The Apple MacBook Pro 13 with M1 2020 is an all-in-one laptop with an unbeatable combination of power and performance. The Apple MacBook Pro was launched alongside the MacBook Air and introduced a new era into the Apple MacBook series. Despite the price, it’s one of the best laptops you can buy right now that’ll give you the pure value of your money. No matter the amount of workload thrown at this laptop, you’ll never see it stutter.
Thanks to the M1 chip, Apple has now paved way from the Intel CPU’s that has been powering its laptops for a while now. This upgrade brings in sheer performance and further improves the computer’s battery life.
However, the only downgrade here is that Apple hasn’t changed much in the designated aspect. If you have a 2019 or an early 2020 model, you’ll probably want to wait a few months to get the rumoured MacBook 2021 14-inch which is expected to launch with a new M1x chip. However, buying the Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 is still a nice upgrade though.
Looking for the best laptop to buy, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 will surely make a good choice. Fortunately, we’ve reviewed the total specs and features of the MacBook Pro 13 and have also compared its price with other competitors in the market.
Table of Contents
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 2020) Key Specs
- Display: 13.3-inch Retina
- Resolution: 2560 x 1600 pixels
- Processor: Apple M1
- Camera: 720P
- RAM: 8GB /16GB
- Storage: 256GB /512GB /1TB SSD
- Battery Capacity: up to 17-hour
- OS: macOS Big Sur
Design and Ports
The MacBook Pro 13 is one of the best gadgets Apple has released in a while now, thanks to the new M1 silicon chip that makes it the fastest laptop. However, you probably wouldn’t think about all this when you first get it out of the box as it has almost all the same design aspects as last year’s model.
With a dimension of 0.61 x 11.97 x 8.36-inches and 3pounds weight, it certainly looks and feels similar to last year model. So anyone looking to get a new design is certainly going to be disappointed but can decide to wait and buy the upcoming model. However, we feel like this is a huge downgrade to the computer as many fans anticipated to have something new with the introduction of the M1 chip and macOS Big Sur.
This is a big miss for Apple, but some of its fans argued that the MacBook Pro 13’s design is perfect and not worth changing. And that’s true as the laptop’s design is absolutely one of the best you can have this year, after all, it retains the MacBook’s slim nature. However, Apple’s rivals like Dell and HP are bringing in new design innovations including almost all screen bezels and 2-in-1 designs that let you also convert the laptop to a tablet.
Still on the Apple MacBook Pro 13’s design, the lack of touchscreen feature is disappointing in this era where most rivals are introducing it in their flagship laptops. And again, we’ll love to see the bezels reduced slightly but that would probably be on the next model. Also, the colour choices are not encouraging either as we’re still stuck with the silver and grey colours.
And again, the ports selection is still uninspiring with just a single headphone jack on the right side and two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on the other side. However, if you want more ports, you can decide to go for the pricier Intel-based MacBook Pro M1 comes with four Thunderbolt ports.
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Display
The 13-inch Retina Display on the MacBook Pro produces vibrant and good looking quality pictures. However, the bezels remain unchanged but we wish they were slightly trimmed to pave way for a wider viewing experience. Regardless, we were mesmerized by how bright the MacBook Pro 13 is, delivering an average of 439 nits of brightness level. By comparison, it’s higher than ZenBook 13 370 nits, but slightly below Dell XPS 13 469 nits of brightness.
Still, the Apple MacBook Pro 13’s display supports the P3 wide colour gamut, providing fantastic colour reproduction. The laptop’s display is good for photographers and video editors who need a bright laptop screen.
Hardware and Performance
Left for us, the best feature of the MacBook Pro 13 is its performance that bridges the barrier between you and getting things done swiftly. Apple claimed the MacBook Pro 13 M1 chip is 2.8 times faster and delivers impressive performance more than previous models.
For a fair review, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 performed really well notwithstanding the task thrown at it. Keeping multiple tabs open and swapping between them was done swiftly without any lag. Unlike the MacBook Air 13 (2020) which has a fanless design, Apple equipped the MacBook Pro 13 (2020) with fans that were never distracting. This helps to keep the laptop cool during heavy use. It makes the Pro model a better choice for fans that engage in intensive tasks like video editing or software development.
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 2020): Webcam
Beforehand, we didn’t expect to have the best webcam on this laptop. However, the 720p webcam quality was slightly improved and Apple deserves credit for that. We can now handle FHD photos with pictures taken without noise which is made possible by the M1 chip’s image processor.
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 2020): Keyboard and Touchpad
Maybe you’re still finding it difficult to get used to Apple’s Butterfly keyboard, then the MacBook Pro 13‘s tactile keyboard will make it much easier for you. The keyboard with amazing backlight colours is nice to behold and would be a dream to type on it in the night. Also, typing on the keyboard feels softer than the previous model’s Butterfly layout.
As for the touchpad, nothing much was changed in the design, but it’s now just as responsive as ever. Pinching, scrolling, or performing gestures are swift and allowing you to switch between apps seamlessly.
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 2021): macOS Big Sur
The macOS Big Sur is a coated feature to enhance the productivity of this machine. Yes, Apple is known for its creative prowess and we’re amazed at the Big Sur’s customisation options. This includes a revamped Control Center for easy navigation across the display, music controls, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings.
Safari users now have something more to enjoy as the Big Sur keeps on getting better with the extensions in the App Store and safer privacy. Also, Apple has made fantastic changes to the app’s icon including granting individual customisations. Fortunately, with macOS Big Sur you can now run your iPhone and iPad apps on your MacBook conveniently unlike before. The Apple MacBook Pro 13 software is one of the key selling points of this laptop.
Battery Capacity
Undoubtedly, this is one of the features that make the Apple MacBook Pro 13 one of the best laptops to buy this year. The laptop’s battery lasted for a whopping 16 hours on continuous web browsing using a Wi-fi connection. Of course, this is a nice upgrade compared to the Intel-based MacBook Pro 2020 (10 hours).
When it comes to comparison, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 is more durable than the MacBook Air (14-hour), Asus Zenbook 13 (13-hour), and Dell XPS 13 (11-hour). It’s hard to deny that the MacBook Pro 13 battery life is a beast in this category and surely what your buy if you’re a heavy user.
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 2020): Price in the US and Availability
The prices of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 starts at $1,299 for the 256GB variant with 8GB of RAM, while the 512GB and 8GB RAM model is selling at $1,399. What’s interesting is that the Apple MacBook Pro 13 storage can be configured up to 2TB which gives you more than enough space for your files and folders. Fortunately, you can buy the Apple MacBook Pro 13 at any reputable online and offline stores around the US.
For comparison, it was launched at the same price as the MacBook Pro (2020) launched earlier this year. So there’s no price hike although Apple has moved into its own silicon chip. We commend Apple on releasing the MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 2020) with amazing upgrades at the same price as its predecessor.
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