As Intel releases a barrage of processors every month, a quick glimpse of what is available gives us chance to anticipate processor candidates for the next line of MacBook Pros.
While reports don’t hint to certain upgrade plans it is almost certain that the 2018 MacBooks will feature improved hardware capabilities. A vast array of processors is available but a smaller pool of possible selection can be identified by using Intel’s ARK database.
MacBook Pro 13 2018
For the 13’’ model the most probable candidate is the Kaby Lake R series. Released last year, it has been featured in laptop flagships as Dell’s XPS 13 and the svelte HP Spectre 13.
The Kaby Lake R ‘’, now revealed as the eight generation of Intel I7 series offers the power of a quad-core processors in a size fit for slim laptops that also require serious calculation power. The king of the series is the quad-core Core i7-8650U With a base frequency of 1,9 GHz which can go up to 4,2 GHz in full Turbo mode. Supporting up to 32 GB of RAM, it offers a hypothetical configuration on par with many desktops or even workstations, such as the HP Elite 850 G5 which can be paired with a 1TB SSD and AMD discrete graphic solutions for optimum performance.
However, it may not be the best choice as increased power comes with the cost of higher battery drain and lo9ng battery life is one of the main advantages of Apple products this would lead to choosing more energy efficient processors such as the quad-core Core i7-8650U. At a base seed of 1.8 GHz, it also uses DDR3 RAM to further maximize energy saving. Laptops like Dell’s XP S9730 and HP’s Spectre 13 already use it.
MacBook Pro 15 2018
Intel’s Coffee Lake series seems to be the favorite for the MacBook 15 line, as it would be a huge gain in performance from the seventh generation of I7 processors that were previously used. One highly probable candidate is the Intel Core i9-8950HK. Featuring six cores, a base clock speed of 2.9 GHz (and lightning-fast 4.8GHz Turbo max) and 12 MB SmartCache with a 45-watt power consumption make it seem more than fit for a 15’’ MacBook Pro on par with many workstations.
Another interesting choice is could be the quad core Kaby Lake G series but while it features beefy candidates like the Intel Core i7-8809G (3.1 GHz /4.2 GHz Turbo max) it would seem that six core processors are what the MacBook 15 wants.
Henry Lares is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Huffington Post. In regards to academics, Henry earned an engineering degree from Apex Technical School. Henry has a passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.