Apple’s latest generation MacBook Pro is now official. The upgraded 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models feature the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips inside. Other updates include Wi-Fi 6E for the first time, upgraded HDMI with 8K display support, and more. Head below for the full details on what’s new with these MacBook Pro updates…
New MacBook Pro now official
The M2 Pro chip found in the new MacBook Pro features an up to 12-core CPU and up to 19-core GPU. You can also add up to 32GB of unified memory. The M2 Max can go even further, including an up to 38-core GPU, double the unified memory bandwidth, and up to 96GB of unified memory.
Storage configuration options on the new MacBook Pro models range from 512GB on the low end and up to 8TB on the high end. The machines are available in the same space gray and silver color options as the previous generation.
Notably, Apple also says that these new MacBook Pro updates offer the “longest battery life ever in a Mac,” with up to 22 hours of runtime:
Apple today announced the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max, Apple’s next-generation pro silicon that brings even more power-efficient performance and battery life to pro users. With M2 Pro and M2 Max — the world’s most powerful and efficient chip for a pro laptop — MacBook Pro tackles demanding tasks, like effects rendering, which is up to 6x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro, and color grading, which is up to 2x faster.
Building on the unprecedented power efficiency of Apple silicon, battery life on MacBook Pro is now up to 22 hours — the longest battery life ever in a Mac.
For enhanced connectivity, the new MacBook Pro supports Wi-Fi 6E, which is up to twice as fast as the previous generation, as well as advanced HDMI, which supports 8K displays for the first time. With up to 96GB of unified memory in the M2 Max model, creators can work on scenes so large that PC laptops can’t even run them.
In addition to the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips inside, the new MacBook Pro models also include a few other improvements as well. The HDMI port has been updated to the HDMI 2.1 standard, which brings support for 8K displays up to 60Hz and 4K displays up to 240Hz. For the first time, the MacBook Pro also now offers Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, which Apple says offers speeds that are “up to twice as fast” as before.
M2 Pro and M2 Max performance
These machines offer our first look at the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, which previously were not available in any machine. Here are some stats on the M2 Pro performance, according to Apple:
- 30 percent more graphics performance
- Neural Engine is 40 percent faster, speeding up machine learning tasks like video analysis and image processing
- Rendering titles and animations in Motion is up to 80 percent faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation.
- Compiling in Xcode is up to 2.5x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and nearly 25 percent faster than the previous generation.
- Image processing in Adobe Photoshop is up to 80 percent faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 40 percent faster than the previous generation.
Top comment by OK
Let's be realistic. No-one expected major changes in the design of the hardware or chips. The idea is not to compare a MBP with M1 to these, but rather those with older MBPs. People who may have held off because they could not add enough memory, or because they were waiting for HDMI 2.1. For them, this is a solid option, not lagging behind.
Next year, we'll see the M3 on 3nm, that will be a whole different story.
And M2 Max performance is as follows:
- 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores that delivers up to 20 percent greater performance over M1 Max
- Effects rendering in Cinema 4D is up to 6x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation.
- Color grading in DaVinci Resolve is up to 2x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation.
Apple’s full press release is on its website. The new machines are available to order today, January 17, with availability beginning on January 24.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1,999, or $1,849 for education. The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $2,499, or $2,299 for education.
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