Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro With Retina Display (Early-2015) review
A Broadwell upgrade provides impressive battery life for Apple’s business laptop.


Its performance won’t break any records, but the improved battery life provided by Intel’s new Broadwell processor is genuinely impressive.
-
+
Outstanding battery life; high-quality Retina display; attractive, lightweight design
-
-
Very limited upgradeability; no performance improvement over Haswell models

Pricing Options
The starting price for the 13in MacBook Pro remains at 833 (ex. VAT), but the 2.6GHz Haswell chip used in last year's model has been updated to a new dual-core Broadwell i5-5257U processor running at 2.7GHz (up to 3.1GHz with Turbo Boost). The integrated Iris 5100 graphics steps up to the newer Iris 6100.
That's not a bad price compared to similar high-end Windows laptops, such as Dell's Precision range. However, the MacBook Pro's limited upgradability means that you're forced to pay high prices for Apple's own upgrades when you purchase the machine. As mentioned, upgrading to 16GB of memory costs a hefty 160. Storage upgrades are equally expensive, costing 200 to upgrade the SSD to 256GB, or 400 for 512GB. The latter option offers a minor consolation in the form of a small processor speed bump to 2.9GHz, but the top-of-the-range model with a 3.1GHz processor will add a further 250 to the price, for a grand total of 1441 (ex. VAT).
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
-
Using WinRAR? Update now to avoid falling victim to this file path flaw
News WinRAR users have been urged to update after a patch was issued for a serious vulnerability.
By Nicole Kobie Published
-
‘Lean into it’: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy thinks enterprises need to embrace AI to avoid being left behind – even if that means fewer jobs in the future
News Amazon CEO Andy Jassy thinks companies need to "lean into" AI and embrace the technology despite concerns over job losses.
By Nicole Kobie Published
-
A major ransomware hosting provider just got hit US with sanctions
News Aeza Group's services were being used for ransomware, infostealers, and disinformation
By Emma Woollacott Published