The 2017 13in MacBook Pro gave me two hours more battery life than the 2016 MacBook Pro did while using both macOS Sierra and similar with the newer macOS High Sierra, lasting just under eight hours between charges when used for a full working day. Testing the new 13in TouchBar model with a Core i5 processor and 8GB or RAM, the biggest change for 2017 is longer battery life. Having said that, it was capable of a light bit of gaming, managing to run the graphically demanding XCOM 2 on low detail and resolution settings with acceptable frame rates. Even a light bit of editing video in 4K will be perfectly manageable, but anyone seriously attempting to use the 13in MacBook Pro to do heavy video or VR creation will probably find the integrated Intel Iris 650 graphics card a little anaemic. It’s at home editing video, photos and generally creating media. The 2017 13in MacBook Pro has enough power for pretty much anything most people will want it too, while the new macOS High Sierra significantly speeds up some functions such as moving files. The four USB-C ports on the MacBook Pro are spread two on each side. Connectivity: Intel Iris 650, Wi-Fiac, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, headphone.Processor: Intel Core i5 or i7 (7th generation).

The big, pressure-sensitive touchpad is arguably the best in the business – you’ll swear it moves thanks to the haptic feedback, but try it with the power off and you realise it doesn’t. The Touch ID fingerprint scanner also works as advertised, and is certainly a useful addition, although now that the iPhone X comes with with Face ID it perhaps feels a bit of a stopgap for facial recognition. The Touch Bar will still prove divisive, with some saying it slows them down, but app support for it has grown dramatically, with most high-profile apps benefiting from custom keys. The keyboard is still pretty noisy at full tilt and has little give when you depress the keys, but is accurate, with a solid feel. The screen is one of the best fitted to a laptop, with good viewing angles, brightness and colour accuracy matching the P3 colour space, which is important if you’re trying to edit images or video. It’s a similar thickness to Dell’s machine at its 15mm thickest point, but thinner than the Surface Book 2 at its 23mm thickest point. At 1.37kg it’s about 80g heavier than Dell’s touch-screen XPS 13, but about 160g lighter than Microsoft’s Surface Book 2. The MacBook Pro is a svelte, beautiful machine, available in silver or “space grey” aluminium.

The Apple MacBook Pro running High Sierra comes benefits from a new, faster file system.

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