Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 - Full Review with Pros and Cons
Apple’s first attempt at its own laptop/desktop silicon and serious value for money, the M1 MacBooks, received a fantastic response. This is Apple’s second attempt, as evidenced by the recent unveiling of the 2021 MacBook Pro lineup. Is it now possible to justify the newer, higher price tag? Let’s see if we can figure it out in this review.
Build and Quality
Starting with the device’s build quality, Apple never fails to impress with its robust design and reliability. With a weight of almost 2.1 kilograms, it seems more secure, and the thickness is nearly the same, making it heavier to carry and move.
Design, Ports & Connectivity
For starters, the new MacBook 16″ features an eye-catching new design. The addition of modern connections, such as an HDMI port and an SDXC card slot, as well as three Thunderport 4 connectors rather than two, and the restoration of the Mag Safe charging port, is a welcome feature. This will eliminate the need for consumers to carry additional dongles with their laptops whenever and wherever they travel. We can charge the laptop with our standard type-C chargers thanks to Thunderbolt 4, which supports both display connectivity and charging.
Keyboard & Typing
Moving on to typing, Apple has removed the touch bar, which was not very well received by consumers, and replaced it with a full-fledged function key row, which may appeal to many. Since the removal of butterfly keyboards, the typical MacBook typing experience has been a joy, and this MacBook continues the tradition of giving a superb keyboard typing experience. The backlit keyboard is a godsend in dimly lit environments, as it always is.
Display
When looking at the display, everyone now recognizes the new ‘notch,’ which, while unusual for laptops, provides extra screen space while maintaining the same overall footprint. Apple now incorporates an XDR liquid retina display in the MacBook, which is a fancy way of displaying a newer and higher 120Hz refresh rate. The display now supports more colours, including over 1 billion compared to half a billion in the previous generation, making it more appealing to the eyes and improving viewing angles. While some may believe that greater refresh rates imply smoother operations, the higher refresh rate only kicks in when we scroll quickly enough to perceive a difference.
Performance
Apple’s second try at domestic laptop silicon proves to be a monster once again. It has 10 cores, but now there are 8 performance cores and just 2 efficiency cores. The M1 pro chip for the base and mid-trim, along with the M1 Max chip for the top-end trim, is now more powerful than ever, and the new 120Hz display is a breeze to operate with this truly powerful chip. People who have properly examined it claim that it can even play games, which is surprising given that Apple laptops are rarely used by gamers. To summarise, this new chip has once again proven to be a game-changer.
Trackpad
Following up on the trackpad, this, like Apple’s regular trackpads, has an outstanding trackpad experience with pressure-sensitive touch and numerous gesture inputs. Using the keyboard and mouse together is a joy. Touch ID, which uses a fingerprint scanner, is quick and effective. In case you’re wondering, the mouse pointer can go beyond the notch, and the notch can take up some space from the top bar, making a few options invisible or unavailable.
Speakers
Speakers are excellent, exactly like they were in the previous generation. The audio quality is great and rich, or one of the finest in the sector, according to several users. The volume is more than enough, and the sound profile will appeal to a wide range of listeners.
Battery Life
Pricing is, once again, one of the most significant components of any product; this 16-inch laptop now starts at a whopping Rs. 239900, up from Rs.122900 in the previous generation. This 117k gap is far too high a price to pay. Much for heavy users, equal or higher performing Windows counterparts with Ryzen 9 and GPUs are widely available for even less money.
Software Experience
Software is the most crucial of all; if it is not correctly optimized, performance may suffer. But, unsurprisingly, the MacBook is a joy to use, with very few software flaws. We got Mac OS Monterey with all new features on this MacBook. This new software makes sharing much simpler than before, but it is only available on Apple devices. They’re now attempting to push the Apple ecosystem even further by requiring new and improved connections solely on Apple devices. However, the software isn’t polished enough, and app support isn’t as good as it was last time.
However, with greater app support and support for iOS apps, we may be on our way to better app availability. Even yet, this is one of the few areas where Apple has to improve.
Pricing
Pricing is, once again, one of the most significant components of any product; this 16-inch laptop now starts at a whopping Rs. 239900, up from Rs.122900 in the previous generation. This 117k gap is far too high a price to pay. Much for heavy users, equal or higher performing Windows counterparts with Ryzen 9 and GPUs are widely available for even less money.
You may also check out the Full Review of the Apple MacBook 14 2021 here.
- Pros
- 120Hz Liquid Retina Display
- Amazing Battery life
- Powerful processor
- Great Speakers
- Cons
- A newer processor requires some optimization
- Heavy & bulky
- Expensive
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021
Acchaa
Such a nice Blog. After reading this I felt like buying this. But then I realised something called Bank balance.
Nice review