The two keyboards felt practically identical to me. Phillip Tracy (Senior Writer, Laptop Mag) And that slight springiness helped me get a higher word count and better accuracy, but not by much. Neither system provides the bouncy, feedback my work laptop - a 2015 MacBook Pro 15 - delivers.Īfter trying the typing test on both, I prefer the 2017 iteration, as it has enough cushion to give my fingers a little protection from bottoming out. Let me go on record as saying that I'm not a fan of either the 2017 or the 2018 MacBook Pro keyboards. Sherri Smith (Editor, Laptop Mag and Tom's Guide) I preferred the feel of the 2017 Pro, but I can't deny that I typed faster and more accurately on the new version. The 2018 model was quieter and more responsive, resulting in better scores on the 10FastFingers test. The two keyboards felt noticeably different to me. The 2017 Pro's keys felt more pleasantly clickier - highly technical term, I know - than this year's model, but perhaps that's because it's the keyboard I'm accustomed to typing on every day. But I do have a 2017 MacBook Pro at home, so the 2017 model at least seemed familiar. I didn't know which MacBook Pro I was using before I sat down to test the keyboards. My test scores were pretty much the same, with 74 wpm on the 2018 model and 73 wpm on the 2017 model.Ĭaitlin McGarry (Senior Writer, Tom's Guide) I couldn't tell the difference when I clicked on each, back and forth, listening for a difference. So, no, the keys didn't sound especially quieter on the modern model, as I thought it was the previous model. I only discovered I was typing on the newer model when I checked System Preferences to see which laptop had True Tone. Hilariously enough, I confused the 2018 MacBook Pro for the 2017 model during the typing test, as I was familiar with the overall experience from testing the 15-inch version of the older laptop for a month at home. Casey (Senior Writer, Laptop Mag and Tom's Guide) On the 10FastFingers test, my speed was practically identical across the two machines, but I posted two more wrong words on the 2017 MacBook Pro than on the 2018 version. But I preferred the 2018 MacBook Pro's keyboard because I was a bit more accurate as I typed and because the keys provided slightly cushier feedback. Mark Spoonauer (Editor-in-Chief, Laptop Mag and Tom’s Guide)Īs someone migrating from a 2016 MacBook Pro 13-inch for these tests, I thought both the 20 models were a step up.

Macbook pro mid 2017 vs mid 2018