If you crave a balance of power and portability in your Mac laptops, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Today, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the deal on the 2017 model over at B&H , which drops the price down $400 from the usual retail figure.
That’s a good deal, considering that it’s kind of a costly configuration to begin with. With the $400 discount, you’re paying $1,399 for a device that sold for $1,799.
With that pricing you get a machine that’s packing a 3.1GHz Intel Core i5 chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It also has a 2560×1600 resolution on its gorgeous 13.3-inch display, and its graphics are powered by a decent Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 card. There’s been a refresh since then, but unlike with the 15-inch MacBook Pro, it’s not a massive leap over this.
I personally slightly prefer the 13-model over the 15-inch. The smaller keyboard is comfortable without feeling a bit cramped (as with the 12-inch MacBook), and the smaller size makes it easy to stuff into a wider variety of bags. Even the area around the trackpad feels more satisfying for resting your palms, as I sometimes accidentally activate the 15-inch’s larger trackpad when I’m simply typing. I’ve never had that happen with the 13-inch.
As a bonus, it also comes with free shipping. If you’ve been looking for a good laptop for school or work that will almost certainly last several years, this would should do the trick nicely.
Author: Leif Johnson, Contributing Writer
Leif is a San Francisco-based tech journalist. He's a big fan of fantasy RPGs, and you can find his previous work on IGN, Rolling Stone, VICE, PC Gamer, Playboy, Mac|Life, TechRadar, and numerous other publications.