Early reviews of the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display are absolutely gushing with praise for the active OLED screen, the first in an Apple laptop. Reactions to the touchscreen are much more muted, despite how much attention the feature drew before the product’s release.
Here’s what some reviewers had to say.
It’s an OLED MacBook Pro that also has a touchscreen
In the run-up to the launch of the latest MacBook Pro, much of the discussion focused on it being the first Mac with a touchscreen, with the OLED display drawing less attention. Now that the laptop is about to reach customers, there’s been a significant shift.
The early reviews of Apple’s latest confirm Apple’s own comments that touch control is a secondary feature, not meant to replace the trackpad and keyboard. macOS has not been redesigned around our fingers.
The Verge: ‘Keep forgetting’
The reviewer for The Verge is a prime example. “I keep forgetting the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display has a touchscreen,” said David Pierce.
But he goes on to say “As for the OLED itself, it’s gorgeous. It’s sharp and contrast-y, gets both very bright (though it only hits peak brightness under very specific conditions) and very dim, and is better even than the very good screens on Apple’s other laptops.”
Gizmodo: ‘Occasionally useful’
Gizmodo reviewer Kyle Barr said much the same. “You’re not going to end up using a touch display all too often. The touchscreen is occasionally useful. It’s not the end-all-be-all. But it sure is handy.”
And the same review talks up the “Amazing OLED that beats the competition.”
TechRadar: ‘Not its most interesting feature’
The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display review from TechRadar says, “The touchscreen is arguably not its most interesting feature; it works fine, but macOS is still an operating system built for traditional laptop inputs. Instead, it’s the gorgeous tandem OLED screen and industry-leading battery life that should get you excited here.”
Tom’s Guide: ‘Smooth and snappy’
The reviewer from Tom’s Guide became a bit of a standout by saying, “I don’t often use touch controls on laptops with touchscreens because they can feel clunky, but I found myself using the MacBook Pro’s touch controls more than I expected. Tapping, swiping, and even pinch-to-zoom are as smooth and snappy as on an iPad Pro.”
But the look of the screen drew at least as much praise. Tony Polanco says the computer “impresses thanks to its astonishing touchscreen OLED display that’s the brightest we’ve ever seen on a laptop.”
Plenty more praise for the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display
Naturally, the reviews didn’t spend all their time talking about the screen in the latest MacBook Pro.
The Verge said, “The half-pound weight decrease (more than two-thirds of a pound on the 16-inch model!) is what really impresses me.” Gizmodo said “The 0.5 pounds less heft that you carry around with the 3-pound, 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR is massive.”
TechRadar found “incredibly long battery life” while Tom’s Guide described the battery life as “epic.”
Available in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, the new MacBook Pro is up for preorder now ahead of its November 6 launch.
Preorder now: Apple
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 26 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
