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Laptops · Apple MacBook Pro

Apple MacBook Pro 2018

16owners with an opinion
43%of verdicts positive
6/5positive/negative since 2024
6 yrslongest happy owner
1happy after 3+ years

Praised for reliability and support; criticized for software and build quality.

What owners wrote

Likes itOwned 6 years
When alternatives are Windows laptops that barely work - it doesn’t seem so expensive. Case in point. Back in 2018, me and my gf bought new laptops. I’ve opted for MBP and she bought Asus Rog Strix. Both were over 2k euro. Two years after her laptop has constant issues with Windows updating all the time, WiFi modem dies until you power cycle whole machine, it randomly turns on at night or doesn’t go to sleep at all, fans that sound like jet engines even on lowest of speeds. My MBP 2018 is still a champ after all these years, I had literally zero issues with it and the only reason why I’m contemplating upgrading is how amazing M processors are. And seriously? More expensive? MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and M processor starts at 1500 euro. It has far superior build quality, software and battery life than any Linux/Windows machine in any category. And on top of that it runs completely silently. Apple=expensive meme needs to die.
Neutral
How much would you charge me to swap out my MacBook Pro 2018 15.4" battery using authorized methods to not cause other damage? I want my laptop back within a few days, a 90 day warranty on parts and labor, and I want a genuine Apple battery - not some unknown 3rd party.
Doesn’t like it
This morning I was looking to maybe replace my Macbook Pro 2018, which had the horrible keyboard and finally seems to be crippled enough to not be fun to use anymore — now this! However, I have been disappointed by Apple too many times (they wouldn't replace my keyboard despite their highly-flamed design-faux-pas, had to replace the battery twice by now, etc.) Two years ago I finally stopped replacing their expensive external keyboards, which I used to buy once a year or every other (due to broken key-hinges) and have been so incredibly positively surprised by getting used to the MX Keys now. Much better built, incredible mileage for the price. Plus, I can easily switch and use them on my Windows PC, too. So, about the Macbook — if I were to switch mobile computing over to Windows, what can I replace it with? My main machine is still a Mac Mini M2 Pro, which is perfect value/price. I like the Surface as a concept (replacable keyboards are a fantastic idea, battery however, super iffy nonsense), and I've got a Surface Pro 6 around, but it's essentially the same gloss-premium I don't need for my use. Are there any much-cheaper but somewhat comparable laptops (12h+ battery, 1 TB disk, 16-32GB RAM, 2k+ Display) with reasonable build quality? Does bypassing the inherent premium of all the Apple gloss open up any useful options? Or is Apple actually providing the best value here? Would love to hear from non-Surface, non-Thinkpad (I love it, but) folks who've got some recommendation…
Likes it
Not omni-platform if you have macOS < 13. It's the author's prerogative to set minimum requirements, of course, but for something "basic" (note the quotes) like a terminal emulator, not having far-reaching backwards platform compatibility is a deal-breaker for many. Life's hard enough for macOS users who don't want to upgrade the OS every 6 months and/or replace hardware every 2 years. For people like me who prefer to run their systems as purchased until the hardware fails, the "move forward or get left behind" upgrade mentality is very troublesome. Hopefully libghostty will be much more permissive. No dependencies (not even libC) is a good sign that will be true. (written on a 2018 macbook pro running macOS 10.14.6, which still works great in every way)
Doesn’t like it
There are two points I feel are worth focusing and I’ve experienced similar: - Linux is fast. Few years ago I wanted to run Linux and used my MacBook Air 2013 (one of the best machines I’ve had). It was amazing how Ubuntu ran so sleek especially comparing to the MacBook Pro 2018 with macOS. - x86_64 feels less portable than arm. Since I got MBP from my work I’ve also got another machine for Windows. I’ve went with 13” MSI Perstige with 125H which was the latest back then offering hybrid cores (performance + economy). It’s 1kg is amazing and the OLED is also nice. But in order for the machine to actually compile and be snappy I need to ensure it’s not dropping to 0.4-0.8Ghz and then it easily gets warm and noisy. The MBP 2021 also shows age. But even with more frequent fans and 80% of original battery it outperform the younger MSI since day one. TL;DR * Unless you need specific software, Linux distros are great and fast. Much more joy (imho) than Windows. * SoC/ARM is still rare but it would be much more interesting comparison to current Macs in terms of portability (fans, battery life)
Likes it
I actually enjoy the Touch Bar on my 2018 MacBook Pro. The screen brightness slider offers more granular control. On my M1 air there is often a brightness gap where the screen is either too bright or too dark when using the keyboard to adjust brightness. Then I have to go to the menu bar to get the brightness level I actually want. It's even better on the 2019+ models when they brought back the escape key. I would agree that the added expense of that oled touchscreen isn't worth it tho. The M series Macs often go on sale at pretty large discounts (seemingly even more than the Intel Macs), and removing the oled touchscreen and the T2 chip that controlled it probably contributes to that.
Doesn’t like it
I've been buying and using MBP for 6 or 7 years now, and just assumed I could run Linux on one if I wanted to. I just spent a couple of days trying to get a 2018 MBP working with Linux and found out [edit to clarify] that my other ARM MBP basically won't work. I just want a break from MacOS, I'll be buying a Thinkpad and will probably never come back. This isn't my moaning, I understand it's their market, but if their hardware supported Linux (especially dual booting) or Docker native, I'd probably be buying Apple for the next decade and now I just won't be.
Doesn’t like it
I had a Macbook Pro 2018 that a friend of mine bought for me in Moscow because it was much cheaper there (due to grey import, I think). I didn't have Apple Care or anything. When its touchbar stopped working in 2020, I brought it to Apple Store in Amsterdam and complained about it and also about faulty butterfly keys (one keycap fell off, "t" and "e" key were registering double presses each time). So the guys at Apple Store simply took it and replaced the whole top case so I've got a new keyboard, new touchbar, and - the best part - a new battery.
Neutral
I'm confused. My understanding is that they didn't drop support for all Intel Macs in Sequoia. My 2018 MBP for example is still supported. The last Intel Mac Pro in your example is also still supported. My MBP hasn't hasn't been _fully_ supported for many years. The M1-specific features started rolling out in 2021 - ability to run iPad apps being the most obvious one, the ability to get the globe view in maps being the most questionable. IIRC, my MBP did not yet have a M1 Pro/Max version available for sale when they announced the M1-specific features. The point being, having AI features unavailable doesn't make the Mac unusable any more than it makes an iPhone 15 unusable. Those parts should continue to operate the way they do today (e.g. with today's Siri).
Likes it
Due to things like this I’m quite wary of buying a high end Apple machine as workhorse even though I’ve become a big fan of their products. Though I’m currently using an M1 and 2018 MacBook Pro without any problems they are company issued so I haven’t paid anything. Of late I’ve been getting this idea of building a high end desktop PC with Linux as a daily workhorse and use the lowest end MacBook for cases when I have to move around the house or work from office. When I’m paying $3000+ I expect local shops to be able to repair and service them without the manufacturer throwing a tantrum.
Doesn’t like it
EDIT: I should point out that, although I don't like MacOS, I ditched Apple-related products first and foremost because of both the hardware itself and the company. Every Apple product I've owned has failed in some spectacular way, and Apple's response is typically something along the lines of "You're SoL dude, you can either recycle it and buy a new product, or you can pay us something close to the value of the device to repair it" (because they solder everything unnecessarily). Framework finally came along and showed that you can have a sleek, elegant (and modular!) design without soldering everything together in the name of reducing weight by 0.01kg or whatever (or making it a hair-width thinner). Most recently, I had a 2019 Macbook Pro ($3K) that would frequently give me a "red screen of death" under load and crap out completely. Before that, a brand new 2018 Macbook Pro I bought (for nearly $3K mind you) became unusable within an hour after taking it out of the box because of the faulty keyboard (several keys either didn't register key presses, or they would turn one key press into multiple occurrences of the same letter). Before that, I had a Thunderbolt Display ($1K) that would fail intermittently, and it took 5 trips to the Apple store before they finally gave me a new one. Before that, I had a 2014 Macbook Pro for which the screen started peeling off -- I had to buy a matte screen protector to even be able to see the screen. I have several more examples as I go back
Doesn’t like it
For what it's worth, barring catastrophic failure, which seems to be rare, these things tend to hold up quite well. My previous Macbook lasted me about 6 years, I had its battery replaced half a year ago without any issues; it's my backup machine now, and if it weren't a tad too sluggish at some tasks, I would have postponed the upgrade another year. Lots of people (on HN, too) run even older Macbooks, apparently happily. Just be sure to get the latest gen, especially for the 13" Pros ones – you absolutely want the 2020 keyboard (physical ESC key, no failure-prone butterfly mechanics, really nice feel, "old" arrow key arrangement that is easier to find by feel) and the newest CPUs. I have both keyboards (my own 2020 one and my 2018 work laptop) and the difference is crazy. But as I mentioned before, have a look at the current Air as well – cheaper and still plenty powerful, depending on what you need.
Doesn’t like it
I own a 2016 Macbook Pro and 2018 Macbook Pro and I have to agree with the others in this thread: don't buy a modern Mac laptop. I really regret purchasing the 2018, my next laptop will probably a Linux based machine. I recently switched to iPhone after using Android devices for many years to get away from Google and that was actually a purchase I can recommend. The Macbook Pro, not so much.