The MacBook Pro 2018 could feature the latest laptop processor from Intel this year, according to new reports. The chipset maker recently launched the new and powerful Intel Core lineup based on the Coffee Lake technology. Particularly, the new Intel Core i9 processor is likely to be included in the upcoming Mac Pro design, given that the i9 has the same thermal profile as the one used by the current 15-inch MacBook Pro.
As reported by Apple Insider, Intel launched the Core i9-8950HK earlier this week, which is a six-core processor with a base clock speed of 2.0GHz. It is speculated that this Core i9 processor will be used in the next-gen MacBook Pro laptop this year, considering that this chip has the same 45W thermal design power used by the quad-core Core i7 processor with 2.8GHz clock speed, which powers the 2017 MacBook Pro model.
The catch in the latest Intel Core i9 chip, however, is that it still does not support the LPDDR4 RAM, which could further improve the performance of the MacBook laptop. Nevertheless, a six-core chip can still provide over-the-top features for any premium laptops.
As for the MacBook Pro, the Core i9 can be used as a customization option for users who are looking for a computer that can handle highly demanding applications. Late last year, Apple added 8K video support to the video editing suite, as well as the 360-degree VR video extension for Motion and Compressor.
It was tipped that Apple will soon use its own computer processors for its future MacBook laptops, but at the mean time, the Intel Core i9 is the best option to optimize the capacity of the pro-level MacBook. Aside from increased number of cores and threads, the chipset is pretty fast as it can boost up to 4.8GHz on a single core, making it an overclockable processor.
The MacBook Pro 2018 is expected to be unveiled sometime in October, weeks after the launch of Apple's latest iPhone models. If the upcoming Mac will indeed use the Intel Core i9, the public can expect a costly laptop with a price tag of at least $2,000.
