In search of a MacBook in 2023? Desperately looking for various options in the market and confused about which one should you buy? Well, most users will generally be confused because now MacBooks in India start at only Rs.70k and goes as high as Rs.3lakh and more.
If you are an average user and need an affordable solution, both the M1 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Air are good options but I would suggest those users wait for a few days as Apple will be launching M3-based MacBook Air pretty soon. However, it’s very unlikely that M3 MacBook Pro will be launched this year because Apple already launched the M2 Pro or Max-based MacBook Pros already this year with not-so-huge upgrades apart from the chip itself.
While there will be a lot of people like me who don’t actually see the 13-inch option as a good one for general usage because of its incredibly small form factor and display size. So, I was pretty much excited to see the 15-inch MacBook Air but to see the price and see it still doesn’t have a fan inside and a worst 256GB SSD made me really think twice.
So, either I had to choose between the 14-inch Pro model which costs around Rs.180k with discounts and all or this Air 15-inch which stood at Rs.145k. However, I was kind of lucky to find this great deal from iTech, one of the Apple Authorized Resellers, who is running this incredible deal that will just blow your mind!
M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16-inch at Rs.160k – The Best Deal to Grab?
Specifications & Where to Buy?
- Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max chip for a massive leap in CPU, GPU and machine learning performance
- Up to 10-core CPU delivers up to 2x faster performance to fly through pro workflows quicker than ever
- Up to 32-core GPU with up to 4x faster performance for graphics-intensive apps and games
- 16-core Neural Engine for up to 5x faster machine learning performance
- Longer battery life, up to 21 hours
- Up to 64GB of unified memory so everything you do is fast and fluid
- Up to 1TB of superfast SSD storage launches apps and opens files in an instant
- Stunning 41.05 cm (16-inch) Liquid Retina XDR display with extreme dynamic range and contrast ratio
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera with advanced image signal processor for sharper video calls
- Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers.
- Studio-quality three-microphone array captures your voice more clearly
- Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
- Next-generation Wi-Fi 6 for faster connectivity
- Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID for secure unlock
The 16GB/512GB SSD variant retails for ₹159,547 while the 1TB variant that I got was sold for ₹169,547, so, the price at which you get the MacBook Pro 16 top model (apart from the M1 Max model) is kind of crazy because you are getting almost Rs.1 lakh discount from the original retail MRP even one year back.
So, I visited their Tollygunge store to grab the laptop and yes the store is very friendly to help you out, also you can experience the MacBook Pro itself before buying it. You can visit their store locator to find their nearest store or buy online as well, also get Rs.5k student discount or Rs.5k HDFC Bank Credit Card discount as well for your next purchase.
The Experience so far
For me who has been mostly accustomed to various Windows laptops, the MacBook Pro 16 is kind of a big upgrade, while you might feel that I could have saved a lot if I had chosen the Air 15 base model, yes I would but not sacrificing on the performance. For the price, having this MacBook Pro 16 has a few incredible benefits which I discovered:
- Bigger and Better Liquid Retina XDR Display with 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1000 nits of peak brightness
- M1 Pro is better than the M2 in terms of both CPU (to some extent) and GPU performance clearly
- Bigger chassis and two dedicated fans for better thermals
- Better Speakers/Audio, Higher bandwidth support, Extra Thunderbolt port
- Higher resale value than MacBook Air
- Bigger battery and charger in the box
So, spending a few more extra bucks on this one was totally worth it but it’s a bit heavy only which will be an issue but a 2.1Kg is far better than some of the heavier Windows laptops I have seen. I have been using this MacBook Pro 16 with M1 Pro for a few days now and my experience has been quite good, the bigger display helps to do whatever I want and the M1 Pro with 16GB RAM and a faster 1TB SSD gives incredible performance.
If you want to do high-end stuff you can easily do it much better than on any Windows laptop, the Apple-specific apps are very well optimized for the Apple Silicon and make things easier for everyday usage. Also, that Apple ecosystem with my iPad and iPhone helps a lot, works like magic, I loved using this MacBook Pro 16 for the incredible 1-and-a-half to 2-day battery life I was getting keeping at 50% brightness which previously was a dream for me.
The significant performance change between M1 Pro and M2 Pro is only evident if you are a professional and every second matters to you but for most average users this MacBook Pro 16 not only delivers beyond what it promises but also gives you room to excel and work on anything that you want without worrying if your laptop can handle or not.
If you want to treat this as a long-term investment for say next 5-10 years, this is a great deal I would say and recommend all users to grab this deal until stocks last. Also, I will surely write a detailed review of how this MacBook Pro 16 with M1 Pro is still viable and how it performs in 2023, so, stay tuned for that!
If you are from Kolkata, Contact: 8777876699 (Tollygunge) or 8777252546 (New Alipore)
