Apple MacBook Pro 16 – 2019
16", Intel Core i9-9880H, 16 GB, 1000 GB, CH
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
29 reviews
Great notebook with slight drawbacks
Almost everyone knows the positive points of the Macbook.
- great display
- great speakers
- great keyboard
- great trackpad
- etc.
However, here are the few points that still prevent a perfect notebook:
1. teething troubles
Already my last MacBook Pro arrived as an immature apple and matured over 1 year via various firmware updates. The new MacBook Pro 16 also struggles again with inexplicable and explainable heat and ventilation problems.
Explainable:
When the i9 processor and the Radeon Pro 5500M graphics card are really challenged together (3D shooter), I always wonder whether this is an Apple or a Dyson. That's when you realise that you're really at the limit of the possible cooling performance in this limited space. Under both Mac OS X and Windows, I was only able to play longer games with constant frames if I deactivated the processor's Turbo Boost. Otherwise, the frame rate dropped sharply after a while. With an eGPU, on the other hand, the notebook stays nice and quiet - even with Turbo Boost activated.
Inexplicable:
You connect a second monitor via USB-C to the Macbook and look out of the window after 2 minutes. Is that a helicopter flying by - no, it's the MacBook Pro fan again, revving up like the nice Porsche driver at the traffic lights the other day. Inexplicable solutions - you have to close the notebook lid (clamshell) with the monitor connected according to various forum contributions - at least it helped me. Now it works without a fan concert. Supposedly Turbo Boost deactivation helps again - well, that's why I bought the i9, so I always have to trim it. Soon I'll be enrolling at university for the course "Correctly connecting an external monitor to the MacBook Pro".
Also, the MacBook Pro seems to be as picky as a pea princess about where you connect which cables - see https://www.notebookcheck.com/Warum-man-....
2. frugality:
Power supply:
- At maximum CPU & GPU load, the 100 watt power supply doesn't manage to maintain power without an internal battery. The battery is slowly sucked dry.
- Clunkiness and grounding
For a notebook costing about CHF 3000, the standard Apple power supply has no grounding (no, I don't love the feeling of light electric shocks, otherwise I'd go to the cinema to see Fifty Shades of Grey) - so you have to buy an additional power cable with grounding for about CHF 30 (https://www.digitec.ch/de/s1/product/apple-mk122da-notebook-netzteil-11561740) for which you can almost get a mini-computer like the Rasberry Pi x.
In addition, the original Apple mains adapter without extension blocks the adjacent sockets at the power outlet. All the colleagues at work are happy when the Apple nerd takes over three sockets again.Ingeniously processed, very fast and robust.
It's the ultimate notebook for me.
Pro
- 16" screen
- Brilliant resolution and colours
- Simply Mac like
Contra
- The connections are becoming fewer and fewer
This review was created for a different variant: MacBook Pro 16 – 2019 (16", Intel Core i9-9880H, 16 GB, 1000 GB, CH)
If you need a macOS-based portable laptop with plenty of power, you won't compromise with this MacBook.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro does right what the old 15-inch model did wrong, while retaining good features like the TouchBar and unbeatable build quality.
With a new keyboard that's comfortable to type on and an even bigger display, it's a perfect workhorse. From simple Word tasks, where the MacBook can easily run for several hours on its 100Wh battery, to the fast compilation of complex code thanks to the i9 processor, the MacBook has become an indispensable work tool for me. Even the dedicated graphics cards can keep up with more graphically complex tasks.
If I want to listen to some music while working, headphones are no longer necessary, as the integrated speakers come close to the quality of some Bluetooth speakers. (As a test, I used a JBL Charge 3 and a UE Wonderboom, and the MacBook alone had almost the same sound quality as the UE Wonderboom) Only at high volume does the MacBook weaken a little in the bass, but that's completely fine for the thickness of the device.
For applications that still need a normal USB-A port or an SD card reader, there is a dongle, which didn't bother me because they are usually small and handy. Using Thunderbolt 3 devices, such as the LG 34WK95U, a display, keyboard and mouse can be connected via a single cable. In addition, the MacBook is charged, which eliminates the need for tangled cables under and on the desk.
At around 2 kg, the device is not really light, and the dimensions are also relatively large in accordance with the 16" screen. However, since I carry it in a backpack, the weight has not been a problem so far.Pro
- Usable keyboard
- Good and large 16" display
- Top workmanship
- Battery life
- Good speakers
- Trackpad is large and comfortable to use
Contra
- 720p webcam
This review was created for a different variant: MacBook Pro 16 – 2019 (16", Intel Core i9-9880H, 16 GB, 1000 GB, CH)
Great service as usual
Pro
- Quick delivery
- Great service
Beautiful, fast and efficient
Since day 1 I have been ultra happy with my MacBook Pro. Looking forward to starting my computer science studies, with the MacBook!
Pro
- Design
- Screen
- Speakers and microphones
- Touchbar and new Scissors-switch keyboard
- Battery
- .4x Thunderbolt 3
- Intel Core i9 processor
Contra
- 720p resolution on webcam
- Meeega expensive, but quality has its price
Nothing to criticise.
Was delivered quickly and is in very good condition. 😊
This review was created for a different variant: MacBook Pro 16 – 2019 (16", Intel Core i9-9880H, 16 GB, 1000 GB, CH)
6 out of 29 reviews
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