16-Inch MacBook Pro Returns to Pre-2016 Arrow Key Layout, Sticks With 720p Webcam and 802.11ac Wi-Fi

Wednesday November 13, 2019 7:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced its widely rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro with a larger display and slimmer bezels, a new Magic Keyboard with a scissor mechanism and physical Esc key, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 8TB of SSD storage, AMD Radeon Pro 5000M graphics options, upgraded speakers and microphones, and more.


Here are some other things to know about the new 16-inch MacBook Pro:
  • In addition to a scissor mechanism keyboard with a physical Esc key, another much-requested feature that Apple has reintroduced is an inverse-T arrow key layout, last used on the 15-inch MacBook Pro in 2015.
  • Display brightness appears to remain unchanged, with the same brightness of up to 500 nits as the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
  • Unlike the iPhone 11, which has 802.11ax aka Wi-Fi 6, the 16-inch MacBook Pro sticks with 802.11ac for wireless networking.
  • The front-facing webcam remains 720p.
  • A higher-power 96W charger is included in the box and sold separately for $79. That's up from 87W for the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
  • AppleCare+ remains the same $379 price as the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
  • As noted by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, there is about 0.5mm more space between keys. He also notes that the Touch Bar has been moved slightly further above the top row of keys to help avoid accidental touches.
  • Unsurprisingly, given its new scissor mechanism keyboard, TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino notes that the 16-inch MacBook Pro is not included in Apple's repair program for Macs with butterfly keyboards. Hopefully this means Apple is confident the keyboard is truly more reliable.
We'll update this list if we spot any other tidbits worth mentioning. Let us know if you spot any others in the comments section.


The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is available to order today through Apple.com and the Apple Store app in many countries. It will be available in Apple Stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers in the United States later this week and is "coming soon" to stores around the world, according to Apple.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
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[ 284 comments ]

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jb-net
4 weeks ago
Missing Wi-Fi 6 (which would have been available from Intel) and still using a 720p Facetime camera is disappointing.
Rating: 48 Votes
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Diseal3
4 weeks ago
Learning has occurred.
Rating: 36 Votes
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baryon
4 weeks ago
A physical escape key? A scissor switch keyboard? An inverted T arrow key layout? Apple deserves a lot of praise for these innovations! What's next? A replaceable battery or RAM? 3 years of warranty as standard? The future possibilities are endless!

I remember when Apple's "innovations" were limited to stupid marketing gimmicks like doubling the screen resolution, a multi-touch trackpad, new chassis materials, and the mag-safe connector. That was so boring. But this! A physical escape key! Let me just sell my car and get one of these babies!

No seriously I'm going to have to buy this as I've been waiting for too long for a new Mac due to the cursed previous generation.
Rating: 31 Votes
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dogslobber
4 weeks ago
This sounds like the true successor to the 2015 MBP. We don’t talk about them other models in here parts.
Rating: 30 Votes
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cirial
4 weeks ago
Bring back magsafe
Rating: 27 Votes
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chucker23n1
4 weeks ago

Unlike the iPhone 11, which has 802.11ax aka Wi-Fi 6, the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ sticks with 802.11ac for wireless networking.


That makes sense. They could've added a chip for Wi-Fi 6, but Comet Lake includes it, so that chip would be obsolete by the next revision.

Instead, we'll see Wi-Fi 6 (and up to ten cores) next summer with a Comet Lake-H speedbump.


Missing Wi-Fi 6 (which would have been available from Intel)


Not on a 45W chip.
Rating: 19 Votes
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ignatius345
4 weeks ago
Anybody out there still defending the butterfly keyboard: you were wrong. Apology accepted.

(Been waiting a long time to type that, and it feels great.)
Rating: 16 Votes
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yossi
4 weeks ago
Shocked they kept the headphone jack!
Rating: 14 Votes
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4jasontv
4 weeks ago


the Touch Bar has been moved slightly further above the top row of keys to help avoid accidental touches.


Thats great! I’d say I never use the Touch Bar but the truth is that I tap it accidentally all the time.
Rating: 13 Votes
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riptidewahoo
4 weeks ago



0.5 mm or cm ?

It's 0.5mm.

0.5cm would be ridiculous.
Rating: 12 Votes

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