Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Late 2011) Review by bad-apple 2012/01/29 08:28
While the MacBook Pro 15-inch makes a great workhorse, its not exactly the most portable notebook around. If you do move around a lot, then you should look at the MacBook Pro 13-inch, which offers the same level of performance (almost) and is the perfect size to slip into your backpack without it becoming a burden. Today, well take the Late 2011 version of the 13 incher for a quick spin to see whats what.
Design and Build
We had mentioned this before and well say it again, from outside the new MacBook Pro 13-inch is virtually identical to the Early 2011 models and this goes for all the other MacBook Pros as well. Theres absolutely no way of telling them apart, other than cross referencing the last four digits of the serial number. The only way to tell if its the new version is to check the box or through the OS, once its booted up.
Features
Like tradition, all new refreshed Apple products come with slight improvements, but for the exact same price as the earlier one. They sent us their high-end 13-inch Pro, which gets a processor bump from a 2.7GHZ Core i7 to a 2.8GHz Core i7. Its actually the Core i7-2640M, a dual-core processor with four threads built on the same 32nm fabrication process. Due to the slightly higher clock speed, the Turbo frequency has gone up to 3.5GHz. The Late 2011 model also comes with a larger capacity hard drive, as default; 750GB as opposed to 500GB from before. Sadly, this is where the differences end as everything else is identical to the Early 2011 models. We wished Apple would have given you the option to add a discrete graphics card as well.
Performance
In terms of performance, it manages to put on a good show, but is nowhere as good as its bigger brothers. Compared to the Early 2011 model of the bigger MacBook Pro 15-inch, the small guy still lags behind, mostly because of the slower processor and lack of a dedicated graphics card. While the higher clock speed may seem like its faster than the 15-inch, remember that the 15 incher had a quad-core CPU, which the 13 incher only has a dual-core. This difference can clearly be seen in Cinebench R11.5, where the MacBook Pro scored 4.4pts. The OpenGL test is nothing to shout about, as theres really no comparison between the Intel HD graphics and dedicated AMD GPU. We see the same performance difference in XBench, as well, where the 15-inch scored 8631 points.
While the MacBook Pro 15-inch makes a great workhorse, its not exactly the most portable notebook around. If you do move around a lot, then you should look at the MacBook Pro 13-inch, which offers the same level of performance (almost) and is the perfect size to slip into your backpack without it becoming a burden. Today, well take the Late 2011 version of the 13 incher for a quick spin to see whats what.
Design and Build
We had mentioned this before and well say it again, from outside the new MacBook Pro 13-inch is virtually identical to the Early 2011 models and this goes for all the other MacBook Pros as well. Theres absolutely no way of telling them apart, other than cross referencing the last four digits of the serial number. The only way to tell if its the new version is to check the box or through the OS, once its booted up.
Features
Like tradition, all new refreshed Apple products come with slight improvements, but for the exact same price as the earlier one. They sent us their high-end 13-inch Pro, which gets a processor bump from a 2.7GHZ Core i7 to a 2.8GHz Core i7. Its actually the Core i7-2640M, a dual-core processor with four threads built on the same 32nm fabrication process. Due to the slightly higher clock speed, the Turbo frequency has gone up to 3.5GHz. The Late 2011 model also comes with a larger capacity hard drive, as default; 750GB as opposed to 500GB from before. Sadly, this is where the differences end as everything else is identical to the Early 2011 models. We wished Apple would have given you the option to add a discrete graphics card as well.
Performance
In terms of performance, it manages to put on a good show, but is nowhere as good as its bigger brothers. Compared to the Early 2011 model of the bigger MacBook Pro 15-inch, the small guy still lags behind, mostly because of the slower processor and lack of a dedicated graphics card. While the higher clock speed may seem like its faster than the 15-inch, remember that the 15 incher had a quad-core CPU, which the 13 incher only has a dual-core. This difference can clearly be seen in Cinebench R11.5, where the MacBook Pro scored 4.4pts. The OpenGL test is nothing to shout about, as theres really no comparison between the Intel HD graphics and dedicated AMD GPU. We see the same performance difference in XBench, as well, where the 15-inch scored 8631 points.
bad-apple 2012/01/29 08:28
Battery Life
The 13-inch MacBook Pro delivered an amazing 7 hours of battery life in our video drain test. This consisted of a 720p MP4 movie, which we played in a loop, till it finally died. Brightness was set to 75 percent, Wi-Fi was off and we had a pair of headphones plugged into the notebook at 70 percent volume. While the battery life will deplete over time, one way to ensure a longer lifespan is to complete entire charge and discharge cycles.
Verdict
The Late 2011 model replaces the earlier MacBook Pro 13-inch for the same price of Rs.84,900, while the cheaper one with a 2.4GHz Core i5 CPU retails for Rs.69,900. Considering a little more money can fetch your the 15-inch model thats also a lot more powerful, the 13-inch feels quite expensive. The few things it has going for it over its elder siblings is the better battery life and the fact that its more portable. Mind you, its still quite a heavy little fellow. If you want a fully-featured, portable MacBook, then the 13 incher is the way to go, else you can't really go wrong with the 15 incher.
Battery Life
The 13-inch MacBook Pro delivered an amazing 7 hours of battery life in our video drain test. This consisted of a 720p MP4 movie, which we played in a loop, till it finally died. Brightness was set to 75 percent, Wi-Fi was off and we had a pair of headphones plugged into the notebook at 70 percent volume. While the battery life will deplete over time, one way to ensure a longer lifespan is to complete entire charge and discharge cycles.
Verdict
The Late 2011 model replaces the earlier MacBook Pro 13-inch for the same price of Rs.84,900, while the cheaper one with a 2.4GHz Core i5 CPU retails for Rs.69,900. Considering a little more money can fetch your the 15-inch model thats also a lot more powerful, the 13-inch feels quite expensive. The few things it has going for it over its elder siblings is the better battery life and the fact that its more portable. Mind you, its still quite a heavy little fellow. If you want a fully-featured, portable MacBook, then the 13 incher is the way to go, else you can't really go wrong with the 15 incher.
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