Apple debuts 13-inch MacBook Pro with upgraded M2 processor

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in macOS edited June 2022
Apple has released a new 13-inch MacBook Pro model with an M2 chip, bringing the next-generation Apple Silicon to the company's pro notebooks.

Apple M2 13-inch MacBook Pro
Apple M2 13-inch MacBook Pro


The 13-inch MacBook Pro includes the updated M2 chipset, which Apple says provides much faster performance without sacrificing power efficiency. The M2 is a 5nm-based chipset with 20 billion transistors and 100 GBps of unified memory bandwidth, 50% more than the M1.

Users can opt to add up to 24GB of memory and up to 2TB of SSD storage to the MacBook Pro. The M2, which is an 8-core processor, also packs a 10-core GPU that provides up to 25% better graphics performance at the same power level as M1.

Additionally, the M2 also sports an upgraded Secure Enclave and Neural Engine that Apple says is up to 40% faster than the M1.

According to Apple's own benchmarks, working in apps like Affinity Photo is nearly 40% faster than the previous generation MacBook Pro and up to 3.4 times faster for users upgrading from an Intel-based machine.

Apple says that the new MacBook Pro also has an advanced camera image signal processor and studio-quality microphones, which should provide better Zoom and FaceTime calling capabilities.

MacBook Pro with M2
MacBook Pro with M2


ProRes encode and decode should provide up to 3 times faster video processing. The MacBook Pro is also able to support playback of up to 11 streams of 4K and up to two streams of 8K ProRes video. As with M1-based Mac models, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can only support a single external display with up to a 6K resolution at 60Hz.

Apple has given the battery life an upgrade as well, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro able to last up to 20 hours on a single charge when playing videos. Unlike Apple's other Pro notebooks, the 13-inch model retains the Touch Bar.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 or $1,199 for education customers. They're set to begin arriving on customer doorsteps in July.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    docno42docno42 Posts: 3,755member
    24GB of RAM seems an odd number - but nice to see it's bumping up from 16GB!
    jas99
  • Reply 2 of 13
    KBuffettKBuffett Posts: 95member
    Looks great, but it’s heavy. All the M models seem to be very heavy 
  • Reply 3 of 13
    packfan73packfan73 Posts: 9member
    Will it sill only support 1 external display? The M1 model can only use one external display natively.
  • Reply 4 of 13
    PancakePancake Posts: 42member
    KBuffett said:
    Looks great, but it’s heavy. All the M models seem to be very heavy 
    Confidently incorrect

    The previous M1 MBA is 2.8 pounds. The new M2 is 2.7 pounds. 
    pulseimagesjas99mike1
  • Reply 5 of 13
    adam_12adam_12 Posts: 1member
    No 1080p FaceTime camera on the M2 13 inch MacBook Pro?  Minus the touchbar the M2 MacBook Air is looking like the more appealing option. 
  • Reply 6 of 13
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    Welcome back Touch Bar!  I miss you on my otherwise amazing 16" MBP.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 841member
    adam_12 said:
    No 1080p FaceTime camera on the M2 13 inch MacBook Pro?  Minus the touchbar the M2 MacBook Air is looking like the more appealing option. 
    Honestly, wtf with Apple and webcams on their "pro' products? The Studio Display webcam is crap and now they leave this updated Pro laptop with a webcam from a decade ago. Does Apple secretly own Logitech and wants to keep sending business its way?
  • Reply 8 of 13
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    docno42 said:
    24GB of RAM seems an odd number - but nice to see it's bumping up from 16GB!
    In the old higher-end MBPs, they had 16GB RAM + 8GB VRAM = 24GB total. With unified memory, a 24GB option matches that and will hopefully be a $200 option on the 16" too. With the high-res display, it can be using 4GB for graphics and that leaves 12GB for system + pro apps. That's ok for software development and running a single pro app like Final Cut or Photoshop but 24GB will be smoother when running multiple pro apps.
    edited June 2022
  • Reply 9 of 13
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,727member
    KBuffett said:
    Looks great, but it’s heavy. All the M models seem to be very heavy 
    More metaSeems like a thermal decision. Since the Air had no fan, very wise to give the SOC some thermal dissipation room. 



    The $200 price increase is a bummer though. 

    Apple seems to be taking the idea of saving money in the transition from Intel using it to pad the profit margins instead of passing the benefit to the consumer. At least the chips are better than what I tel would give us, so it’s not really a loss (since Apple loves to market value in real world financial terms). 

    Edit: oops. I mistakenly posted about the air when this was about the Pro. 

    But I’ll leave my boo-boo here for all the enjoy and as a personal reminder to pay enter attention in the future… 😇
    edited June 2022
  • Reply 10 of 13
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    KBuffett said:
    Looks great, but it’s heavy. All the M models seem to be very heavy 
    Basically the same as the final Intel models at 2.7 pounds.  Bit lighter than the M1 too.


    edited June 2022
  • Reply 11 of 13
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,375member
    Hate to say it, but this particular model feels more like a test mule for the M2. I can’t imagine a lot of developers are investing time and energy into making good use of the Touch Bar. It’s kind of like having an 8-track player in your 2022 Toyota. No doubt that it’s still a great machine for a lot of folks, with phenomenal battery life and great performance, but it still feels like it didn’t get a lot of love from Apple’s product designers. If you look up “low hanging fruit” in the dictionary you’ll probably see a picture of this Mac.
    edited June 2022 muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 12 of 13
    bestkeptsecretbestkeptsecret Posts: 4,265member
    What's with the comments about the Touch Bar? I seem to have missed it in the Keynote and in the story here. 
  • Reply 13 of 13
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    What's with the comments about the Touch Bar? I seem to have missed it in the Keynote and in the story here. 
    Apple left the touchbar on the 13" Pro and is now the only Mac with a touchbar:

    https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/13-inch

    The Air looks like a better option, especially having the bigger display. Maybe they will just EOL the 13" Pro at some point.
    bestkeptsecret
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