exception of gamers.
It is appropriate for both working people and students. Obviously, there are better computers available for gamers.
The M1 chip outperforms previous Intel chips in terms of graphics efficiency, but the MacBook Pro is not a gaming laptop.
Then there’s the 13-inch MacBook Air M1. The output gap between the two laptops isn’t significant, but the Pro has a brighter screen and longer battery life, and if you’re not planning on editing a lot of images, creating 3D models, or compiling programs, the new Air will suffice.
Essentially, you will get an incredibly fast computer with probably the best battery life ever in a laptop if you buy either the new Pro or the new Air. Yes, the M1 is excellent, as is the MacBook Pro 13-inch.
– Unrivaled power and battery life exceeds the cost.
The MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is Apple’s most anticipated laptop in years. The latest M1 chip has a long battery life, and it has performed admirably in our early tests. It’s just a shame that the old version is still in use.
Advantages
Huge battery life (Up to 17 hours battery life)
Great performance
Can run iOS apps
2560 x 1600 13.3-inch Retina Display
Apple M1 chip
Touch Bar and Touch ID
Latest Magic Keyboard feels great
8GB or 16GB RAM, storage up to 2TB SSD
Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
Starting at $1,299
Our review
The MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is a big step forward for the MacBook Pro series, thanks to Apple’s renowned 5nm M1 chip. It has brought the smallest Pro back to life in a manner that none of its more recent versions have been able to.
The new MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has a new processor at its heart, the same one that drives the Mac mini (M1, 2020) and the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), which provides far better performance than the Intel CPUs that powered its predecessor.
It’s not only 2.8 times faster than the early 2020 edition, but also three times faster than comparable Windows laptops, according to Apple. At the same time, due to the chip’s improved power consumption, it has a longer battery life than previous Intel versions.
Although there were a couple of powerful challengers during our M1 chip test, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 4800U-powered Lenovo Yoga Slim 7, and there aren’t any big design changes, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) still meets almost all of our demands. Apple definitely succeeded in launching something groundbreaking if it intended to do so.
Price and availability
Apple MacBook Pro 13″ (M1 2020) (128GB 8GB RAM) at Amazon for $859.99
What’s more, for $859.99 the latest MacBook Air (M1, 2020) is compatible with the same M1 chip, as well as the same amount of RAM and 512GB drive.
Normally, we wouldn’t equate the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, but given how similar the specifications are, and the fact that the latest MacBook Air has a screen that supports the P3 color gamut, which was previously only available on MacBook Pros, some people may believe the Air is a better option, particularly because it comes with twice the potential for less cost.
The following is the configuration of the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020).
CPU: Apple M1 (8-core)
Graphics: Integrated 8-core GPU
RAM: 8GB Unified PDDR4X-4266 MHz SDRAM
Screen: 13.3-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 Retina display (backlit LED, IPS, 500 nits brightness, wide color P3 gamut)
Storage: 128GB SSD
Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: 720p FaceTime HD webcam
Weight: 3.0 pounds (1.4kg)
Size: 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.61 inches (30.41 x 21.24 x 1.56cm; W x D x H)
Designs
Because of its latest M1 silicon brains, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is one of Apple’s most promising launches in a long time, but you wouldn’t know that when you first get it out of the box.
That’s because it’s almost identical to the previous one, measuring 0.61 x 11.97 x 8.36 inches (1.56 x 30.41 x 21.24cm) and weighing 3.0 pounds (1.4kg).
Anyone expecting a bold new look to complement the futuristic new hardware inside would be disappointed. It looks and sounds much like previous MacBook Pro 13-inch versions.
We believe Apple has squandered a chance here. We’d like to see Apple be just as bold with the look of the MacBook Pro 13-inch as it has been with the M1 chip and macOS Big Sur – this is a big enough improvement to merit the name “macOS 11” rather than “macOS 10.17,” so we’d like to see Apple be just as bold with the look of the MacBook Pro 13-inch.
Apple, along with some of its followers, will actually contend that the MacBook Pro 13-inch’s architecture is fine and that it’s pointless to change it.
In some ways, that’s understandable – the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is still a good-looking laptop, and it’s still impressively small and light; but, as Apple’s competitors, such as Dell and HP, are doing revolutionary stuff with their designs, such as super-slim bezels or 2-in-1 designs that make you use the laptop as a tablet, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020)’s look begins to feel a little dated.
Still, for the purposes of this MacBook analysis, the architecture of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) isn’t bad; it’s simply familiar – and that comfort is sustained when you open the laptop.
If you’re unfamiliar with the TouchBar, it’s a slim touchscreen that runs along the top of the keyboard and displays context-sensitive buttons and shortcuts based on which program or tool you’re using.
The keyboard
The keyboard is the same Magic Keyboard that came with the 13-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year.
This was a welcome improvement at the time, as it replaced the infamous Butterfly switch keyboard, which was notorious for its lack of reliability.
It’s nice to see it back in the latest MacBook Pro 13-inch, and it’s a joy to type on once more.
The Magic Keyboard has a good blend of travel and stability, and no reliability problems have been recorded.
The screen
The screen, which has a Retina resolution of 2560 x 1600, is also unchanged.
This produces a sharp picture, but rivals such as HP and Dell, who are placing higher-resolution displays on their 13-inch laptops, outperform Apple here.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) screen, however, remains bright and vivid.
It also supports the P3 wide color gamut, which provides excellent color reproduction – this is perfect for photographers and video editors who need accurate color reproduction, but it’s worth noting that the latest MacBook Air (M1, 2020) also supports P3 wide color.
Ports
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has just two Thunderbolt 3 ports (both on the left) and an audio jack on the right.
Though we’re relieved that Apple’s transition away from Intel hasn’t resulted in the loss of Thunderbolt 3 (it is, after all, an Intel product), the shortage of ports continues to be an issue for professionals.
You’ll need to buy a dongle if you want to copy images from a flash card or use peripherals that use the older USB-A ports. Apple, unlike Dell, does not have one in many of its USB-C-only laptops.
Users can upgrade the Intel models with up to a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor that can turbo boost to 4.1GHz for increased efficiency. These variants, however, fall short of the standards set by the M1 edition.
Webcam
The M1 chip in the late 2020 platform improves video-chat capabilities.
The M1 only has a 720p camera, but it now has Apple’s newest image signal processor, which improves image quality.
Greater dynamic range, improved noise removal, superior auto white balance, and machine-learning-enhanced facial recognition are all features of the new ISP.
This will help you appear smoother on FaceTime or Zoom calls.
The touch ID
A click on the sensor activates your Mac immediately, while a push locks it.
Without needing to reenter your password, use your fingerprint to rent movies, purchase games, and unlock items like locked documents and device settings.
Touch ID also fills up your delivery and billing information without revealing your credit card information while you buy online with Apple Pay.
Performance
The efficiency of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) amazed us during our time with it.
Apple boasted that the M1 chip’s CPU is 2.8 times better at constructing XCode projects, twice as high vector output in Affinity Picture, 5.9 times the 3D title render speeds in Final Cut Pro, and 2.9 times the performance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider thanks to its GPU.
It was much more impressive that this latest M1 MacBook Pro could complete the job quicker than my year-old Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro, which had a 2.9GHz 6 core Intel i9 processor and 32GB of RAM, which was twice as much as the M1 Mac.
Despite this, the M1 took 4:22 to complete, compared to 6:22 on the Intel Mac.
Perhaps more remarkable, the M1 MacBook Pro never got hot enough to trigger its fan, staying completely silent throughout.
After just a few minutes, the Intel Mac’s fans began to spin, and they managed to spin for several minutes after the mission was completed.
The M1 MacBook Pro hit a peak surface temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) while the i9 MacBook Pro was still at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) at idle and crept up to 114 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) after 5 minutes.
This suggests that the current M1 MacBook Pro isn’t simply using the fan more sparingly than previous Intel Macs. Instead, it doesn’t need it quite as much. Apple’s latest MacBook Air comes with the same chip but no fan.
As a result, not only will you have a quieter computing experience, but your back will still be much cooler.
Intel MacBooks will easily get uncomfortably warm when placed on your lap. The MacBook remained virtually cold to the touch for the majority of the research.”
Battery life
Similarly, the battery life is insane. A 61W charger is included with the M1. It’s a fast charger, but you won’t need to use it all that much.
The laptop rarely consumes any power during normal usage, which includes web surfing, viewing videos, sending emails, and doing some light photo editing.
Take a look at this image as an example. The MacBook Pro M1 used a little over 1% of its battery in an hour of web surfing, installing some applications, and uploading a little over 1GB of files (it became 2 percent several minutes after this screenshot was taken).
Battery drains faster when you’re editing a video or a batch of images in Lightroom and Photoshop, or when you’re making hour-long video calls.
Even then, the latest MacBook Pro 13-inch will easily get 18 to 20 hours of battery life, which means you’ll only need to charge it every two to three days.
It often helps if you don’t turn up the brightness on the MacBook Pro’s 13-inch panel, something you won’t have to do too much since the MacBook Pro’s screen is great.
This is the same screen that was used by the previous Pro. The colors are vibrant, the brightness is excellent, and True Tone, as well as the DCI-P3 color space, are provided. To put it another way, I don’t see anything wrong with this screen.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a new laptop and don’t mind investing some good money, the new MacBook Pro is a great option.
It is well worth the money. It’s a great general-purpose machine that nearly everybody can enjoy, with the exception of gamers.
It is appropriate for both working people and students. Obviously, there are better computers available for gamers.
The M1 chip outperforms previous Intel chips in terms of graphics efficiency, but the MacBook Pro is not a gaming laptop.
Then there’s the 13-inch MacBook Air M1. The output gap between the two laptops isn’t significant, but the Pro has a brighter screen and longer battery life, and if you’re not planning on editing a lot of images, creating 3D models, or compiling programs, the new Air will suffice.
Essentially, you will get an incredibly fast computer with probably the best battery life ever in a laptop if you buy either the new Pro or the new Air. Yes, the M1 is excellent, as is the MacBook Pro 13-inch.
