Is the Late 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro still worth buying?

It is a solid choice if you need a large Retina screen, a good keyboard and Intel macOS compatibility, or find one used. For battery life and long-term macOS support, Apple Silicon models are the better buy.

How does it compare with the 15-inch MacBook Pro it replaced?

It has a larger 16-inch display in a similar footprint, the scissor-switch Magic Keyboard instead of the butterfly one, a physical Esc key, and a six-speaker system. It also runs cooler than the 15-inch under load, though the i9 still gets hot.

Does the Core i9 throttle?

Yes, under sustained heavy loads the 8-core i9 reaches high temperatures and the fans ramp up, and it can throttle. Short bursts of editing or rendering are fine; long exports will be slower than peak benchmarks suggest.

Can I upgrade the RAM or storage later?

No. The 16GB of RAM is soldered to the logic board, and the SSD is not user-replaceable. Choose the configuration you need up front.

The laptop comes with a 96W USB-C power adapter and a USB-C charging cable. It has four Thunderbolt 3 ports, so you will need adapters for USB-A, HDMI or SD cards.

How is the battery life?

Light web and document work can last most of a day, but video editing and rendering drain it quickly. Expect to keep the charger nearby for heavy work.

Where is the Apple MacBook Pro 16.0" (Late 2019) cheapest?

At Amazon, for $3,016.08, as of our latest check.

Where can I buy the Apple MacBook Pro 16.0" (Late 2019)?

2 stores we checked sell it, including Amazon, MetroMotive.

Apple MacBook Pro 16.0" (Late 2019)

Best price now

$3,016.08at AmazonChecked Nov 12

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What reviewers say

Owners and reviewers rate the 16-inch Late 2019 highly for its keyboard, speakers and display, calling it the fix the 15-inch needed. The common complaints are heat and fan noise under load, and battery life that is merely average for a pro laptop.

What people mention

KeyboardPraisedOwners say the scissor-switch keys feel better and are more reliable than the earlier butterfly keyboard.
SpeakersPraisedReviewers call the six-speaker system some of the best audio on a laptop.
Heat and fansCriticisedUnder sustained load the Core i9 runs hot, throttles and makes the fans audible.
BatteryMixedBattery life is fine for light work but drops sharply during editing and rendering.
DisplayPraisedThe 16-inch Retina panel is praised for brightness, color accuracy and thin bezels.
WeightCriticisedAt around 4.3 pounds it is heavier than newer pro laptops and noticeable in a bag.

About the Apple MacBook Pro 16.0" (Late 2019)

The Apple MacBook Pro 16" (Late 2019) is a laptop with a 16-inch Retina display, an Intel Core i9 processor and AMD Radeon Pro graphics. It is built for demanding work such as video editing, 3D rendering and multitasking.

The display supports True Tone and the P3 wide color gamut. It has a 3072 x 1920 resolution and 500 nits of brightness. A six-speaker system with force-canceling woofers and a three-mic array handle audio.

It has 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack handle connections. The built-in 100Wh battery lasts up to 11 hours of use.

Model

MVVK2LL/A

Processor

Intel Core i9-9880H, 8-core, 2.3 GHz base clock, Turbo Boost up to 4.8 GHz

Memory

16GB DDR4 RAM

Storage

1TB PCIe SSD

Display

16.0" Retina, 3072 x 1920, P3 wide color gamut, 500 nits, True Tone

Graphics

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM; Intel UHD Graphics 630