A short while back a tipster mentioned that a 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh would arrive later this year and stated that it would sport minor upgrades. Now, he was kind enough to share what updates and upgrades will be present in the latest model, so let us talk about those in more detail.
Tipster Also Mentions New CPU and GPU Upgrades Arriving for the 16-inch MacBook Pro Refresh
A new tweet from Komiya mentions that the 16-inch MacBook Pro will have three primary upgrades arriving. One of them will be a new 1080p FaceTime camera. To bring you up to speed, the current 16-inch MacBook Pro features a 720p FaceTime, so upping the resolution to 1080p will be a welcome update for lots of customers. Considering that the pandemic has forced lots of individuals to work from home and switch to video calls for improved communication, a 1080p FaceTime camera will be an added bonus.
The second update is upgraded CPU and GPU options. The CPU will most probably include Intel 10th-generation processors that are already present in high-end gaming notebooks and powerful workstation-based laptops. The top-tier CPU is the Intel Core i9-10980HK, which features a total of eight cores running at a base clock speed of 2.40GHz. Fortunately, Intel has also added a cheaper 8-core part, which is the Core i7-10875H, and we believe it will serve as the sweet spot for the majority of users and save them a few bucks in the process too.
The top-tier GPU option might be a Radeon Pro 5600M but let us see if AMD will provide more upgrades down the road. The last upgrade is a T3 security chip, but it’s unclear what benefits would this addition bring to the 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh in comparison to the T2 security chip. Do keep in mind that a 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s custom chip will arrive in Q2, 2021 and it’s expected to feature a redesign.
If you wish to see what the newly designed 16-inch MacBook Pro will be capable of doing, we suggesting waiting until next year, if you can muster up the patience and not go for the refresh expected later this year.