The new MacBook Pro is the black sheep in Apple’s product line, at least according to a new review.
Apple’s latest MacBook Pro has failed to receive a buy recommendation from Consumer Reports, making it the first MacBook in history to lack this stamp of approval. Consumer Reports cites extreme inconsistencies with battery performance as the key issue for withholding their recommendation.
Apple claims that the new MacBook Pro boasts 10 hours of battery life, but Consumer Reports found battery life to range widely from less than 4 hours to as long as 19 hours. Average battery life may be 10 hours, but this average performance can’t be guaranteed.
“With the widely disparate figures we found in the MacBook Pro tests, an average wouldn’t reflect anything a consumer would be likely to experience in the real world,” wrote Jerry Beilinson, a reviewer at Consumer Reports. This is a real departure from past MacBooks. Most Apple laptops have scored well in [Consumer Reports’] battery test.
Consumer Reports conducted several lab tests of three MacBook Pro models: 15-inch with touch bar, 13-inch with touch bar, and 13-inch without touch bar. Each model showed this type of inconsistent battery performance. According to Consumer Reports, a typical laptop’s battery life does vary but only by about 5 percent.
The new MacBook Pro’s lackluster battery life is not only an anomaly for overall laptop performance, but it also marks a major downgrade by Apple standards. “This is a real departure from past MacBooks. Most Apple laptops have scored well in our battery test, typically lasting much longer than the manufacturer has claimed,” the blog post continued. “For instance, a previous 13-inch MacBook Pro model lasted an exceptional 19 hours in Consumer Reports testing.”
The new MacBook Pro received 4 out of 5 mice in the Macworld review, and Macworld wasn’t able to replicate the type of battery issues that plagued the Consumer Reports team. Macworld found battery life during an iTunes movie playback to last 9 hours. However, Macworld also found that relying solely on the high performance graphics, the MacBook Pro takes a big hit on battery life.
Watch Macworld’s video review of the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar below.
This story, “MacBook Pro is the first Apple laptop Consumer Reports won’t recommend” was originally published by
Macworld.
