Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch, Intel Core i9, 1TB

An unlikely time to upgrade

I’m so glad I finally upgraded from the 13-inch MacBook Pro to the newly released 16-inch MacBook Pro with Intel Core i9, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. The 13-inch version had its limitations – it couldn’t handle multiple apps at once and the keyboard and CPU would overheat and make a lot of noise. I’ve never had such issues with my MacBook Air, so it was a bit of a surprise. 

I was so excited to try out the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but it seemed like it was impossible to find in stores here in the Philippines. Everywhere I went, they only had the 13-inch version. I was getting desperate, afraid that I’d have to order online and wait weeks for it to arrive. 

But then I heard about an Apple reseller in Greenhills, the only store in Metro Manila that carries the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the higher specs I was looking for. I was so relieved to find exactly what I needed and be able to take it home the same day. 

I got a brand-new unit in my favorite Space Gray color. Yay! Click here to know if the Apple product you are buying is legit and brand new.

MacBook Pro Intel 16-inch 

Price: Php 136,000.00

Finish
Space Gray

Display

• • Retina display
  • 16‑inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit display with IPS technology; 3072‑by‑1920 native resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 2048 x 1280
    • 1792 x 1120
    • 1344 x 840
    • 1152 x 720
  • 500 nits
  • Wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology
  • Refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz

Processor
2.3GHz 8‑core Intel Core i9, Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz, with 16MB shared L3 cache

Storage
1TB SSD

Memory
16GB of 2666MHz DDR4 onboard memory

Graphics
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory and automatic graphics switching

Intel UHD Graphics 630

Charging and Expansion

Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with support for:

• • Charging
  • DisplayPort
  • Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s)
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

What’s the difference between the two MacBooks? Man, HUGE DIFFERENCE!

• • It’s no secret that the bigger MacBooks are more powerful than the smaller ones, but did you know that the bigger Macbooks don’t heat up at all? That’s right, no matter how long you’re using the bigger Macbook, it won’t heat up! That’s a huge plus for anyone who wants a powerful laptop without the worry of it heating up. 

    However, when it comes to smaller MacBooks, they can heat up quite a bit. After prolonged use, some people might even experience physical pain, such as their fingertips, palms, and hands becoming sore. And let’s not forget the noise of the fan. It can be quite loud and distracting, and it can really drive some people crazy! ?

  • The smaller MacBook freezes a lot when a dozen applications are open and running simultaneously. This is my normal use case— I open apps and flip through them. I never turn off my computer, too, pretty much like how I use my iPhone. Apparently, the smaller and the latest MacBook Pro couldn’t handle it. Shocking! ?
  • The bigger the screen size, the better. Using a bigger screen makes a ton of difference! I have been using 13-in MacBooks for the longest time and thought it was a perfect size. ?

Why did I get an Intel MacBook when M1 was announced to be released next year?

I couldn’t wait anymore for the M1, obviously. Because of the heating issues, I had to replace my computer right away. Besides, I know for a fact that Apple will do an incremental release next year. They will launch a MacBook Air M1 version first. And I want a Pro version.

Second, I am unsure at this point if my work apps will even work on the first versions of Rosetta.

Third, I’m planning to get an iMac, too. I’ll wait for the M1 version. ?