Initial tests point to 15% faster CPU performance, other changes in 2016 12-inch Retina MacBooks

Apple’s next-gen 12-inch retina MacBook is out the door and the numbers have been run on it.

Over at Geekbench, Christina Warren noted that that 1.2 GHz configuration runs around 15 to 18 percent faster CPU performance compared to last year’s equivalent model. The notebook earned a single-core score of 2,894 and a multi-core score of 5,845, versus 2,437 single-core and 5,049 multi-core scores for the previous generation 1.2GHz model.

Also of note are early BlackMagic disk speed tests, which have seen write speeds that are up to 80 or 90 percent faster than the write speeds in the previous-generation MacBook. Read speeds are also improved.

Unfortunately, some elements have remained static. A 480p FaceTime camera has met with some criticism which others cite a $1,299 price tag that only snags you a single USB port, no Thunderbolt 3 port or DDR4 RAM.

Apple has included a new battery for the 12-inch MacBook Pro which the company says adds an additional hour of life, offering 10 hours of operating time on a full charge. The improvement was made possible by not only more efficient Skylake processors, but also due to a 41.4-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery. The original 12-inch MacBook has a slightly shorter-lasting 39.7-watt-hour battery that delivers up to 9 hours of power per charge.

The new 12-inch MacBook is available with a faster 1.3GHz Intel dual-core Core m7 processor as a $150 to $250 built-to-order upgrade option. The upgrade can be applied to both standard configurations, which offer 1.1GHz Core m3 and 1.2GHz Core m5 processors for $1,299 and $1,599 respectively.

Finally, Apple has lowered the price of refurbished early 2015 model 12-inch MacBooks on its online store. The notebooks now range between $929 and $1,319 in the U.S. depending on the configuration selected.

The cheapest $929 model features a 1.1GHz Intel dual-core Core M processor based on previous-generation Broadwell architecture, along with 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 RAM, 256GB PCIe-based flash storage, and Intel HD Graphics 5300.

If you’ve gotten your hands on the new 12-inch Retina MacBook and have any feedback to offer, let us know in the comments.

Via MacRumors, and Christina Warren’s Twitter (1, 2)