MacBook Pro 2017 News: Latest Benchmarks Reveal 2017 MacBook Pro Is 20% Faster Than 2016 Model

Apple has refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup this week with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors; however, early benchmarks for the notebooks hints that the 2017 MacBook Pro models are up to 20 percent faster compared to the equivalent 2016 models equipped with Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processors. 

Particularly, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro 2017 laptop is configured with a 2.9GHz Core i7 processor. Intel's Core i7 Kaby Lake processor has average Single-core and multi-core scores of 4,632 and 15,747 respectively based on nearly a dozen Geekbench 4 results so far. 

On comparison, last year's 15-inch MacBook Pro configured with a sixth-generation 2.7GHz Core i7 processor that was the equivalent high-end stock configuration, has average Single-core and multi-core scores of 4,098 and 13,155 respectively. The result is based on over 4,800 Geekbench 4 results. 

On a model-vs-model basis, the leaked benchmark results suggest that the 2017 MacBook Pro with a 2.9GHz processor is up to 13 percent faster in single-core performance, and up to 19.7 percent faster in multi-core performance as compared to the equivalent 2016 MacBook Pro model. However, its price remains unchanged at $2,799, as reported by Mac Rumors.

There's only one Geekbench result for the new 15-inch 2017 MacBook Pro's base configuration with a 2.8GHz Core i7 processor. But the benchmarks hints that model is up to 9.5 percent faster than the equivalent 2016 MacBook Pro equipped with a sixth-generation 2.6GHz Core i7 processor. 

There are no Geekbench results till now for the new 15-inch 2017 MacBook Pro's highest-end built-to-order configuration with a seventh-generation 3.1GHz Core i7 processor. So its performance cannot be compared to the equivalent built-to-order 2016 MacBook Pro with a sixth-generation 2.9GHz Core i7 processor.

If Apple was treating the MacBook as a traditional laptop this may lead to an Osborne Effect and depress sales of the current machines. In its place, it is another sign that Tim Cook and his team are trying to change the nature of the MacBook marketplace.