Apple MacBook 2016 (12-inch) Review: New laptop outshines 2015 MacBook model

Last month, Apple refreshed its 12-inch MacBook with latest Intel processors. Does the upgraded version of the MacBook 2016 manage to outshine its 2015 MacBook variant? Let us try to draw a conclusion.

Display

The new Apple MacBook 2016 sports a 12-inch Retina display and comes with a gorgeous new rose gold colour variant, a first time on a Mac. The 2015 MacBook series offered Gold, Silver and Space Gray colour variants.

To make it slimmer than ever, Apple squeezed the number of ports and added only one USB Type-C port, which can be used for charging, data transfer and video output. The 2016 MacBook sports a 13.1 mm-thin design, which weighs just 2 pounds.

Processor

The updated 2016 MacBook variant is shipped with the sixth-generation dual-core Intel Core M chipset with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz. The new processor features a faster 1866 MHz RAM as compared to the previous variant that worked at 1600 MHz.

Moreover, the Intel HD 515 graphics is 25 percent efficient than the GPU of the 2015 MacBook model. According to Express review, in terms of playing 4K videos, the new MacBook is marginally slower than the iconic iPad Pro.

Battery performance

An upgraded processor and RAM enhanced the battery life of the super-thin 2016 MacBook. It can deliver 10 hours of Internet browsing and 11 hours of iTunes video playback, claims Apple. The previous model came with up to 9 hours of battery life and 10 hours of iTune movie playback.

With an extremely thin form factor, new Rose Gold colour option, improved processor and enhanced battery life, the refreshed version of the 12-inch MacBook 2016 is definitely more impressive than the 2015 MacBook.

Price

The new 12-inch MacBook 2016 featuring Intel Core M3 1.1 GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage costs US$1299 (AU$1670). The other variant that sports Intel Core M5 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of RAM and 512 GB internal storage carries a price tag of US$1599 (AU$2055).