Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020) is Official: Price, Specifications

The MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020) is finally here. The 2020 MacBook Pro has been updated with the new Magic Keyboard for the best typing experience as it is based on the tried and tested scissor-mechanism for a more comfortable typing experience. Apple has also doubled the storage across all standard configurations, delivering even more value to the most popular MacBook Pro 13-inch. The base variant of the MacBook Pro (2020) now comes with 256GB SSD with sequential read speeds of up to 3.0GB/s.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020) Price and Availability

The New MacBook (2020) starts at $1,299 for the base variant in the US which comes with a 1.4GHz quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. You’ll need $1,799 to step it up to a 2.0GHz 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor with 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM.

The MacBook Pro (2020) is also available in lone Intel Core i7 configuration running at 2.3GHz with 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD and is priced at $2,199. The maxed-out CPU and RAM configuration of the MacBook Pro (2020) comes with a 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD and is priced at $2,599. Want more storage? The Storage can be bumped up to 4TB, which will add you another $1,000, bringing the final price to $3,699 for the top-spec variant of the MacBook Pro (2020) with the maxed-out storage and RAM.

The Pre-orders of the new MacBook Pro 13-inch have already been started in the US. The delivery of the first batch of the new MacBook Pro appears to be scheduled for Thursday, May 7, although some higher-end configurations won’t deliver until a later window: May 18 to May 20.

The price of the New MacBook Pro 13-inch in India has been kept at ₹‎1,22,990 for the base variant which comes with 1.4GHz quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. The Indian availability of the new MacBook Pro (2020) is yet to be announced by Apple.

New Magic Keyboard

RIP Butterfly keyboard. With the new 2020 MacBook Pro 13-inch, Apple has finally ditched its Problematic Butterfly Keyboard for the new Magical Keyboard which was first seen in the last year’s MacBook Pro 16-inch. Apple’s whole Mac lineup is now equipped with the new Magic Keyboard which is based on the tried and tested scissor-style keys for a more comfortable typing experience. The Magic Keyboard also features the Touch Bar and a physical Escape key along with Touch ID, for a keyboard that delivers the best typing experience ever on a MacBook.

“Magic Keyboard features a redesigned scissor mechanism with 1mm of key travel for a comfortable and stable key feel, while the new inverted-“T” arrangement for the arrow keys makes them easier to find, whether users are navigating through spreadsheets or playing games,” says Apple.

Double the Storage

The new MacBook Pro (2020) comes with the superfast SSDs with sequential read speeds of up to 3.0GB/s. The base variant of the 2020 MacBook Pro now comes with double the storage from its previous generation, which means, the base variant now comes with a 256GB SSD, which goes up to 1TB. For Pro users, who need even more storage for their files and data, the new MacBook Pro now offers up to a 4TB SSD.

Improved Performance

The 13-inch MacBook Pro lineup now offers 10th-generation quad-core Intel Core processors with Turbo Boost speeds of up to 4.1GHz. But not all the variants are powered b the 10th Gen processors, base variants of the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020 come with old, 1.4GHz quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processors, but the question is, Does it really matter? My answer is – maybe no because the difference between an 8th gen Intel CPU and the 10th gen Intel CPU if they’d used one in the MacBook Pro, is very small. The only time you’d see a big benefit going to that 10th gen chip is if you are doing stuff that graphically intense like video editing or playing games or anything that’s got graphical requirements, yes, the 10th gen chips will be better for it. Apple claims that the integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics delivers up to 80% improvement over the previous generation 13-inch MacBook Pro for 4K video editing, faster rendering, and smoother gameplay. According to Apple, the new graphics also enable users to connect to Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution.

The reason why Apple has used the 8th Gen Intel CPU in the base MacBook Pro’s is not everyone wants that extra GPU power for their workflow. So the fact that Apple is using those older 8th gen chips in the base model of MacBook Pro (2020) is actually a really good thing in our opinion because you know what else comes with the 10th Gen Intel CPUs? A fattie price tag. Every other windows laptop that was launched with the 10th gen Intel chips, they have been bumped up in the price by like $150 or maybe $200. Its something which is done by Intel and not any other brand.

So to keep the price of the base variant of the new MacBook Pro (2020) on the lower side, Apple decided to go with the 8th gen Intel chips for the base variant. Though Apple is using 8th gen chips that have slow GPU, they are using it with the very capable Quad-core processor which is really a good thing in our opinion.

The base variants of the new MacBook Pro comes with 8GB of RAM. The mid-variant of the MacBook Pro (2020) comes with a 16GB of faster 3733MHz memory and for the first time on a 13-inch MacBook, customers can choose a 32GB memory option. With 32GB of memory, users will experience better performance while running multiple virtual machines and up to 50 percent faster performance when editing gigapixel images in Photoshop.

The MacBook Pro (2020) also comes with the macOS Catalina out-of-the-box. The latest version of the most advanced OS makes your MacBook a perfect companion device to your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch with built-in Continuity features that allow users to make and receive phone calls without picking up their iPhone automatically unlock their Mac with Apple Watch, copy and paste images, video, and text straight from iPhone or iPad to a nearby the MacBook. It also supports Voice Control which lets users control their Mac entirely with their voice.

Design and Display of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020)

The refreshed MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020) with an aluminum unibody design, looks just the same as the previous generation MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, due to the change in keyboard from Butterfly to scissor mechanism-based Magical Keyboard, the new MacBook Pro has gained some weight and thickness as well. The new MacBook Pro is a little bit heavier 3.1 pounds, and 0.61 inches thick compared to 3.02 pounds and 0.59 inches thick for the previous model. Though the new MacBook Pro has gained some weight and thickness, it still feels as portable and sleek as the previous generation of the MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Pro (2020) comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports to start, just like its predecessor. You need to step up to the $1,799 configuration of the MacBook Pro if you want to have four Thunderbolt 3 ports in it.

The 2020 MacBook Pro comes with the same stunning and brilliant 13-inch Retina Display as the previous generations MacBook Pro. This display delivers more than 4 million pixels and millions of colors, along with 500 nits of brightness and it also supports the P3 wide color gamut. The panel also supports Apple’s True Tone technology, which changes the color temperature of the display based on ambient lighting conditions. It also comes with speakers that provide incredibly immersive wide-stereo sound. It also comes with the Touch ID sensor for secured payments and easy logins. Just like the previous-gen MacBook Pro, this year’s refreshed MacBook Pro also features a Touch Bar with dynamic and contextual controls and the industry-best Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and Multi-Touch navigation.

Best in Security and Privacy

The refreshed MacBook Pro 13-inch comes with Apple’s T2 security chip, which allows the MacBook Pro to deliver the most secure boot process and storage than any other machine out there. The T2 chip basically checks the software that loads during the Boot process has not tampered with and it provides best in class data encryption for everything stored on the SSD. The T2 chip also protects the Touch ID information, so making payments and entering passwords, stays safe.