Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch (2020): Gets the Basics Right

A controversial keyboard once present on every Apple laptop is now a thing of the past.

- TOM BRANT

The new-for-2020 13-inch MacBook Pro was the last Mac notebook waiting to be updated with the new Magic Keyboard, following its introduction on the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the 2020 MacBook Air. The Magic Keyboard ditches the extremely shallow keys of the previous design, adding travel distance and stability in a bid to please people who type on their laptops all day long. Also new on our review unit are an updated 10th Generation Intel processor, faster memory, and more storage. The upgrades are nice if you can afford them, but most people will be satisfied with the base configuration instead, which retains our Editors’ Choice for the best Mac laptop.

TWO MAIN MODELS, ONE NEW KEYBOARD

Apple sells two main configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Physically, they’re nearly identical. Both have the Magic Keyboard and a thin touch-enabled mini-screen forward of the keyboard called the Touch Bar. They also share the same dimensions: 0.61 by 12 by 8.4 inches (HWD) and 3.1 pounds. The main way you can tell them apart from the outside is by the number of ports. The entry-level configuration ($1,299) has just two USB Type-C ports on the left side, but the upgraded version reviewed here ($1,799 ) offers an additional two USB Type-C connectors on the right, for a total of four.