Why I chose to buy the MacBook Pro 13.3-inch 2020 model.

This past week I chose to make a big decision and purchase a MacBook Pro. As seen in the title, I got the the 13.3-inch 2020 model. Before doing so, I thought to myself, “Why this specific model and is this going to work for all of my needs?”

So of course, before purchasing my MacBook Pro, I did some research. The fast reaction between browser, applications, keyboard, and just overall experience for the long haul was a huge factor for me. 

The power to do video editing, photography editing, and more while keeping the speed and efficiency is next level. An added perk in the MacBook Pro model, is that they come installed with a cooling fan.

There are so many more positive attributes that made me purchase the MacBook pro. Let’s look deeper into it.

The M1 Chip Lineage

The M1 chip marks the first Apple-designed system on a chip that has been developed for Mac use.

Before Apple designed there own chip, they were using Intel chips on their Macs. Now that they’ve stopped using the Intel chips and Apple will of course thrive more than ever.

All the new models of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have the M1 chip. There are 3 different versions of the M1 chip that Apple has configured. The 3 current chips that apple is offering are The M1, the M1 Pro, and the M1 Max.

The M1:

The M1 chip is the base level chip out of the three. It has an 8-core CPU and an up to 8-core GPU that you could upgrade to 16GB of memory for the extra cost.

I can personally attest that this new chip that Apple has integrated into their Macs are by far superior. I owned a MacBook Pro 13-inch 2011 model, which I used for about 9 years.

So, when I say that new MacBook Pro is lightning fast, it truly is.

This a new lane for Apple so I imagine there may be some foreseeable changes in the future. As we all know Apple is known for keeping all their user’s tech updated.

The M1 chip is ideal for you if you are using your MacBook for everyday tasks, some gaming, and some heavy photo or video editing.

The M1 Pro:

The M1 Pro chip is the next tier for M1 chip lineage. The M1 Pro has a 10-core CPU and up to 16 GPU with up to 32GB of memory. So, if you thought the M1 chip was fast, the M1 Pro is twice as fast than the M1 chip.

This means that the graphics and the performance is pristine. The M1 Pro chip is only available with the new MacBook Pro 14-inch and the MacBook Pro 16-inch.

These would be ideal for you if you are working on bigger projects. The M1 Pro chip would be the one to keep your projects flowing with pristine performance and graphics.

The M1 Pro Max:

The M1 Pro Max is the ultimate chip of them all. The M1 Pro Max chip is working with a 10-core CPU carrying a heavy 32-core GPU, with up to 64 GB of memory! Apple mentions that this chip is almost 4 times a faster than the M1 chip.

I honestly couldn’t even imagine how fast the MacBook Pro (14-inch or 16-inch) runs. It’s capable of doing everything without a hitch in lightning speed time.

Great for editing photo campaigns, video editing in 4k or 8k, heavy gaming, heavy coding, etc. The M1 Pro Max chip would be ideal for you if you are doing heavy editing or a lot of big projects that needs all this processing power.

MacBook Pro Touch Bar

The touch bar has only been put on the MacBook Pro 13.3-inch model. The touch bar replaces the typical top line of keys controlling your sound, brightness, keyboard light, etc. 

I have been using the touch bar for about a week or so and it has been great overall. It’s very responsive and even adds a few extra actions like pausing Netflix or when you’re writing in an application like Microsoft Word, you can change the text color, format, bold text, etc. 

Although, there are many pros to having the touch bar, I can say there have been a couple cons as well.

When typing, I’m used to having the key bar where the touch bar is and I accidentally rest my hands there some time switching screens or pressing actions I didn’t intend to press.

This may get better with time. Also, it’s hard to see sometimes when you are using your MacBook Pro which slows me down sometimes when I’m writing or doing something online. 

Overall experience:

I love the added feature of the touch bar. Although I think it’s a fresh touch to the MacBook Pro, others may not have thought so.

Apple has decided to stop adding that feature to the future MacBook Pros as we can see the 2021 MacBook Pros. The newer models do not have the touch bar. Also, the keys that were added back actually match the size of all the other keys.

According to Apple’s CEO, customers wanted the actual feel of those function keys.

MacBook Pro Magic Keyboard

The keyboard is phenomenal on the MacBook models 2019 and up. Before Apple released the Magic Keyboard in 2019, the previous models all had the “Butterfly” keyboard.

My old MacBook Pro had the Butterfly keyboard and I honestly hated it. Nothing to do with the keys specifically, but more with the space that was open underneath the keyboard.

Everything under the sun got under those keys and sometimes they would even stick for a couple days.

The Magic keyboard blows the Butterfly keyboard out of the water. The keys are place lower on the keyboard so there’s no space in between them (They heard our years of complaining!).

It’s so smooth and half the time I am typing I barely notice me pressing the key buttons, super reactive!

The Magic Keyboard is for sure one of the top keyboards in the tech space for sure. 

Battery Life

MacBooks, in general, have been great at having a long-lasting battery. With the MacBook Pro they increased the battery life to 20 hours.

Almost a full day of use! I’ve tested out the battery since I purchased the MacBook Pro 13.3-inch, and it has lasted me 2 days or so before I had to plug it in the charger. This was just from everyday use and spending a few hours writing at night. 

If you’re looking for a computer that will guaranty you long lasting battery life, this is for sure the one for you.

Track pad

I love the track pad on the MacBook Pro. It’s big enough for you to have space dragging and dropping. It’s very user friendly and the shortcuts are next level.

It’s so user friendly and responsive that once you understand the basics and the shortcuts, you’ll never want to go back to a regular laptop touchpad.

Should you buy the MacBook Pro 13.3-inch 2020 model?

If you are looking for a very high-performance everyday use laptop, I’d recommend looking into this model of the MacBook Pro.

This one is getting looked over a bit for the newer 2021 MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models, but it can hold its own. I personally like the touch bar for this model because it’s very responsive and has enough functions for me to put it to use.

In the end, it depends on what your preferences and needs are. Regardless, the MacBook Pro 13.3-inch 2020 model is a great high-performance laptop to get all your daily tasks accomplished.

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