Skip to main content

The MacBook Pro may finally get updated with faster processors

Image used with permission by copyright holder

There’s no doubt Apple will update its MacBook Pros with eighth-generation Intel processors, but now a new benchmark listed on Geekbench gives us a better view at the specific chips we’ll see in the upcoming devices. In the case of the next 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, one variant will rely on the Intel Core i7-8559U processor.

Recommended Videos

The current 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar released in the middle of 2017 sports the “MacBookPro 14,2” device ID whereas the new benchmarked model lists as the “MacBookPro 15,2.” As a reference, the 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar has the “MacBookPro 14,1” device ID whereas the 15-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar sports the MacBookPro 14,3” device ID. Models released in 2016 have device IDs based on “13.”

The benchmarked MacBook Pro clocked at 4,448 in the single-core score and 16,607 in the multi-core score using Intel’s Core i7-8559U processor. This chip was part of Intel’s third wave of eighth-generation processors introduced in April. The first eighth-generation chips, which were based on a seventh-generation design, focused on ultra-thin notebooks in August 2017 while the second wave targeted desktops toward the end of the year.

The Core i7-8559U consists of four cores with a base speed of 2.7GHz and a maximum speed of 4.5GHz. It has a maximum power draw of 28 watts although Apple is expected to throttle down the processor’s speed to reach a lighter 20-watt power draw to extend the MacBook Pro’s battery uptime. The chip sports an integrated Iris Plus Graphics 655 component as well.

Across the three current MacBook Pro models, you will find eight processor options pulled from Intel’s seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” processor portfolio. The two Touch Bar-packed MacBook Pros offer three processor options each while the Touch Bar-free 13-inch MacBook Pro only relies on two chips. The CPUs in the 15-inch models promise high-performance graphics and four cores whereas the chips in the 13-inch models are built for long battery life.

The benchmark arrives after another benchmark appeared showcasing what may be the next-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Listed with the “MacBookPro 14,3” device ID, the Apple laptop managed a single-core score of 4,902 and a multi-core score of 22,316 using Intel’s eighth-generation Core i7-8750H six-core processor. This chip was also just released in April, and one of the first Intel-based CPUs to introduce six cores to the laptop market.

As the specifications show, the Core i7-8750H has a base speed of 2.2GHz and a maximum speed of 4.1GHz. It also draws 45 watts of power, but it can be tuned down to consume only 35 watts if needed. The chip also packs 9MB of cache and an integrated UHD Graphics 630 component. What’s interesting is that the chip appears in a current 15-inch MacBook Pro unless the listed device ID in the benchmark is incorrect.

While we were disappointed in not seeing new hardware during Apple’s developer conference in early June, the benchmarks show that the company is lining customers up with the latest from Intel when the devices go public later this year.

Kevin Parrish
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
Here’s how Apple’s first foldable MacBook might win me over
The Zenbook Fold 17 open on a table.

Rumors have persisted for years now that Apple is working on a touchscreen MacBook, but I’ve never been truly convinced. For one thing, I don’t see how a touchscreen could improve my MacBook experience enough to justify the inevitable price rise. This is Apple we’re talking about, after all, and there’s just no way that a touchscreen MacBook will possibly come cheap.

As well as that, I’ve long agreed with Steve Jobs’ belief that adding a touchscreen to a regular MacBook is an ergonomic nightmare. Constantly reaching up to the display is a quick way to exhaust your arms, and paining its users isn’t really part of Apple’s playbook. The Mac operating system isn’t designed for touch either, and in any case, adding a touchscreen would result in all manner of greasy fingerprints on your monitor. It’s never seemed like a good idea to me.

Read more
The M4 MacBook Air is displaying some odd behavior we don’t understand yet
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

People are getting their hands on the new M4 MacBook Air this week, which means they're posting lots of discoveries about its performance (and the blueness of the new Sky Blue color). While editing photos in Lightroom Classic, YouTuber Vadim Yuryev noticed that the CPU workload was being handled almost completely by the laptop's six efficiency cores.

https://x.com/VadimYuryev/status/1899986842998784243

Read more
The MacBook Air proves you don’t need AI to create a world class laptop
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Our review of the M4 MacBook Air has just dropped, and it’s fair to say it’s one of the best laptops money can buy. For the first time ever, we gave it full marks and a five-star score, with our reviewer dubbing it “as close to perfect” as any laptop they’d seen. There’s no question that it raises the bar for thin and light laptops.

You name it, the MacBook Air has it: impressive performance that belies its lightweight design, build quality that will stand the test of time, a quiet and fanless operation that ensures you can work in peace, a comfortable keyboard and expansive trackpad, and so much more.

Read more