Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch Retina Display (2014)

 The 15.6-inch IPS display has a 2,800-by-1,800 resolution, which is higher than the 2,560-by-1,440 on the Editors' Choice high-end ultrabook, the Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7s Touch$1,499.99 at Toshiba, but lower than the 4K UHD 3,840-by-2,160 screen on the Toshiba Satellite P50T-BST2N01. OS X Mavericks automatically scales the screen so everything is crisp, as long as you're using applications that have been updated for the Retina display. For example, 1080p and 720p HD YouTube videos play back in full resolution in Safari and Chrome without having to zoom the video out to full screen. On-screen elements, like menu bars and windows, automatically scale to a virtual 1,440-by-900 resolution for purposes of positioning, though the images and videos within these windows appear at full resolution. Text is scaled so it looks ultra smooth on the Retina display. Contrast this with the Kirabook 13 i7s Touch and Satellite P50T-BST2N01, where you may have to adjust the scaling repeatedly if menu text looks too small or if images don't look right.
It's not always awesome on the Mac, however. If you're using an older version of a program (like Microsoft Office for Mac 2008, for example), text and images may not scale right and there will be a corresponding reduction in quality. The only unavoidable nit is that the system still doesn't have a matte screen option for folks that can't stand glossy glass.

The $1,999 base model of the 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with 16GB of system memory and a 256GB Flash Storage module (akin to an SSD on other notebooks). The system's memory isn't upgradable, but the Flash Storage is technically upgradable. We say technically because you'll have to source a compatible PCIe Flash Storage module and purchase a special P5 pentalobe screwdriver to handle the specialized screws on the bottom lid of the laptop. Ultimately, it's not otherwise upgradeable, but then again neither are most notebooks and ultrabooks these days. In addition to OS X 10.9 Mavericks, the MacBook Pro 15-inch comes preloaded with Keynote, Numbers, and Pages (iWork), as well as GarageBand, iBooks, iMovie, iPhoto, and iTunes (iLife). With iWork, you should be able to manage schoolwork and basic business work without having to buy Microsoft Office. If you discount free solutions like Google Docs, this gives the MacBook Pro a leg up on Windows laptops, which only come with trial versions of Office. The system comes with a one-year warranty with 90 days of phone support.
Performance The $1,999 base model we tested comes with an Intel Core i7-4770HQ processor with integrated Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics. Add the performance from the 16GB of memory and speedy PCIe-based Flash Storage, and you'll likely never want for power. Multimedia scores were excellent: 1 minute, 17 seconds on the Handbrake video test (which matches the Dell Precision M2800 workstation in the lead of this group), and 3:25 on the Adobe Photoshop CS6 test, five seconds faster than the second place Toshiba Satellite P50T-BST2N01.

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Intel's Iris Pro graphics is on board, and it's essentially the high performance version of Intel HD Graphics. Performance has improved to the point that Apple chose to use Iris Pro graphics on its base model instead of the mid-level discrete graphics found in older iterations of the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The laptop pulled some of the fastest frame rates on our 3D gaming tests (Heaven 22 fps; Valley 23 fps) at the medium quality settings. This is at least 10 fps higher than other Windows laptops with integrated Intel graphics. Only the systems with discrete workstation graphics like the Precision M2800 and Satellite P50T-BST2N01 had faster 3D performance. If you need a boost, the $2,499 version of the MacBook Pro 15-inch comes with Nvidia GeForce GT 750 graphics and a speedier Core i7 processor.
The latest model gained 33 minutes on our battery rundown test over its previous iteration (8:55 vs. 8:22). But competitive systems like the Dell XPS 13 Touch (9:31) and the Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 EditionBest Price at Amazon (11:26) lasted even longer. In addition, the Acer Aspire S7-392-5410 and Toshiba Kirabook 13 i7s Touch both pass the 8-hour mark on the same test. This shows that the Windows competition is starting to muscle in on Apple's former dominance in battery life.
Essentially, the new 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro is a very incremental upgrade to the model released late last year, and if you already have the 2013 model, there's no need to make the move. The Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch, Retina Display (2014)$1,299.00 at Amazon is still our recommendation if you're willing to trade screen size for portability. That said, if you're a Mac power user upgrading from a pre-Retina-Display MacBook Pro (or MacBook Air), this laptop is certainly worth it. It's worthy of our highest recommendation and Editors' Choice badge for best high-end desktop-replacement laptop.