Should i buy retina display macbook pro

Need further assistance? Please call Member Services at Subscribers only Sign in or Subscribe now! Forgot password? Check this box if you wish to have a copy mailed to you. Here's what we found when we tested a press sample of the MacBook Pro with Retina display along with a retail sample of the regular MacBook Pro: The MacBook Pro with Retina display has the best color accuracy we've seen.

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Already signed-up? Manage your newsletters here too. Electronics News. See your savings. If you're using an external display to extend your desktop, you can choose a preferred resolution for each display. To see additional resolutions for the external display, press and hold the Option key while selecting the Scaled button.

Allow your Mac to choose the best resolution for that display, or select Scaled and choose a different resolution. When mirroring your displays, you can optimize for the external display instead of your built-in display.

If an app looks different than you expect on your Retina display or high-resolution external display, try opening the app in low-resolution mode:. Some apps that work best in low-resolution mode or that work only in low-resolution mode will have this mode already turned on, and in that case you might not be able to turn it off. The app developer might offer an update that includes support for the Retina display.

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Contact the vendor for additional information. Using a Retina display Learn about the Retina display built into your Mac. Native resolution: x Models introduced in and support millions of colors, and models introduced in or later support one billion colors. In hands-on use, it felt evenly matched with a system such as the Origin Eon S. That's more than enough power for just about any task, and even more impressive when you consider that those other systems are mostly full-size desktop replacements.

Macs have never been serious gaming machines, but occasional standouts such as Diablo III are available cross-platform, and make for an excellent anecdotal test. That game will add additional support for the native 2,x1, resolution via a future update, but for now you can still crank up the in-game resolution that high in the options menu. It made for a somewhat sluggish experience, running at around 23 frames per second, according to the onscreen frame rate counter. Pulled back to 1,xpixel resolution, the game flew, at around 65 frames per second.

It crashed when we tried to get the in-game resolution up to 2,x1, pixels, but ran at Battery life has always been a MacBook strong suit, especially when combined with Intel's very efficient processors and the lower power requirements of solid-state storage. Even though this system has a discrete GPU, it can turn that component off and on as needed, so it's not draining your battery unnecessarily.

A couple of years ago, MacBooks required you to log out and then back in to swap graphics processors, but for the last couple of generations, that's happened automatically and seamlessly. In our video playback battery drain test, the new MacBook Pro ran for 6 hours and 59 minutes. That's great for a inch laptop, and it may even run longer depending on your workload. The previous inch MacBook Pro ran for about the same time, 6 hours and 54 minutes.

Yes, this is, like all current MacBooks, a sealed battery. Some people positively hate that, it's never bothered me. Apple includes a one-year parts-and-labor warranty, but only 90 days of telephone support, which has always struck us as odd. Support is also accessible through a well-stocked online knowledge base, video tutorials, and e-mail with customer service, or through in-person visits to Apple's retail store Genius Bars, which, in my experience, have always been fairly frustration-free encounters.

I've previously called the inch MacBook Pro one of the most universally useful all-around laptops you can buy. This new version adds to that with HDMI, faster ports, and more portability.

But it also subtracts from that with its exclusion of an optical drive and Ethernet port, plus its very high starting price. The Pro and Retina Pro are clearly two laptops designed for two different users, and with the exception of all-day commuters who need something closer to a MacBook Air or ultrabook, one of the two branches of the MacBook Pro family tree is still probably the most universally useful laptop you can buy.

Dan Ackerman. Pricing Not Available. Despite a redesigned, lightweight body, the powerful components, including an Nvidia GPU, compare well to recent high-end desktop replacements. Overdue new ports, including USB 3. The lack of onboard Ethernet jack, FireWire, or an optical drive can be inconvenient at times. Despite being thinner and lighter, it's not as travel-friendly as a true ultrabook or MacBook Air. The newly redesigned MacBook Pro with Retina Display combines an amazing screen with just enough of the MacBook Air design to feel like a new animal, and to take its place as the best of the current MacBook breed.

Multimedia multitasking test in seconds Shorter bars indicate better performance. Apple Macbook Pro inch Fall