Apple recently introduced the new and improved Apple MacBook 12in M7, claiming that this is the “best Mac notebook for college students”. Truth be told, I’m not a part of that demographic. However, I am an advocate for all things Apple, so I decided to put together a review after trying out the MacBook 12in M7 for a few weeks.
Introduction of MacBook 12in M7
Apple is introducing a new MacBook 12in (M7), which is an updated version of the existing MacBook. The new model is available with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, or 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Both models include Intel Core i5 processors.
The new MacBook 12in has the same chassis as before, but it includes a True Tone display with a wider color gamut for more realistic colors, Touch ID for fast unlocking and Apple Pay, and support for Apple Pencil.
Colour
The MacBook 12in is available in four colours: silver, space grey, gold and rose gold.
The space grey colour is a dark shade of grey that’s a bit darker than the black on the iPhone 7 or 8. It looks great with the aluminium unibody design of the MacBook.
The rose gold colour is similar to the gold colour of previous MacBooks, but it’s a slightly different shade. This time around, Apple has added some copper undertones to make it look less pink and more brown.
The silver colour looks like plain old silver, but it also has subtle tones of white and blue mixed in there too.
Inbuilt features
The MacBook 12in M7 is built for the best of both worlds. It has a powerful processor and a high-resolution Retina display, so you can work on demanding projects without breaking a sweat. And it has a battery that lasts all day long, so you can keep going and going.
Processor: 7th generation Intel Core m7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz (2.6GHz base frequency)
Memory: 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
Storage: 256GB PCIe-based onboard SSD storage
Display: 12-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2304-by-1440 resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colours
Camera: 720p FaceTime HD camera
Connections and expansion: Two Thunderbolt 3 ports (up to 40 Gbps); two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps); HDMI port; 3.5 mm headphone jack; IR receiver; SDXC card slot.
Battery backup
The battery backup of the MacBook 12in M7 is 10 Hours. The battery backup is the time that you can use your laptop with a battery charge. The longer the battery backup, the more time you can use your laptop without AC power. It is better to carry a spare battery with you when you are travelling on long trips. You can also keep a fully charged spare one in case you need to use your laptop for longer duration.
Battery Type: Lithium Polymer
Battery Life: 10 Hours
Display and Audio
The display of the MacBook 12in M7 is excellent. It has a resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels (or 300 PPI) and a pixel density of 226 pixels per inch. That’s right in line with Apple’s Retina displays and better than most laptops, including the MacBook Pro 13in (2019).
The screen is also wide enough to accommodate two full-size windows side by side — something that’s common on Windows laptops but not as common on Macs.
Apple claims the display covers 99% of the DCI-P3 color space, which means it’s very close to being a wide gamut display. The panel itself is an LG-made IPS LCD. It has great color accuracy and high brightness levels for a laptop screen — even when compared with Apple’s own Retina displays.
Audio from the speakers is surprisingly good for such a small laptop, although it doesn’t get quite as loud as some other Macs I’ve tested recently. But it offers clean highs and mids, and decent bass response at moderate volumes.
Advantages of MacBook 12in M7
MacBook 12in M7 is a laptop that has been launched by Apple in February 2019. It is one of the best laptops that you can buy right now. The MacBook 12in M7 comes with a lot of features like the Retina display and Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which are some of the useful features that make it better than other laptops.
Here are some of the advantages of buying a MacBook 12in M7:
It comes with an elegant design. The MacBook 12in M7 has a slim body and it weighs just 1.22kg, making it easy to carry around with you wherever you go.
It offers high performance. The MacBook 12in M6 has an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB RAM, which makes everything run smoothly without any glitches or hanging issues at all.
The battery life is also good on this laptop as it can last up to 10 hours depending on how much usage you do on it each day, which means that you don’t need to charge it every day if you use it for less than 3 hours per day.
Disadvantages of MacBook 12in M7
Apple’s new MacBook is a great laptop. But it has some limitations, too. Here are the key drawbacks to consider before you buy:
It’s expensive. The MacBook starts at $1,299 and goes up from there — a lot. That’s a lot of money for a laptop that doesn’t have much power compared to many Windows laptops in this price range.
It’s not very fast. The Intel Core m3 processor in the base model is fine for basic tasks like word processing and web browsing, but it won’t cut it for more intensive tasks like video editing or playing modern games.
It has only one USB Type-C port. You’ll need an adapter if you want to use accessories such as external hard drives or displays that connect via USB Type-A ports (the ones with rectangular plugs).
Conclusion
The Apple Macbook 12in M7 is a well-built, highly portable laptop with premium build quality, a solid keyboard, and backlit keys. It has no optical disc drive and some may question the need for Apple’s relatively minimalist trackpad buttons, but clever software innovations and an innovative touch bar more than makeup for these issues in an aesthetically pleasing package.