It should be noted that the clock speed of the higher Core i9 chip remains the same as that of the 9th generation, but the speed of the turbo boost has increased, reaching 5.3 GHz
Why is that important? Because last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro, the de facto flagship, used this chipset. The recently launched MacBook Air, Apple’s second MacBook to launch with the new scissor-switch Magic Keyboard, did move up to the 10th-generation chipset, but the use of the Iris Plus GPU suggests that the Ice Lake chip is being used, not the Comet Lake.
Highlights:
- Should I wait for the 2020 MacBook Pro?
- MacBook Pro With Intel Core i9
My thoughts turn back to the 16-inch MacBook Pro. All things being equal, I wouldn’t expect a new machine to be launched in 2020, but I could easily see a specs bump in the traditional October slot for Apple’s secondary products launching in the last calendar quarter.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro should also be considered as a viable platform, and that is badly in need of an update, if for nothing else than getting rid of the discredited butterfly keyboard.
Why is it important? Because last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro, the de facto flagship, used this chipset. The recently launched MacBook Air, the second Apple MacBook to be launched with the new magic keyboard with scissor-switch, has switched to the 10th generation chipset, but the use of the Iris Plus graphics processor suggests that the Ice Lake chip is used, not Lac Comet.
In our MacBook Air 2020 review, we praised the laptop’s new Magic Keyboard with its 1-millimeter of travel making for a much more comfortable typing experience versus last year’s model. We also noted the improved speaker sound quality and efficiency gains of the new 10th-gen Intel chips. All in all, this is the best MacBook for the majority of people.
With many more people now working from home, the timing of this deal is actually pretty good as people start using their own gear for work projects and realize that maybe it’s time for an upgrade. If you want to find out more about the new MacBook Air, peek our everything you need to know guide, and our full MacBook Air 2020 review has all the user-experience details you want to hear about.