My thoughts while reviewing the 2016 MacBook Pro.

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Left option key needs to get replaced. Makes a very high pitch clicking sound. Same with caps lock. Sometimes with the delete key. Noticed it with the ‘h’ key and the ‘c’ key as well. Any corner of the delete and caps lock, bottom left of the delete key. 

Putting my head right up to the screen, you can hear a very light scraping. Not really audible from any other distance. Sounds as if it was a harddrive. Only audible on hard drive/CPU operations. When the machine sits idle, it stops.

Fingerprints show a lot less than I expected.

Housing is incredibly sturdy. No cracking or creaking. No noticeable dead or stuck pixels. 

Instant on (opening the computer) is rather good. 

The typing is pretty okay, but it is noticeably louder for sure. The trackpad click is taking a bit to get used to than expected, mainly because it takes more pressure to register than the actual moving trackpad (it also has trouble recognizing a long thumb click sometimes, when your entire side of your thumb is doing the click. This is frustrating because you’ll click down really hard, and not get a click). The keyboard actually feels rather good, I think the worst thing about the keyboard is actually the loudness. 

The charging cable is noticeably thicker, which is unwelcome. Definitely sad about the loss of Magsafe, also.

The reduced weight and volume are very welcome. The reduced volume is probably more noticeable and appreciated than the reduced weight.

The TouchBar looks blurry from an angle, which is often how I operate it. But it feels incredibly smooth; better than an iPhone (at least my iPhone in current state) for swipes. It doesn’t have a lack of oil problem. It’s also very responsive. Immediate feedback.

Unlocking the Mac with TouchID is very cool. Definitely means I’ll be using a password whenever going to sleep. 

The increased speaker volume is very noticeable. Notification sounds bellow. It’s probably 75% on this is 100% on the old one. The bass definitely seems improved. It’s not UE Boom level, but pretty impressive for a laptop. The whole thing really vibrates. Very resonating sound.

The display was noticeably more vibrant when first opening up tho computer. The mountain range (default desktop background) is absolutely gorgeous o full brightness. The details are very fine, and the red is gorgeous. 

Text appears sharper, actually, than on the old Retina. Probably the screen (I’m assuming same DPI). The display seems lightly brighter as well. Two notches down matches the brightness of the old display. 

Replacement Machine: 

Keyboard seems quieter, which is nice. No clicking noise. 

We do notice some graphics lag on basic animations, independent of which graphics card is in use. Online suggests that it’s just because the graphics cards haven’t been fully optimized, so a software update will fix it all.

Also noticed a shimmery little thing under the touch bar right next to the Touch ID. I picked at it with a fingernail and pulled out a couple tiny shards of glass that were lodged in there.

I’ve had a lot of issues with clicking. The trackpad is so massive that usually the base of my left thumb rests on the top left corner of the trackpad (because it’s in the proper typing position) and it may be what’s causing clicks to not be recognized, but it’s hard to tell. Click+drag I’ve been having a lot of trouble with. 

There is a definite and definitive lag when typing in TextEdit. Other applications don’t seem to have this issue.

Screen looks very uniform.

Should show off the TouchBar by going into the games folder.

Touch ID seems a little use, but that's probably by design. It sort of makes a noise when you tap it (not click it). It's not a huge deal, though.

Between Touch ID and 1Password, you pretty much never have to enter in any passwords, which is pretty much amazing. Touch ID is awesome.

There is a clicking relatively frequently with the bottom case. Really annoying. 

The Touch ID sensor is definitely loose, which is pretty bothersome. Sticks to your finger.