New MacBook Pro With Touch Bar Not Worth It, Says New Report

If you were thinking about getting the new MacBook Pro, you might want to reconsider, a new report suggests.

After a series of tests, Consumer Reports said Thursday that it decided not to recommend Apple’s new laptop because of its battery life.

“The laptops did very well in measures of display quality and performance, but in terms of battery life, we found that the models varied dramatically from one trial to another,” Consumer Reports said in its review.

The battery life test results were “highly inconsistent” from one trial to the next, the review said. Laptop battery life usually varies by less than 5 percent from test to test.

In one test, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, the laptop ran for 16 hours in the first trial. In the second test, the MacBook ran for 12.75 hours and only 3.74 hours in the third trial. Meanwhile, 13-inch model without the Touch Bar ran for 19.5 hours in one trial but only 4.5 hours in the next, while the battery life for the 15-inch laptop ranged from 18.5 down to 8 hours. laptop battery life only varies about 5% from test to test.

“This is a real departure from past MacBooks,” said the review. “Most Apple laptops have scored well in our battery test, typically lasting much longer than the manufacturer has claimed. For instance, a previous 13-inch MacBook Pro model lasted an exceptional 19 hours in Consumer Reports testing.”

Customer Complaints

Apple says the laptop should run for up to 10 hours after a full charge, but users had previously complained online and on social media about the new MacBook Pro’s battery life.

One customer said in a thread on Apple’s support forum:

“I just received my new 15" MacBook Pro with touch bar. The battery life is horrible!!! I have Safari open with 6 tabs and with 95% battery, I am told that I have under 3 hours of battery life left! I thought these things were supposed to get 10 hours? I ran the battery down in 3 hours last night only browsing the web. I wasn't watching videos, just browsing. Is there something wrong with my laptop?”

Apple Removes Battery Life Indicator

Apple removed the battery life indicator on the new MacBook Pro with macOS 10.12.2 update. The company said the battery life indicator is inaccurate and has led to confusion among users about the battery life.