Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13" I5 2.4Ghz Review

The new Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13” i5 2.4 Ghz is a major step up from its predecessor, both in its appearance and its performance. One look at this refurbished Apple product and you will notice its slimmer housing, measuring 0.71 inches only, which is thinner by 0.04 inch than the original 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina.

At 3.46 lbs, it is also lighter by 2 ounces – a difference that many may deem insignificant but, when we talk of things portable, every ounce counts, and the 2 ounces that this new product lacks definitely makes an impact.This laptop also retains much of the original features that make the earlier version a must-have. It features a Retina display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, at a highly accurate 227 ppi. This means you are treated with highly realistic and stunning images in vivid and brilliant colors, as well as sharp and crisp text, on the 13.3-inch display.

Running on an Intel Core i5 processor, the graphics of this MacBook Pro are considerably enhanced, thanks to its integrated Intel Iris graphics. This allows you to perform regular tasks on your laptop while running graphics-heavy apps, such as iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, and Pages, among others. It also enables dual display and video mirroring, as well as providing a 720p Face Time HD camera for added functionality. Considering that the Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13” with its i5 Dual-Core 2.4 Ghz processor can be a heavy-duty performer, it would have been better if it had more storage capacity than the 128GB of storage that it has. Obviously, this can be solved by using external storage units, but having more than 128GB would not have gone unappreciated. Even the 4GB RAM may be found lacking by many.

This version also boasts Thunderbolt 2, the latest and most advanced I/O technology to date. With its 2 Thunderbolt 2 ports, it can increase bandwidth up to 20GB per second using any external device. In fact, using these 2 ports will let you plug in a maximum of 12 external devices at one time. The increase in speed also applies to its Wi-Fi connectivity. It makes use of the latest 802.11ac Wi-fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology. Wireless performance can even speed up to three times faster when compatible wireless peripherals are used. Even the battery life was improved. On a single charge, it can last for 9 up to 10 hours – an impressive feat, considering the Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13” i5 2.4 Ghz’s processors, graphics, and overall performance. It also offers a standby time that can last for 30 days.

Unfortunately, just like the previous models, the 2.4 GHz Retina MacBook Pro does not have Ethernet ports, optical drives and FireWire connectors, which means you’ll have to resort to using adapters.  Clearly, the pros of the new Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13” i5 2.4 Ghz far outweigh the cons, making it the ideal entry-level laptop. You may want to consider an upgrade to this unit if you already own the earlier Retina MacBook Pro versions.