The new MacBook Pro models recently released by Apple offer the biggest performance improvements compared with their predecessors since 2011, according to benchmarking scores on Geekbench.
All the changes in the 2018 MacBook Pro models are under the hood, and it looks like Apple will not disappoint fans of the laptop line. The new MacBook Pro is now available online and in Apple retail stores, with the 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starting at $1,799 and the 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starting at $2,399.
New MacBook Pro Performance
Geekbench took a quick look at the performance of the 2018 MacBook Pro models through Geekbench 4, which is a cross-platform CPU and GPU benchmarking tool. Geekbench noted that the final Geekbench scores may take several days to complete for new macOS machines due to several startup tasks running the background. However, preliminary results already show good news for fans of the MacBook Pro line.
According to the Geekbench results, single-core performance was up by 12 percent to 15 percent for the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, while multi-core performance was up by 39 percent to 46 percent.
Meanwhile, for the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, single-core performance increased by 3 percent to 11 percent and multi-core performance improved by a whopping 81 percent to 86 percent.
The improved performance was attributed to higher Turbo Boost frequencies and additional cores. In addition, the new 15-inch models introduced DDR4 memory.
"The 2018 MacBook Pro is the most substantial upgrade (at least regarding performance) since the introduction of quad-core processors in the 2011 MacBook Pro," wrote Primate Labs founder John Poole.
For MacBook Pro fans, perhaps the best part about the Geekbench results is that the scores are not yet final. They are expected to further increase over the coming weeks, for even better improvements compared with their predecessors.
Macbook Pro 2018 Review
Apple's announcement of the two new 2018 MacBook Pro models focused on performance improvements. Examples of the changes include the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar upgrading its processor from dual-core CPUs to eighth generation, quad-core i5 and i7 models, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar upgrading from quad-core CPUs to current-generation six-core i7 and i9 processors.
The new MacBook Pro models look very similar to their predecessors, but there appears to be at least one physical change. Apple introduced a different configuration of the butterfly keyboard mechanism on the upgraded laptops, in a bid to make an improvement on the controversial keyboards of older MacBooks. However, it remains to be seen whether the hidden silicon membrane layer will do enough to fix the problem.
