Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017
Specifications
Price comparison
Average of 15 scores (from 17 reviews)
Reviews for the Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017
Annoying fan. The MacBook Pro 13 without Touch Bar gets the Kaby Lake update as well. Thanks to the lower price, longer battery runtimes, and function keys, the entry-level model could potentially be the better choice for many users. However, you also get a slightly less powerful processor as well as an annoying fan.
Source: KingSener
Support, online available, Very Long, Date: 03/05/2025
Source: Laptop Mag
Archive.org versionThe new MacBook Pro is an excellent ultraportable with a brighter display, more compact design, and superb battery life, but it's not the fastest.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 12/10/2018
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: It Pro
Archive.org versionIf you can stomach the eye-watering price and you don't mind going without the traditional complement of ports, the new MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops money can buy. Speed, power and razor-sharp design sensibilities make it an absolute delight to use.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/20/2018
Rating: Total score: 100%
Source: Macworld.co.uk
Archive.org versionIf you are a user who needs a decent amount of power but you are baulking at the price of the 15-inch MacBook Pro the 13-inch model may well suffice, and if you need a bigger screen you can just plug it into a separate display. But if you are a creative pro looking for a powerful machine to match your graphics needs you aren’t going to find what you want in the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/23/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Computer Shopper
Archive.org versionIf you can live without top models' glitzy Touch Bar, you might get Apple's best laptop bargain, though you'll want to invest in a storage upgrade and USB-C adapters.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 10/23/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Macworld.co.uk
Archive.org versionIf you are a user who needs a decent amount of power but you are baulking at the price of the 15-inch MacBook Pro the 13-inch model may well suffice, and if you need a bigger screen you can just plug it into a separate display. But if you are a creative pro looking for a powerful machine to match your graphics needs you aren’t going to find what you want in the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/18/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Mag
Archive.org versionThe base model MacBook Pro gets an updated processor and a price drop, making it the best choice for Mac shoppers who want a blend of power and relative affordability.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/27/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: It Pro
Archive.org versionIf you can stomach the eye-watering price and you don't mind going without the traditional complement of ports, the new MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops money can buy. Speed, power and razor-sharp design sensibilities make it an absolute delight to use.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 07/10/2017
Rating: Total score: 100%
Source: Stuff TV
Archive.org versionWith macOS High Sierra set to arrive later in the year and streamline performance even further, this absolute workhorse of a laptop will be able to handle anything you can throw at it today, and will still be ticking over years down the line.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/21/2017
Rating: Total score: 100%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Ofertaman
ES→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Compact size; good price.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 01/25/2018
Source: Saggiamente
IT→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Compact size; nice display; comfortable keyboard; decent ergonomy; high autonomy. Negative: High price; no SD card reader.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/13/2018
Source: Tweakers
NL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 05/09/2018
Rating: Total score: 100%
Source: Tweakers
NL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 04/06/2018
Rating: Total score: 40%
Source: Tweakers
NL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 12/13/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Tweakers
NL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/23/2017
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Lyd og Billede
DA→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/05/2017
Rating: Total score: 83%
Source: Ljud och Bild
SV→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/08/2017
Rating: Total score: 83%
Comment
Model: The Apple MacBook Pro 13 2017 does not look any different to last year’s model. It has the same svelte, all-aluminium chassis that feels immensely sturdy, the same Space Grey or Silver color choices, and the same shiny Apple logo etched into the lid. At a little under 1.4 kg, it’s not so light that user won’t notice it sitting in a bag, but it won’t give back strain just lifting the thing either. It’s only 15 mm thick, which is significantly skinnier than the previous generation design. There are lighter and thinner laptops out there but few of them can match it in terms of power as well as portability. Also unchanged for 2017 is the lack of connectivity at the sides. Users are going to need to pick up some dongles, as they only get a grand total of two USB-C ports. They double up as Thunderbolt 3 ports, so are super-quick when user plug in a compatible bit of hardware, but all other old gear is will require some kind of adapter. The MacBook Pro’s 2.560 x 1.600 pixels are plenty. The 13.3-inch panel is absolutely bursting with detail. Photos and videos are bursting with detail, but it is color vibrancy and accuracy where the screen really stands out. It covers the wide DCI-P3 color gamut. It really shows, with brilliantly bright hues, crisp pure whites and deep, inky blacks all sharing screen time together. Graphics professionals will be more than happy with the complete sRGB coverage. Brightness is impressive as well. Apple says it can hit an eyeball-searing 500 nits, which enables users to work outdoors and still see everything on screen clearly.
Essentially, Apple has made the jump to Intel’s 7th generation Kaby Lake processors, which squeeze a little more performance out of the silicon than last year’s Skylake CPUs, without sapping any extra electricity from the battery. The 8 GB of RAM and crazy quick 256 GB PCIe SSD help keep MacOS running to speed. For graphics, it features an integrated Intel Iris Plus 640 graphics unit, which are better suited to decoding 4K video. This chip is also capable of some light gaming. When it comes to getting work done, there is nothing quite like the MacBook Pro. It’s all down to the backlit keyboard, which uses Apple’s custom butterfly switch design. Each key has a minuscule 0.7 mm of travel, but needs more force than a regular keyboard to activate. This non-Touch Bar model has physical function keys, which might not be as fancy or futuristic, but they aren’t draining battery life just by sitting there, which is a bonus. Pick up a MacBook Pro today and it will arrive with MacOS 10.12 Sierra. Apple’s last big update landed in 2016 and added useful extras like Siri and Picture-in-Picture mode. It also gave users an excellent iCloud integration throughout the operating system, which is very handy for anyone with an iPhone or iPad. The Macbook Pro is already a solid choice for professional users. This update made it even better. The price may be quite steep but to many, this is not a reason not to get it.
Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640: Integrated graphics card (GT3e), which is used for some Kaby Lake CPUs (ULV models, 15 Watts).
Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
i5-7360U: Kaby-Lake based ULV-SoC (System on a Chip) for thin notebooks and Ultrabooks. Integrates two CPU cores clocked at 2.3-3.6 GHz as well as an Iris Plus Graphics 640 GPU clocked at 300 - 1000 MHz and 64 MB eDRAM. Manufactured in a 14nm process.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
13.30":
There are hardly any tablets in this display size range anymore. For subnotebooks, on the other hand, it is the standard format.
The advantage of subnotebooks is that the entire laptop can be small and therefore easily portable. The smaller display also has the advantage of requiring less power, which further improves battery life and thus mobility. The disadvantage is that reading texts is more strenuous on the eyes. High resolutions are more likely to be found in standard laptops.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Apple: Apple is a US company founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, the company is known for its innovative products such as the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, and manufactures computers and consumer electronics as well as operating systems and application software. Apple is also a leading provider of software and services such as the App Store, iTunes and iCloud.
Apple has earned a reputation as a company that focuses on design and ease of use. As for their notebooks, they are mostly in the high-priced segment, have their own operating system, but also run Windows on the newer Macbooks.
Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world and has a loyal following of customers and fans. The company also has a strong presence in the entertainment industry, with services like Apple Music and Apple TV+. In 2023, Apple had an approximate 8% market share of global PC sales, ranking it 4th after Lenovo, HP, and Dell.
82.27%: This rating is slightly above average, there are somewhat more devices with worse ratings. However, clear purchase recommendations look different.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
