2019 13 base with a bump in storage to 256 is your best price to value option. Better (SUPPOSEDLY) keyboard and newer silicon than a 2016 or 17, including T2 security (many people on these forums hate it, but I find it a plus).
Not sure if you were looking at the NON TouchBar 2016 and 2017’s, but a 2019 will get you the touchbar.
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Yes, don’t out think the room. Just go for a 256 2019.
It’s quite hilarious that each the 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 ALL had different keyboards. It’s beyond complicated trying to explain all the nuances to a less-than savvy consumer (say an older family member). With the keyboard debacle, it’s always been easiest to recommend the ‘latest’ model, though some of that was alleviated when they launched the keyboard warranty program for all models.
I am also very aware of all the T2 issues, though it does seem a lot of the noise around this has died out, likely indicating that a lot of the bugs have been fixed. It’s definitely an issue that’s still out there but not sure how concerned I’d be about it these days. It is nice that you can disable a lot of the T2 security features, which for a lot of users has alleviated any crashes.
2015 12” MacBook - First generation Butterfly keyboard. I bought 2, returned them both because they both have multiple keys with out of the box issues. Eventually bought the 2016 12” model and that one is flawless to this day.
2016 MacBook Pro (13/15) - ‘Second generation’ Butterfly keyboard. According to Apple, mechanism was modified as 2016 unibody allowed for more key travel.
2017 MacBook Pro (13/15) - Never officially indicated as a different keyboard model by Apple, but teardowns found the bottom portion of the key caps had been slightly modified. I personally had both a 2016 and 2017 MBP and the keyboard feel was slightly different.
2018 MacBook Pro (13/15) & 2018 MacBook Air - ‘Third generation’ Butterfly keyboard. By this time Apple had finally admitted issues (with only 2016/2017 models) and advertised 2018 as the ‘quieter’ keyboard model. Basically they added a silicone layer to prevent debris from entering the keyboard mechanism; this also changed the sound output of the keystrokes. This is what I currently have and is my favorite on the bunch in terms of keyboard feel.
2019 MacBook Pro(13/15) & 2019 MacBook Air - Still a ‘Third generation’ Butterfly keyboard, but now ‘with an updated material’. I honestly think Apple just didn’t want to release a ‘4th gen’ due to how bad that press release would look. Oh, and even 2019 models (and 2018) are now covered by the keyboard program. 2019 model is the only I haven’t owned personally, apparently feel is similar but slightly different than 2018 model.
Now try to go explain to your grandma which model is best for her. Lol.
