The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the new “big” MacBook Pro — it replaced the previous 15-inch MacBook Pro in the lineup at the same prices: $2400 for a 6-core base model and $2800 for the base 8-core. The Intel CPUs are the same as the ones from the 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro, they were still the best laptop chips Intel made for this size laptop at the time. It’s a bit unusual that a major update to the flagship MacBook uses the same CPUs as the generation it’s replacing. Blame Intel.

There are performance improvements, however. An all-new thermal system means the chips can run at peak performance longer thanks to larger heat pipes and more air flow. Graphics are faster, with the debut of AMD’s Radeon Pro 5000M series GPUs. The base models come with 16 GB of faster DDR4 RAM, and can now be configured with up to 64 GB. Apple also now offers up to 8 TB of SSD storage, which is a $2400 upgrade for the 6 core, or $2200 for the base 8 core. That option being available helps show the type of user (and wallet) this computer is made for. It’s a serious machine for serious work.

The ports are unchanged: four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, two on each side, and a headphone jack. The 16-inch MacBook Pro does have a slightly larger footprint than the old 15-inch models. It’s slightly heavier too (4.3 vs. 4.02 pounds) and slightly thicker (1.62 vs. 1.55 cm). But in hand and in use, it effectively feels the same size as the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Who’s This For?

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is for serious creative pros with more demanding needs, like coders, video editors and game developers. That’s why it has up to an 8-core Core i9 processor, up to 64GB of RAM and up to 8TB of storage. You also get a huge 16-inch Retina display with slimmer bezels and that great 6-speaker audio system. This machine is overkill for my modest needs, but it’s an absolute beast for power users and one of the best laptops you can buy. That’s partly why it’s so frustrating, too.

Looking ahead: 14-Inch MacBook Pro?

It’s hard to know if the 16-inch is part of a new generation of MacBooks, since so much of the design is the same as the outgoing 15-inch. It does feel like enough was changed to deserve that distinction, though. Whether it’s a new generation or not isn’t important, I just want to see this same formula applied to the current 13-inch. Replacing the keyboard, stretching the screen and reducing the bezels, improving thermal performance, raising RAM and SSD limits — all would be welcome. I doubt it will see all the improvements that the 16-inch received, but the keyboard is the most important one.

Apple tends to roll out new MacBook Pro generations with the larger size first. It can take months for the new design to make it into the smaller size, and we’re currently in that gap right now. The 13-inch MacBook Pro for sale right now is still the one they released in the summer of 2019, which is the 4th revision of the design they released back in 2016. A few years of the same design is expected, but the 2016-2019 MacBooks have had a few issues which make the next update worth waiting for. I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro right now.

Rumors have pointed to a low cost iPhone being announced this spring, and if we’re lucky an updated 13-inch could sneak into that event. Worst case scenario would be waiting until WWDC in June. Apple has made us wait 9 months for the small MacBook Pro before, so it’s not without precedent. Until then we have the 16-inch, which gives us a good look into the future of the MacBook lineup. For the first time in a while, the future looks good.