MacBook Pro 15-inch (2017) review

It’s always an event when Apple launches a MacBook, both literally and figuratively. This year though MacBook Pro fans will have to settle for an internal spec improvement rather than radical design overhaul.

As has been the case since Apple ditched the 17-inch MacBook Pro back in 2012, there are two sizes of MacBook Pro in the 13-inch and the 15-inch models. As we said in our preview of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 15-inch model is more deserving of the name 'Pro' than it's smaller sibling. However, is it truly a pro machine?

The Pro status of Apple’s 15-inch MacBook depends on what sort of ‘pro’ you are. Traditionally creative pros would have turned to the Mac for their needs, be it design work, editing photos, working with video and animation, or other jobs that require decent graphic capabilities.

Other MacBook Pro users might include gamers, programmers, and office workers who need a capable Mac with a larger screen than the 13-inches offered by the other Mac laptops.

We will be considering all these users as we evaluate the 2017 15-inch MacBook Pro. Is the new MacBook Pro going to answer their requirements or would they be better off with a different Mac, or dare we say, a PC or Linux machine.

The two changes to the MacBook Pro models launched at WWDC in June 2017 are the Kaby Lake processors and the improved graphics. Do those updates combine to make this a five star machine?

Price and availability

The MacBook Pro remains an expensive computer:

• 2.8GHz Kaby Lake i7 quad-core processor, Touch Bar, 16GB RAM, 256GB storage, Radeon Pro 555, £2,349/$2,399

• 2.9GHz Kaby Lake i7 quad-core processor, Touch Bar, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, Radeon Pro 560, £2,699/$2,799

Build-to-order options:

• 3.1GHz Kaby Lake i7 quad-core processor + £190/$200

• 1TB SSD + £360/$400

• 2TB SSD + £1,080/$1,200

Apple also offers the older 2015 Broadwell chip 15-inch MacBook Pro priced at £1,899/$1,999. It is now the only MacBook that Apple sells, in any line and any screen size, that has ports such as USB-A, HDMI and an SD card slot.

Design and build quality

Reservations about the price aside, this is out and out a premium laptop. For a 15-inch device it is remarkably slim, keeping an identical profile to the 2016 model. Our review unit was Space Grey, our preferred colour, but you can go for the classic MacBook silver too.

This means you are faced with a stunning Retina display with pleasingly thin bezels a full size keyboard with Apple’s improved second-generation butterfly keys and that now famous (infamous?) Touch Bar. We’ll get more into that further in.