16-Inch Macbook Pro Hands-On: Faster, Prettier, And All-Around Better (Especially The Keyboard)

First impressions of Apple’s new pro-grade laptop, which replaces the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

- Roman Loyola

Apple has announced the new 16-inch MacBook Pro (go. pcworld.com/nw16), which replaces the 15-inch models in Apple’s laptop lineup—and delivers some welcome updates to boot. I have a loaner unit and have already begun testing, so stay tuned for my final review. In the meantime, check out my first impressions here. The short story? This new 16-inch MacBook Pro—which is available for order on Apple’s website, and should now be available for sale in the Apple store—doesn’t completely rewrite the MacBook story, but it’s definitely better in some key areas.

KEYBOARD CHANGES

Critics, rejoice: Apple dumped the butterfly-mechanism keyboard that it’s been using in the MacBook Pro since 2016. The new 16-inch MacBook Pro keyboard uses a scissor mechanism, and is based on the keyboard for the iMac and iMac Pro.

This new keyboard doesn’t feel as stiff and hard as the previous, oft-maligned keyboard. The keys feel like they have a tiny bit more travel. With the previous MacBook keyboard, I always felt like I was slamming my fingers against a rock. But the new keyboard feels more like the keyboard on the 2015 MacBook Pro—and that’s a good thing. And it’s much quieter, too. Are you familiar with the pounding sound effect that emanates from the butterfly-mechanism keyboard? Yeah, it’s not there in the new model.