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13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors. Supported scaled resolutions: 1680 by 1050. 1440 by 900. 1024 by 640.
- Apple’s little MacBook Pro gets a big refresh
- Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020): Two-minute review
- Will there be an Apple M2 chip?
- Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020): Price and availability
- Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020): Design
- Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020): Performance
- Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020): Battery life
- Buy it if...
- Don't buy it if...
Reviews
By Matt Hanson
published 2 February 2022
Recommended
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is the most powerful model of the line so far.
(Image: © Future)
Despite being two years old, the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch is still a great laptop and holds its own against newer laptops. The MacBook Pro 13-inch launched in 2020 with the M1 chip, replacing previous Intel processors that used to power Apple computers and ushering in a new era of Apple computer technology.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch is still superior to the early 2020 model it replaced because of the impressive tech upgrades it received. It’s 2.8 times faster than the earlier model, three times as quick as comparable Windows laptops, and has a longer battery life than the earlier 2020 model.
The only potential downside of the MacBook Pro 13-inch is it keeps the original design of the earlier 2020 model, which can be good or bad depending on how you think about it. On the one hand, the previous design of the Apple MacBook Pro was great - thin, light, and featuring the impressive Magic Keyboard. Conversely, it would have been interesting to see Apple take up a new design for the MacBook Pro 13-inch to match the formerly new M1 chip.
While the MacBook Pro 13-inch is no longer the most recent professional laptop from Apple, you should still consider buying one because of its impressive interior hardware and decent price tag. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models may be the newest releases, but they can get expensive and you may not need all of their capabilities depending on what you use your laptop for.
The MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models are equipped with the more powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, which are perfect for creative professionals or content creators, but may be more powerful than what you need if you’re just in the market for a new laptop that doesn’t need the extra processing power.
•Apple Macbook Pro 13" (M1 2020) at Walmart for $1,299
With the Apple M1 chip released in 2020 and follow-up, more powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max chips found in Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch devices, it’s entirely possible we’ll see a new M2 chip revealed at the 2022 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. WWDC 2022 will last from Monday, June 6 to Friday, June 10, with people already guessing what might be unveiled.
Given the age of the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch and how it was the first model to introduce the M1 chip, it makes sense that Apple might release a new M2 chip in a new, potentially upgraded version of the MacBook Pro 13-inch. There have also been supply chain rumours indicating that a MacBook Pro with an M2 chip will be released within 2022, further cementing the idea we could see it at WWDC 2022.
Prices for the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) start at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,999 for the 256GB SSD/8GB RAM model, with the 2TB SSD/16GB RAM model selling for $2,299 / £2,299 / AU$3,499.
Both models come with the same M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, and storage can be configured up to 2TB.
For comparison, the MacBook Pro (2020) launched earlier in 2020 for $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,999, so we're not seeing the price cut on the MacBook Pro some were hoping to see now that Apple has moved to its own silicon, but we commend Apple for releasing this version at the same price as the previous model.
What’s interesting is that the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) is available with the same M1 chip, and with the same amount of RAM and 512GB storage, for $1,249 / £1,249 / AU$1,949. Usually, we wouldn't compare the MacBook Pro with the MacBook Air, but considering how close the specs are, and the fact that MacBook Air also features a screen that supports the P3 color gamut, previously exclusive to MacBook Pros, there may be some people who think going for the Air is a better choice, especially as it comes with double the capacity for less money.
However, the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) has a fanless design, whereas the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) still has fans. This means the MacBook Air is limited in how long it can run intensive tasks for before its performance is throttled in order to prevent overheating, due to there being no fans to cool it down.
If you’re going to have your machine working for hours on end on rendering tasks, for example, then the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) will be worth the extra outlay.
Spec Sheet
Here is the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020) configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: Apple M1 (8-core)
Graphics: Integrated 8-core GPU
RAM: 8GB Unified PDDR4X-4266 MHz SDRAM
Screen: 13.3-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 Retina display (backlit LED, IPS, 500 nits brightness, wide color P3 gamut)
Benchmarks
Here’s how the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Cinebench R23 CPU: Single-Core: 1,491; Multi-core: 7,768
Geekbench 5 Single-Core: 1,732; Multi-Core: 7,590
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 13 hours and 22 minutes
In our time with the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) we were been impressed by its performance. Apple talked a big game about the M1 chip, and claims that its CPU is 2.8 times faster at building Xcode projects, and delivers twice as fast vector performance in Affinity Photo, plus 5.9 times the 3D title render speeds in Final Cut Pro and 2.9 times the performance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider thanks to its GPU.
At the time of its release, Apple has claimed that the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has the "longest battery life ever in a Mac", promising a huge 17 hours of wireless web browsing, and up to 20 hours of video playback – a whopping 10 hours more than the previous model.
Again, these are big claims from Apple, and by its very nature you’re going to be using the MacBook Pro 13-inch for more intensive tasks than that, but we’ve usually found Apple’s battery claims to be pretty on the mark.
In our battery life benchmark test, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) lasted 13 hours and 22 minutes. During this test we play a looped 1080p video with the screen at 50% brightness until the battery dies. Now, while that isn't quite as long as the 20 hours Apple was claiming, it's still a very impressive score, and a decent improvement over the earlier 2020 Intel model, which lasted 8 hours and 31 minutes in the same test.
That around a 5-hour bump - seriously impressive. It's also longer than the MacBook Pro 16-inch 2019's record of 11 hours and 41 minutes, and also beats the latest Dell XPS 13 Late 2020 model, which scored 11 hours.
You want a powerful (and small) MacBook
The MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has had an impressive power boost thanks to the M1 chip. It's genuinely quite exciting what Apple has achieved here.
You want excellent battery life
Normally powerful laptops have to make do with short battery lives, but the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) manages to balance performance with a battery life that can last well beyond the whole work day.
You want to edit ultra-high definition videos
The performance of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is good enough to easily handle 4K - and even 8K - videos. This is impressive stuff.
You're on a budget
While the MacBook Pro 13-inch is the most affordable MacBook Pro, it's still very expensive. Meanwhile, the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), offers similar performance in many areas, for quite a bit less.
You want a graphical powerhouse
While the 13-inch MacBook Pro is no slouch in the performance department, it still relies on integrated graphics, which means it's not great at seriously intensive graphical tasks.
You don't like Apple's designs
Once again, Apple hasn't made any big changes to the overall design of the MacBook Pro 13-inch. It's now been a few years, and if you didn't like how it looked before, this won't change your mind.
- matthew.hanson@futurenet.com
- Apple
- Managing Editor, Core Tech
May 7, 2020 · Apple on Monday announced the launch of a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with updated 10th-generation processors for higher-end machines and new scissor switch Magic Keyboards across the lineup. play
- Apple
May 12, 2021 · (Image: © Tom's Guide) Tom's Guide Verdict. The MacBook Pro 2020’s design is a bit too familiar, but it delivers excellent 10th gen performance, a great Magic Keyboard and long battery...
Nov 17, 2020 · Now powered by Apple’s M1 CPU, the 13-inch MacBook Pro remains a workhorse for those who want a compact macOS laptop that's still powerful enough to perform processor-intensive workflows.
- Apple
- Tom Brant
- Deputy Managing Editor
Nov 17, 2020 · Nov 17, 2020. 4.0 Excellent. Bottom Line. Now powered by Apple’s M1 CPU, the 13-inch MacBook Pro remains a workhorse for those who want a compact macOS laptop that's still powerful enough to...
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