The MacBook ($1,599 as tested) is notable as the Apple's thinnest and lightest laptop, though in the year that's passed since its original release, Windows systems have caught up in design and features. The MacBook( at Amazon) keeps the slim profile of the original thanks to a fanless design, and the Retina Display remains, but this time around there's a Skylake-based Intel Core m5 processor with improved performance. Though there's plenty to like here, drawbacks include a very limited I/O port selection and a sleek, but shallow keyboard and trackpad that are likely to be uncomfortable for some. It measures up well with the Dell XPS 13 Touch, our top pick for high-end ultraportable laptops, but ultimately falls short in overall features and value for the dollar.
Design and Features
The aluminum laptop is now available in four colors including gold, silver, Space Gray (like our review unit), and Rose Gold (a metallic pink, which is the newest addition). Physically, not a lot has changed from last year's model. At 0.52 by 11.04 by 7.74 inches (HWD), the MacBook weighs 1.99 pounds, an imperceptible increase that makes it less than an ounce heavier than its predecessor. It fits easily in backpacks and shoulder bags made for 10-inch tablets or 13-inch laptops. To compare, the Lenovo LaVie Z HZ550( at Amazon) is a bit larger, but lighter at 1.87 pounds, and the LG gram-14Z950( at Amazon) is larger and a tiny bit heavier at 2.08 pounds. HP's upcoming Spectre is thinner (0.41 inches), but it's heavier at 2.45 pounds. The MacBook should be on your short list if you often find yourself in coach class working on an airline tray table.
Also unchanged are the butterfly-switch keyboard and Force Touch trackpad. Both are less comfortable than traditional laptop keyboard and trackpads, since the keys offer very little travel, and the trackpad doesn't move at all. Though, Haptic feedback vibrations on the trackpad make it feel like you've clicked, and the sensor can detect pressure, so if you press a little harder, the touchpad will click a second time, and activate the Force Click function. In practice, it does feel like two separate physical clicks. You can use the Force Touch trackpad's pressure-sensitivity for signing your name on the trackpad, or to vary fast-forward or zoom speeds in programs like QuickTime Player or Apple Maps. The shallow, but clicky keyboard is tolerable for extended typing sessions, but traditional keyboards are more forgiving on your fingertips.
Similar Products
Dell XPS 13 Touch (2016)
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USB-C adoption has improved since the MacBook was introduced last year. You'll find the compact, unidirectional port on some phones, tablets, and Windows laptops including the Dell XPS 13 Touch($1,699.99 at Dell) and the Razer Blade Stealth (4K UHD)($1,399.99 at Razer). Apple now offers a USB-C-to-Lightning cable so you can sync your iPhone to your MacBook. Because there's still only one IO port on the laptop, you'll have to unplug the AC adapter to do so, however. You'll also need a USB-C-to-USB-3.0 cable for most other peripherals, including connecting a USB SSD or flash drive. USB-C-to-DisplayPort and USB-C-to-Ethernet cables are available from third-party companies like Belkin and Monoprice. Cables aren't included, so you'll have to budget for them. Competing systems like the Dell XPS 13 Touch and LG Gram-14Z950 don't need adapters, because they also have traditional USB ports. The MacBook Air 13-inch and Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch, Retina Display (2015) have USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 2 ports, but lack USB-C. They're also heavier and larger. If you're considering a MacBook, you'll have to decide if the sleek design is worth the inconvenience of the single port and required adapters.
Also disappointing, Thunderbolt 3 support still isn't built into the MacBook. That means you won't be able to use your legacy Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 drives here, even if an adapter is available. New Thunderbolt 3 drives that are just coming to market are also a no-go. The only other physical port on the laptop is a 3.5mm headset jack on the left side. For wireless connectivity, the MacBook integrates 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
The 12-inch IPS screen is a bright point. Its 2,304-by-1,440 resolution isn't quite as expansive as the 4K (3,180 by 2,160) screens on systems like the Razer Blade Stealth and Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 P25W-C2300-4K, but text and graphics are displayed smoothly with sharp outlines and vivid detail. 1080p and scaled-down 4K videos looked excellent and played back without a hint of stutter in my testing. The speakers, located just above the keyboard, are loud and clear, which is rare in such a thin system.
Inside, there's 8GB of memory and a 512GB Flash Storage module (Apple's way of saying solid-state drive or SSD). The $1,299 model comes with 256GB Flash Storage and a slightly slower Intel Core m3 processor. The MacBook's flash storage, memory, and CPU aren't upgradable after purchase, so you'll want to think in terms of future proofing. If you can afford the $1,599 model, it's the one we'd recommend. The Dell XPS 13 Touch and Microsoft Surface Book($495.00 at Amazon) come with half the storage (256GB), but the same amount of system memory as the MacBook. Apple covers the system with a one-year standard warranty.
Performance
An upgraded Intel Core m5-6Y54 processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics 515 powers the laptop and helps maintain the thin profile. The Core m5 processor is cooled without a fan, allowing the remaining space inside the chassis to be filled with more battery packs. As we continue to test more Core-M-equipped laptops and tablets, we're seeing that they perform almost, but not quite as fast as, Intel Core i5-powered systems.
Mac laptops can't run our PCMark and 3DMark benchmarks, so we couldn't compare those scores with PC counterparts. The system took 2 minutes 55 seconds to complete the Handbrake video encoder test and 5:17 for the Adobe Photoshop CS6 test. That's an improvement over last year's MacBook (3:39 on Handbrake; 5:24 on CS6), but systems with Core i5 processors like the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch, Retina Display (2015), Dell XPS 13 Touch, and Microsoft Surface Book were significantly faster on the multimedia tests. The MacBook is fast enough to run these apps, though I'd rather have a thicker, beefier system with a Core i5 or i7 processor if I was working on photo edits or cutting a video on a tight deadline.
Likewise, the new MacBook's 3D scores on the Valley test were better (15 frames per second (fps) on Medium quality; 6fps on Ultra quality) than last year's model (9fps on Medium; 4fps on Ultra), which shows the improvement of Intel HD Graphics 515 over the older HD Graphics 5300. To compare, the Microsoft Surface Book and Toshiba Satellite Radius 12 P25W-C2300-4K returned almost playable frame rates (25fps at Medium quality). In all of the systems we've tested, integrated graphics haven't returned playable frame rates at Ultra quality settings for any system with a 1,920-by-1,080 resolution or higher screen. You might be able to run games with simpler graphics like DOTA 2 or Minecraft on the MacBook, but more taxing games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Sleeping Dogs are likely to be a frustrating affair at any quality setting.
Recent Macs have been battery champs, and the new MacBook is no exception, returning an excellent 11 hours 37 minutes on our rundown test. That's 27 minutes longer than the MacBook Pro, and more than 2.5 hours than the Dell XPS 13 Touch could manage on the same test. The larger body and dual battery packs in the Microsoft Surface Book helped it keep playing for more than 15 hours, and the slower processor in the previous MacBook lasted an exceptional 14:10. Still, you can run the new MacBook on a cross-country flight and still have enough juice for the return trip.
Aside from the new Rose Gold option, the new MacBook is visibly unchanged from last year's model, though its new Skylake-based processor improves benchmark performance a bit. But battery life takes a hit due to that faster CPU. You can't deny the sleek design, but connectivity compromises you'll have to make may be deal breakers, particularly the single USB-C port and shallow keyboard. If these drawbacks are show stoppers, and you still want an Apple laptop, the MacBook Pro 13-inch, though not as slim, offers more versatile connectivity and will likely be a better choice. In the end, the Dell XPS 13 Touch has a higher resolution 3,200-by-1,800-pixel display, a more comfortable keyboard, USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, additional ports, and it's $150 less, so it remains our Editors' Choice for high-end ultraportable laptops.
The insanely sleek 12-inch MacBook is still the lightest Apple laptop, but competing Windows laptops have caught up in thinness, weight, and screen quality.
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