Marques Brownlee reveals the biggest flaw of Apple's 2020 Macbook Pro

May 24, 2023

During Apple’s recent series of release videos, the all-new Apple M1 chip was announced, along with the new 2020 MacBook Pro. It’s not all good news, however, as tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee has pointed out.

Apple users around the world have had plenty of good news during 2020. New iPhones, new processors, and now a line of new MacBooks too.

While on the surface the improved stats, performance claims, and improved hardware are something to celebrate, they hide a few key flaws. Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee has revealed those flaws, and highlights the biggest issue with Apple’s new 2020 MacBook Pro in particular.

The 2020 Macbook Pro remains unchanged externally, but makes use of the all-new Apple M1 chip.

Biggest issues with the 2020 Macbook Pro

Apple’s presentations are typical Silicon Valley style: Glossy, slick, and polished, but underneath that polished exterior, hides a number of issues.

The 2020 MacBook Pro is the same design and “guts” as the current generation model, but with the new M1 chip. Boasting 10 hours more battery life, 2.8x faster CPU, and 5x faster graphics, it looks to be a powerhouse of portable computing. However, as Brownlee says, it’s “not all sunshine and rainbows.”

The first issue is the claims Apple makes during their presentation, stating that the new MacBook Pro is “3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class.”

Marques quickly points out that this is a “weird” claim. Since the best-selling Windows laptop isn’t the best-performing, it is an unusual benchmark to compare against, which brings doubts upon Apple’s claim.

Next, there’s the issue of user upgrades; Specifically, the fact that there isn’t any. Since the RAM and graphics processors are all built-in to the M1 chip, Apple has full control over customers’ RAM requirements, with the 16gb option a full $200 on top of the standard price.

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No option for 4 Thunderbolt USB-C ports

There are also no new webcams on any of the ‘new’ MacBooks. Despite the cutting-edge technology inside, they all still ship with 720p cameras.

USB ports are also a big sticking point for Brownlee and regular consumers alike. While there used to be two ‘tiers’ of the Pro (allowing customization of USB-C port numbers) all models now only come with 2 ports. While for many people this won’t prove a problem, for those that use their MacBook Pro for work or image/video processing, this could be a deal-breaker.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the internal competition from Apple itself is far too great. Brownlee was quick to point out that the new MacBook Air with the M1 chip is now so well-specced, it is “eating into any reason to buy a 2020 MacBook Pro, as they have the same chip [and] seem roughly equal in terms of performance.”

So, while the specs across the board of new MacBooks (and the Mac Mini) are impressive, according to Marques, current-gen MacBook Pro users may be better off sticking with their current version, or opting for the new MacBook Air when upgrading.

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