The new MacBook Pro display has an odd mix of rounded corners at the top, and square ones at the bottom

Apple’s new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models have started shipping to customers globally with early reviews and observations from new owners on social media positive.  The new MacBook is an interesting and somewhat controversial design. It is thicker in profile than we’ve seen from Apple in the recent past as well as being a little heavier; but in return users get much better thermals, incredible battery life and a greater variety of ports. 

Of course, its most controversial design feature is the latest of Apple’s polarising display notches. While most can understand the design trade-off for the notch on the iPhone allows for the introduction of the popular Face ID biometric authentication technology, the absence of Face ID in the new MacBook Pro notch (the lid is too thin apparently) makes it less explicable. Apple says it gives users additional screen space by pushing the menu bar up while retaining a 16:10 display ratio below. But oddities like the cursor disappearing under the notch still make it a head scratching decision. 

However, in our early hands-on time with the new 14-inch MacBook Pro model we have uncovered yet another display quirk with display. Previous MacBook panels have squared off bezel corners at the top and bottom of their displays. This is oddly not true for the new MacBook Pro models. Instead, for some mystifying reason, the top bezel corners are rounded, while the bottom corners remain squared off as in the past. It's another strange design anomaly for a company that typically likes keeping its designs uniform and clean.

Like the new MacBook Pro display notch, this latest peculiarity will likely blend into the background with regular use, but it did catch us by surprise.

Buy a 2020 Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch with M1 chip from Amazon for US$1,169.