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Buying advice for Macbook Pro 13 2018 i5 256 GB

Hedo

Hedo

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 12, 2016
101
116
I’m contemplating buying a new Macbook Pro 13 2018 Touchbar i5 256 GB SSD as a replacement for my dead Microsoft Surface Laptop which I just received my money back for.

I’m a light user, mostly surfing the web, social media, Office work and streaming from Youtube, Netflix etc. I don’t play games or edit video and pictures. I know for my light usage the Macbook Air 2018 probably would also be suitable but I want the brighter screen from the Pro and I don’t mind having a little more processing power available should I want to do some heavy multitasking at times. I owned a Macbook Air from 2013-2018 which served me well so going from Windows to Mac again shouldn’t be a problem.

One of the concerns I’m having is the battery life, and not while in use but when the laptop is in standby. I don’t use my personal laptop daily as I travel a lot where I have to bring my work laptop, so closing the lid on the Macbook with 90% battery and finding it with only a few % lower battery two days later is important. The Microsoft Surface Laptop was good in this regard, I would maybe lose 8-15% from having it in standby for 4-5 days which I found acceptable. I’ve read a lot of posts online about problems with standby drain with the newer Macbooks and were wondering if this has been resolved in the newest versions of Mojave or if it may be down to the hardware and not just software?

Are there any other know issues with the Macbook Pro 13 2018 i5 I should be aware of before plunking down the cash for one? I’ve browsed through so many threads here and on other websites where people mention different troubles they have with the machines but it’s difficult to know which problems are more common vs which are quite rare.

Edit: Browsing the forums have made me more unsure now if not the Macbook Air 2018 is a good fit for my usage. It seems like it's got great battery life and I just found out about the screen brightness being boosted to 400 nits in a recent update. If it's fast enough for my use with less heat, less fan noise and better battery life then maybe saving the 300$ and going for the Air might be a better choice for me. Difficult decision :)
 
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I have the 18 13 512 model, base quad core. Since apple updated Mojave 10.14.4, I have noticed outstanding standby usage. Well in the range you described.

I have not tested, but after that update, it seemed better battery life period.

Of note, that same Mojave update fixed the Air's dim screen. Supposed to be a max of 400 nits to the MBP 500 nits. I briefly had a 2018 air, and I found the screen plenty bright and excellent battery life.
 
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Salty Pirate said:
I have the 18 13 512 model, base quad core. Since apple updated Mojave 10.14.4, I have noticed outstanding standby usage. Well in the range you described.

I have not tested, but after that update, it seemed better battery life period.

Of note, that same Mojave update fixed the Air's dim screen. Supposed to be a max of 400 nits to the MBP 500 nits. I briefly had a 2018 air, and I found the screen plenty bright and excellent battery life.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the reply, that sounds great!

I went by my local Apple vendor (we don't have Apple Stores in my country) after work and tried both the Pro 13 2018 and the Air. They felt great but I decided that I just can't resist the Pro so I'll be picking one up tomorrow. :) The store has a 50 days open box return policy so if I find that I'd rather have the Air I can do that without much hassle.
 
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Whatever Macbook you buy...

... if your usage is going to require that you "close the lid" and leave it that way for days, you'll do much better to just power it down -- all the way off.

Then you won't use the battery at all.
 
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Fishrrman said:
Whatever Macbook you buy...

... if you're usage is going to require that you "close the lid" and leave it that way for days, you'll do much better to just power it down -- all the way off.

Then you won't use the battery at all.
Click to expand...

I know, but I almost never remember to do that because I leave the laptop most of the time thinking I'll be using it again shortly but then I don't. So that's why it's important that all the times I forget to power it down it keeps the battery topped up as much as possible for the next time I want to use it.
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jaduff46 said:
I’d go with the 512 SSD, but I tend to max out purchases and then hold onto them for a long time. Witness the 2010 iMac below!
Click to expand...

My Surface Laptop had a 256 GB SSD and I usually had 80 GB free at all times so I don't feel like spending the extra money for the 512 GB. I'm on my way to store now to buy it so I'll decide soon which storage I'll end up getting :)
 
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I like using my MBP outdoors. 500 nits helps out a lot. Screen brightness was actually the reason why I went with the MBP. But when you go to the store, I mean... case wise the Air isn't significantly smaller.

What swayed me again, was the screen brightness but apple did that update that upped the brightness on the MBA to 400 nits. That's a huge jump and makes you wonder.

I think the MBA will be fine. You can do what I do too, buy a power delivery battery bank (from a reputable company) and plug it into your laptop for a very, very long battery life when you're out and about.
 
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Salty Pirate said:
I have the 18 13 512 model, base quad core. Since apple updated Mojave 10.14.4, I have noticed outstanding standby usage. Well in the range you described.

I have not tested, but after that update, it seemed better battery life period.

Of note, that same Mojave update fixed the Air's dim screen. Supposed to be a max of 400 nits to the MBP 500 nits. I briefly had a 2018 air, and I found the screen plenty bright and excellent battery life.
Click to expand...
I have the same machine as Salty Pirate and same issue re: battery and sleep.
 
Dave245 said:
How so? the Air is still more than capable for what op wants to do.
Click to expand...
Everything on the pro is better from the processor to the brightness on the screen. Basically if the op decides to drastically change their use the pro will be able to handle that and more as the air would not
 
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Picked up the MacBook Pro 13 TB i5 256 GB last night, didn't have time to open the box until this morning and I'm very satisfied with my purchase so far. Great bulid quality, fantastic display, fast touchid and a smooth operating system. I'm not completely sold on the feeling of the keyboard yet but I'll probably get used to the short key travel after using it more.

I updated to the newest version of Mojave, installed MS Office 2016, a few more programs and Windows 10 through Boot Camp. I need Windows available for some specific programs I use a few times a year that are not available on MacOs.

I'm already invested in the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone XS Max and iPad Pro 11" so it feels like my setup is complete now that I have the MacBook.

Do you guys have any advice on settings or programs I should download to get more out of my MacBook? As in better battery life, cool tweaks etc?
 
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Airboy1466 said:
Everything on the pro is better from the processor to the brightness on the screen. Basically if the op decides to drastically change their use the pro will be able to handle that and more as the air would not
Click to expand...

The brightness on the Air is better now it has been increased to 400 nits. I get your point tho. The Pro does have higher specs and a better screen.
 
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Hedo said:
Picked up the MacBook Pro 13 TB i5 256 GB last night, didn't have time to open the box until this morning and I'm very satisfied with my purchase so far. Great bulid quality, fantastic display, fast touchid and a smooth operating system. I'm not completely sold on the feeling of the keyboard yet but I'll probably get used to the short key travel after using it more.

I updated to the newest version of Mojave, installed MS Office 2016, a few more programs and Windows 10 through Boot Camp. I need Windows available for some specific programs I use a few times a year that are not available on MacOs.

I'm already invested in the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone XS Max and iPad Pro 11" so it feels like my setup is complete now that I have the MacBook.

Do you guys have any advice on settings or programs I should download to get more out of my MacBook? As in better battery life, cool tweaks etc?
Click to expand...
congratulations, that’s great. i love the feeling when i bought the apple product, that all was so beautiful and lovely from boxs to charger and products. it’s amazing feeling

i
 
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