Should YOU Buy a Refurbished 16" MacBook Pro | Is a Refurbished Mac a good deal?

This is kind of a big deal: an Apple-certified refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro. But what’s inside? Does it look used? Is it a good deal?

The machine

The base model 16-inch: 2.6 GHz 6-core i7, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4 GB of video memory. I think the Apple refurbished store is kind of a secret: not many people know about the deals. They depend on what’s available (the stock changes frequently), so keep an eye on it.

I haven’t owned a Mac since the end of 2013, so it’s the first I’ve purchased since 2012. I don’t know whether I’ll keep it (“I don’t even know how to use a Macintosh anymore”; the last Mac I used was OS X Mavericks).

Unboxing

Just removing the lid, it’s huge: the last MacBook I owned was an 11-inch Air, and this is by far the largest laptop I’ve owned (they used to have 17-inch MacBooks, but I never had one). I got silver, because that’s all that was available at this price on the refurbished store. In the box: a USB-C power cable (“designed by Apple in California”), stickers (silver!) and the power adapter. Apple says refurbished computers go through a stringent refurbishment process and are cleaned, and I’ve heard they get new batteries: anything expendable is replaced.

There isn’t a scratch, smudge or ding on it. It’s essentially the same process as opening a new MacBook, with the same packaging in a slightly different box. It looks flawless and brand new, “like it’s not used or returned at all,” and I can’t get over the size. Setup went through VoiceOver at first (“I now have to figure out the Touch Bar”) and I realized I’d missed the entire butterfly keyboard period, so I don’t have to worry about keyboard reliability now that the 16-inch has returned to scissor switches. I’m not sure what I’ll use it for: it will replace my Windows computer, and I still use my iPad for most mobile things, so I need to fit it into my workflows or return it.

Is it a good deal?

• Retail: the base 16-inch MacBook Pro (2.6 GHz, 512 GB, 5300M) is $2,399.
• Refurbished: go to the bottom of apple.com, choose Refurbished and Clearance, then Mac: the same model is $2,039, a $360 savings right off the bat. You won’t find this kind of deal on Swappa or eBay, and the refurbishment process makes it better, with a full one-year Apple warranty and the option to buy AppleCare for two more years.
• Military or veteran discount: search Apple’s site for military discounts, sign in with ID.me, and go to the refurbished section for an additional discount. I got the base 16-inch for $1,835, $565 below retail for essentially a brand-new Mac.

Is that a good deal? I think so. What should I install first, and how should I configure it? Give me tips (“I don’t remember what to do”).

Links

• New 16” MacBook Pro
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