Apple MacBook Pro 15" Retina - Summer 2012

Metascore

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 56 expert reviews

Excellent:

39
Good:

16
Average:

1
Bad:

0

The Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display is equipped with a third generation Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 2.3GHz, 8GB of DDR3L 1600MHz RAM, 256GB of flash storage, Intel HD 4000 Graphics, a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 650M GPU with 1GB of GDDR5 memory and a built-in FaceTime HD camera. It sports a SDXC card reader, HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, MagSafe 2 power connector and a dual Thunderbolt ports.

Last revision on July 29, 2014

Editors Liked

Retina display (2880×1800 pixels)
Two Thunderbolt ports
HDMI and USB 3
Speedy, Thin, Light and Quiet
Great battery life
Speedy performance
Excellent springy keyboard and trackpad
Even the cheapest model, with 8GB of flash memory and an SSD, is super speedy
Discrete graphics
Ready for Mac OS X Mountain Lion
Excellent speakers and dual mics
Top-notch ergonomics

Editors Didn't Like

Apps not updated for Retina display can appear blurry
RAM, hard drive, and battery not user-upgradeable
FireWire and Gigabit Ethernet require $29 adapters
The $9.99 MagSafe-to-MagSafe 2 adapter should have been included for free
Price is hard to swallow - upgrades, addons and accessories can bump the cost up nearly $1,000 more
Sealed unibody design is impossible to upgrade yourself once you’ve purchased the device
Keyboard can get hot
Memory cards stick out of the side
Limited configuration options for entry model

Expert reviews and ratings

By TechSpot on September 28, 2012 90

Apple has once again set a high bar in the notebook industry. Simply put, this system is in a class of its own with regards to system-wide performance and display technology. Sure, there are other systems that have more powerful...

By tech.uk.msn.com on December 27, 2013 90

A starting price of £1,799 means the new MacBook Pro with Retina display will be out of reach for most people. However, there's no doubt Apple has once again raised the bar for laptop design and set the standard for its rivals to follow.The headline...

By APC Magazine on November 14, 2012 90

Apple's new Retina-spec'd MacBook Pro is more than just the desirable screen its name suggests. Instead, Apple has addressed all four of the key areas we look toward in a laptop upgrade: screen, speed, battery life and portability. On the...

By Stuff on November 01, 2012 100

What could be the best laptop ever just became truly portable. Expect hi-res-tops galore in 2013. ...

By Business Computing World on September 13, 2012 90

In amongst all the hype surrounding the iPhone and iPad, it’s easy to overlook the fact that Apple’s Macintosh computers—and its MacBook laptops in particular—have also enjoyed booming sales in recent years. In fact, Apple claims to have just taken the...

By bit.com.au on September 12, 2012 100

Update: Read the review of the Apple MacBook Pro 13in with Retina display here] While PC manufacturers have been busily updating their ranges with Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, Apple has gone a step further. Not content with updating the internals,...

By NotebookCheck on August 01, 2012 88

The hype surrounding the new Apple MacBook Pro 15 with Retina display immediately after the WWDC 2012 was immense. After several weeks of testing, we are able to draw our own conclusion and share our opinion. The now even slimmer aluminum unibody...

By InfoWorld on August 01, 2012 96

Introduced in 2006, redesigned with a unibody aluminum chassis in 2009, and upgraded to quad-core CPUs in 2011, Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro has long been a go-to notebook for professionals of all stripes. Available since June, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro...

By Gadget Guy Australia on July 13, 2012 90

Apple’s latest revision to its MacBook Pro series of computers not only makes everything faster, but also thinner, with a new hardware design that also incorporates the highest resolution screen to ever grace a laptop. Is this Apple’s best laptop...

By PC Advisor on July 13, 2012 90

The specifications and benchmark results clearly excel yet they fail to define the precision build, meticulous design and the essential comfort of this pioneering laptop. If the £2399 price alarms, know that the £1799 model carries as much class and...

By gadgetshow.channel5.com on July 09, 2012 80

The Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display is an amazing laptop that once again sets the benchmark for many laptops to follow. Its performance is exemplary, and the display is a thing of beauty, but the price will for many be difficult to justify. ...

By Mac|Life on July 05, 2012 90

The gorgeous, bright, color-saturated Retina display is the first thing you notice when cracking open Apple's newest machine. Its resolution is 2880x1800 pixels, but it would be a bit of an oversimplification to call that the "native resolution."...

By T3 Magazine on July 01, 2012 80

Apple's mid-2012 MacBook Pro 15-inch model is essntially a refresh of the existing model (along with a 13-inch option) though the 17-inch MacBook Pro was discontinued.The two 15-inch MacBook Pros covered here retain the form factor used in the previous...

By laptops.reviewed.com on June 29, 2012 100

The 15-inch Macbook Pro w/ Retina Display is an impressive machine, but it’s not for everyone. The Macbook Pro with Retina Display had the highest performance of any laptop we’ve ever tested thus far. With its i7 quad core processor and 8GB...

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