Apple releases MacBook Pro 13 with Magic Keyboard, priced from RM5,599

Six months after the MacBook Pro 16 was introduced, Apple has finally announced the new MacBook Pro 13. Apart from the usual internal hardware upgrades, the new MacBook Pro 13 uses Magic Keyboard instead of a butterfly keyboard. On top of that, you’ll also get a Touch Bar with a physical ESC key as standard.

The latest MacBook features Intel’s 10th gen quad-core Intel Core processors, however, the lower-spec options are still running on a quad-core 8th gen unit. Being a MacBook Pro, you can choose to spec it up to 32GB LPDDR4X RAM (3733MHz) and up to 4TB of SSD storage. As a comparison, the larger MacBook Pro 16 can be maxed out with 64GB of RAM and up to 8TB of SSD.

The 13.3″ screen uses an IPS panel and it pushes a resolution of 2560×1600 with a brightness of 500 nits. It uses an integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics which claims to deliver up to 80% faster performance than their previous generation MacBook Pro 13 for 4K video editing, rendering and gaming. It is also capable to push 6K resolution on Apple’s Pro Display XDR.

Similar to the previous-gen MacBook Pro 13, you’ll get just 2 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports on the lower-spec model, while the higher-spec option comes with a total of 4 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. The MacBook is also equipped with a T2 Security chip which protects your Touch ID information and provides on-the-fly data encryption for your SSD storage.

The laptop also comes with a 720p FaceTime HD webcam and it has stereo speakers with support for Dolby Atmos Playback. There’s still a 3.5mm headphone jack and it comes with 3-mic array with directional beam forming. However, the spec sheet lacks the “studio-quality” mics that are currently offered on the MacBook Pro 16.

Out of the box, it runs on the latest macOS Catalina which is packed with the latest features including Continuity and SideCar. In case you missed it, SideCar allows you to turn your iPad into a secondary screen for your MacBook. On a full charge, it boasts up to 10 hours of battery life. The MacBook Pro 13 is 1.56cm thin and it weighs 1.4kg, which is 110g more than the MacBook Air. Included is a 61W USB-C power adapter.

MacBook Pro 13 Pricing

In Malaysia, the MacBook Pro 13 starts from RM5,599 for the base model that runs on a 1.4GHz quad-core 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB LPDDR3 RAM and 256GB of SSD. The same model is priced from RM5,169 for those who are eligible for Apple’s student pricing.

Meanwhile, the higher-spec model starts from RM7,999 with a 2.0GHz quad-core 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor with 16GB LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB of SSD. The new MacBook Pro 13 is already listed on the Malaysian Apple Online store but it isn’t available for purchase at the moment.

In the meantime, you can check out our review of the MacBook Pro 16.

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