MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

Source

Dave2D

Key Takeaways

• Intel Core i9 spikes to 100°C instantly under load, screaming with jet-engine fan noise that disrupts rooms.
• Aggressive thermal throttling forces clocks below base frequency, crippling long render pipelines.
• Battery stamina evaporates in under 90 minutes when pushed off the wall charger with throttled GPU power.
• Connecting an external 4K monitor forces discrete GPU draw, roasting your lap even during simple web tasks.

✅ Pros

• Welcome return of reliable scissor-switch Magic Keyboard
• Expansive 16-inch Retina display canvas
• Class-leading 6-speaker acoustic system

❌ Cons

• Deafening jet-engine fan whine under load
• Intel Core i9 thermal throttling at 100°C
• Dismal 90-minute battery stamina under workload
• Lap-scorching surface heat with external displays

📝 Verdict

"The 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro was Intel's swan song: loud, hot, and power-thirsty, proving why M-series was mandatory."

Source

• Video: Even I Can’t Hate the 16” Macbook Pro 2019
• Channel: Linus Tech Tips | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He was ready to tear into it, but found a new keyboard, slimmer bezels and a physical Esc key; the return to a scissor-switch keyboard brings better feel and key travel, and it sounds nicer too
• The inverted-T arrow keys are his favorite layout improvement; the Touch ID power button is now separate and matte
• The body is wider to fit new speakers: fuller bass, clearer mids, and no harshness at maximum volume
• Thermal behavior under macOS is interesting: during Blender renders it stays above base clock, running 10% higher than the 15-inch; but under Boot Camp/Windows, performance and thermals are poor, because Apple's fan and CPU tuning only takes effect in macOS
• iFixit gives it a repairability score of just 1 (glue and rivets); at the same specs it's about US$800 more than a Dell XPS 15, but has a brighter screen and stronger CPU performance

✅ Pros

• Improved keyboard
• Big speaker improvement
• Good performance and thermals under macOS
• Bright screen

❌ Cons

• Poor performance under Windows/Boot Camp
• Extremely poor repairability
• Expensive (the Apple tax)
• No SD card slot

📝 Verdict

He agrees it's the best MacBook since the 2015 Retina models: Apple spent its R&D this time on making both designers and consumers happy, and he hopes that continues.

Source

• Video: 16" MacBook Pro Review: Now Do It Again!
• Channel: Marques Brownlee | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He says it's the best laptop Apple has ever made, fixing the 15-inch model's overheating and keyboard problems, though it's not a size he'd buy himself
• The body is slightly bigger in every direction and weighs about 4.3 pounds, in exchange for a bigger battery and a large screen with slimmer bezels; it still fits in his Peak Design 20L backpack
• The return to a scissor-switch keyboard with real key travel makes typing clearly better; the physical Esc key, separate Touch ID power button and inverted-T arrow keys are back, but the Touch Bar still often freezes for him
• The microphones' signal-to-noise ratio improves dramatically, but sadly it's still a very soft 720p webcam; the speakers are better than any he's heard on a laptop
• 8TB of storage is available (about US$2,200 extra); next he hopes for the return of the SD card slot, LTE, a black version, and the same improvements on the 13-inch

✅ Pros

• New scissor-switch keyboard
• Superb speakers
• Improved cooling
• Bigger screen and battery
• Physical Esc key

❌ Cons

• 720p webcam
• Touch Bar often freezes
• No SD card slot
• Heavier

📝 Verdict

Overall it's the best laptop Apple has ever made, as it should be; he hopes this "listening to feedback" approach carries over to other product lines.

Source

• Video: 16” MacBook Pro Review - Real Talk
• Channel: Dave2D | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He used it for several days, testing both the base i7 and the top i9; if your workflow can use more cores, the i9's two extra cores are worth it
• Cooling is clearly better than the previous model, though there are still thermal limits; the new AMD 7nm GPU is a big step up from the previous-generation Vega 20, and for video editing he recommends upgrading the GPU
• Apple is the only manufacturer powering high-performance H-series Intel chips over USB-C, so any USB-C PD charger with enough wattage works
• Complaints: no Wi-Fi 6, still a 720p webcam, no Face ID
• It starts at about US$2,300–2,400; in the past he didn't recommend running Adobe on a MacBook Pro, but this time the hardware is good, the price is reasonable for Apple, and Adobe is well optimized

✅ Pros

• Improved cooling
• Big GPU improvement
• Flexible USB-C power
• Excellent screen

❌ Cons

• No Wi-Fi 6
• 720p webcam
• No Face ID
• High price

📝 Verdict

If an unreliable keyboard or insufficient performance has kept you from buying a MacBook Pro, this year's model gets it right; this new chassis will be used for years, so you needn't worry about it being replaced next year.