Let’s be honest. When Apple first slapped that glowing OLED strip above the keyboard back in 2016, half the tech world acted like it was the second coming of the mouse, and the other half absolutely hated it. It felt gimmicky. People accidentally tapped the Siri button while trying to hit delete. Pro users mourned the loss of the physical Esc key. But now that the 13 in macbook pro with touch bar has officially been retired in favor of the chunkier, more powerful M2 and M3 Pro models, something funny is happening.
The used market is flooded with them.
Prices have cratered. You can find these machines for a fraction of their original MSRP. And while the tech press has moved on to the flashy liquid retina displays and "ProMotion" 120Hz screens, the 13-inch Pro remains this strangely portable, incredibly sleek workhorse that still handles 90% of what most people actually do on a computer. It’s the middle child that finally found its groove just as it was being kicked out of the house.
The awkward history of the 13 in macbook pro with touch bar
It was a bold move. Apple decided that the F-keys—those relics from the 1970s—needed to go. In their place, we got a dynamic, touch-sensitive strip that changed based on the app you were using. If you were in Photoshop, it showed brush sizes. In Safari, it showed your open tabs.
Most people just used it to scrub through YouTube ads.
The early models, specifically the 2016 through 2019 versions, were plagued by the infamous butterfly keyboard. You know the one. A single grain of sand could take down an entire $2,000 machine. It was a disaster. If you're looking at a 13 in macbook pro with touch bar from that era, you have to be careful. Check the serial number. See if the keyboard has been replaced under Apple’s (now expired) service program.
But then 2020 happened.
Apple finally fixed the keyboard, switching back to the "Magic Keyboard" with scissor switches. They also started the transition to their own silicon. The M1 13-inch MacBook Pro was a revelation. It looked exactly like the old Intel ones but ran circles around them while staying cool to the touch. It was the peak of the Touch Bar era. It gave us the efficiency of the M-series chips with the slim chassis of the Touch Bar design.
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Why that "gimmicky" bar is actually useful in 2026
It’s easy to dunk on the Touch Bar until you actually use it for a week.
Think about Word or Google Docs. Instead of digging through menus to find the "comment" or "bold" button, it’s just... there. Under your fingers. For video editors using Final Cut Pro, scrubbing through a long timeline with your left hand while your right hand stays on the trackpad is genuinely faster than using a mouse. It’s tactile in a way that clicking a tiny UI element isn't.
The 13 in macbook pro with touch bar also introduced Touch ID to the Mac lineup in a big way. That sensor is baked right into the right side of the bar. Even if you hate the emojis dancing across the strip, you can't deny that logging into your bank or paying for stuff with a fingerprint is a massive quality-of-life upgrade over typing a 14-character password every twenty minutes.
Performance: Intel vs. M1 vs. M2
If you are hunting for one of these today, the processor choice is everything. Do not, under any circumstances, buy an Intel-based model unless it is dirt cheap—we’re talking under $300. The Intel chips run hot. The fans will sound like a jet taking off just because you opened three Chrome tabs.
The M1 and M2 versions of the 13 in macbook pro with touch bar are different beasts entirely.
- The M1 Model (2020): This is the sweet spot. It has incredible battery life. You can legitimately get 15 hours of real-world use out of this thing. It handles 4K video editing without breaking a sweat.
- The M2 Model (2022): This was the "last hurrah." It’s slightly faster, sure, but it’s mostly just a spec bump. The real draw here is that it will be supported by macOS updates for several more years than the M1.
The screen on these units is a Retina display with 500 nits of brightness. It supports P3 wide color. Even by 2026 standards, it looks better than 90% of the Windows laptops sold at Big Box stores. It doesn’t have the "notch" that the newer 14-inch models have. For some people, that’s a huge selling point. It’s a clean, symmetrical rectangle. Simple.
The Port Situation (The "Dongle Life" Reality)
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Two ports. That’s it.
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On the 13-inch model, you get two Thunderbolt / USB-C ports on the left side and a headphone jack on the right. If you’re charging the laptop, you only have one port left. It’s annoying. You will need a hub. You will need adapters.
However, there’s a trade-off. Because it only has two ports and a smaller cooling system than its big brothers, this is one of the most portable "Pro" laptops Apple ever made. It’s thin. It’s light. It fits on an airplane tray table without crushing your stomach. For students or digital nomads who live in coffee shops, that portability often outweighs the lack of an HDMI port.
Reliability and what to check before buying
If you're buying used, you need to be a bit of a detective. These machines are durable, but they aren't invincible.
First, check the battery cycle count. Click the Apple icon > About This Mac > System Report > Power. If the cycle count is over 800, you’re going to need a replacement soon, which isn't cheap because Apple glues those batteries into the chassis.
Second, look at the screen for "delamination." This is where the anti-reflective coating starts to peel off, looking like ugly stains on the glass. It was a common issue on older pros.
Third, test the Touch Bar itself. Tap every inch of it. Sometimes the OLED strip can develop "dead zones" where it doesn't register touch, or it might flicker. If the bar is broken, you lose your Esc key and your brightness controls. That’s a dealbreaker.
Is it still a "Pro" machine?
The definition of "Pro" has shifted. In 2016, "Pro" meant you had a dedicated graphics card. Today, it mostly refers to the screen and the port selection.
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The 13 in macbook pro with touch bar sits in a weird spot. It has a fan, unlike the MacBook Air. This means if you’re doing something heavy—like rendering a 20-minute video or compiling code—the Pro won't throttle its speed as much as an Air would. It can sustain high performance for longer.
But is it for a professional colorist or a high-end 3D animator? Probably not. The 14-inch and 16-inch models with M3 Max chips have rendered the 13-inch "Pro" obsolete for the top 5% of power users. But for a freelance writer, a marketing manager, or a college student? It’s more than enough. It’s overkill, actually.
Practical steps for potential buyers
If you’ve decided that you want that sleek, Touch Bar life, here is how you should actually execute the purchase to make sure you don't get burned.
1. Target the 2020 M1 Model or later. Avoid the 2016–2019 Intel versions unless you are on an extremely tight budget. The jump in performance and reliability with the M1 chip is the biggest generational leap in Apple's history. It isn't even close.
2. Prioritize RAM over Storage.
You can always plug in a tiny external SSD or use iCloud/Google Drive for your files. You cannot upgrade the RAM. 8GB is "fine" for basic tasks, but if you want this machine to last until 2028 or 2030, find a 16GB version. It makes a massive difference in how the machine feels when you have 20 tabs and a Zoom call going simultaneously.
3. Use BetterTouchTool.
This is a piece of software that almost every Touch Bar owner recommends. It allows you to completely customize what shows up on that little screen. You can put your calendar events there, a weather widget, or even a crypto ticker. It turns the bar from a static menu into a genuinely powerful productivity tool.
4. Check the "Flexgate" potential.
On some older 13-inch models, the ribbon cable connecting the screen to the logic board was a bit too short. Over hundreds of openings and closings, it could fray, leading to a "stage light" effect at the bottom of the screen. Open and close the lid slowly while the screen is on. If the image flickers or develops lines at certain angles, walk away.
The 13 in macbook pro with touch bar represents a specific era of Apple design—one that prioritized thinness and experimental input methods. While Apple has moved back to a more "functional" design language with more ports and physical keys, the 13-inch Pro remains a high-water mark for a certain type of aesthetic. It’s a slim, powerful, and now affordable entry point into the Pro ecosystem. Just make sure you get the one with the good keyboard.