Apple has officially unveiled the new MacBook Pro series, featuring its hotly-anticipated next-generation processors and the longest battery life to date for a Mac device.
Hailed as the most “power-efficient” MacBook Pro yet released by the Cupertino-based tech giant, the new device comes equipped with the option of an M2 Pro or M2 Max processor, and is up to six times faster than Intel-based MacBook devices – marking a step change in capability and performance for users.
In an announcement on Tuesday, the tech giant said the latest iteration of its MacBook series builds on the “unprecedented power efficiency of Apple silicon” and comes with a standard battery life of up to 22 hours.
“MacBook Pro with Apple silicon has been a game changer, empowering pros to push the limits of their workflows while on the go and do things they never thought possible on a laptop,” said Greg Joswiak, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple.
“Today the MacBook Pro gets even better. With faster performance, enhanced connectivity, and the longest battery life ever in a Mac, along with the best display in a laptop, there’s simply nothing else like it.”
M2 Pro and M2 Max deliver power-efficient performance
Equipped with the M2 Pro or M2 Max processor, Apple said the new MacBook Pro is “capable of transforming pro workflows across a range of disciplines” - making it an ideal choice of device for business users and developers.
The company said that users who upgrade from Intel-based Mac models will enjoy “even more dramatic improvements in performance” as well as enhanced connectivity, battery life, and overall productivity.
"MacBook Pro also maintains performance whether users are plugged in or on battery,” the company added in its announcement.
“The announcement of the M2 Pro and M2 Max underscore the importance of Apple’s deep investment in silicon, and demonstrates how central this approach is to the company’s entire approach to computing," said Ben Wood, chief analyst and CMO at CCS Insight.
"We see the announcement of the M2 Pro and M2 Max as a clear strategy to persuade existing Mac users with older Intel-powered devices to upgrade to a new Mac machine. The performance figures are compelling and the more-affordable nature of the Mac mini in particular will draw many to consider an upgrade.
"Consumers who would have previously gravitated towards a Windows-powered PC are now willing to consider a MacBook given their greater familiarity with Apple software and the synergies of having a range of products from the same ecosystem," he added. "This is undoubtedly a worrying development for PC makers, particularly when they are trading in an unfavourable macroeconomic environment."
MacBook M2 Pro – what can users expect?
The new M2 Pro MacBook Pro comes equipped with a 10 or 12-core CPU, providing users with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores. This means the latest device will offer a purported 20% greater performance over a comparable device with an M1 processor.
“With 200GB/s of unified memory bandwidth - double the amount in M2 - and up to 32GB of unified memory, users can tackle large projects and run multiple pro apps with blazing speed,” Apple said.
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The M2 Pro model also features a “next-generation GPU” complete with up to 19 cores, which in real terms will deliver a 30% improvement to graphics performance.
Similarly, the neural engine is also 40% faster, which Apple added will offer marked improvements to machine learning tasks such as video analysis and image processing.
“The powerful media engine in M2 Pro also tears through the most popular video codecs, dramatically accelerating video playback and encoding while using very little power.”
MacBook Pro M2 Max – heightened performance
The MacBook Pro with M2 Max “pushes workflows to the extreme”, according to Apple. This comes complete with a larger GPU featuring up to 38 cores, in turn delivering a 30% greater graphics performance boost over M1 Max.
M2 Max also includes 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth – twice that of M2 Pro.
In addition, M2 Max features a 12-core CPU, offering users up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores to deliver a 20% boost in performance over previous devices, and boasts a more powerful media engine than M2 Pro.
“With up to 96GB of unified memory, MacBook Pro once again pushes the limits of graphics memory in a laptop to enable intensive graphics workloads, such as creating scenes with extreme 3D geometry and textures, or merging massive photographic panoramas,” Apple said.
Connectivity improvements
Alongside enhanced performance, Apple revealed the MacBook Pro now uses Wi-Fi 6E3 for faster wireless connectivity – a feature that will likely further cement its appeal to business users.
Users can also expect more advanced HDMI to support 8K displays up to 60Hz, as well as 4K displays up to 240Hz.
“These new capabilities build on the versatile connectivity options already in MacBook Pro, including three Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed connection to peripherals, an SDXC card slot, and MagSafe 3 charging.”
Mac mini gets performance boost
Running parallel to the MacBook Pro announcement, Apple also unveiled the new “supercharged” Mac mini featuring the M2 Pro chip.
Apple said the new Mac Mini is the most powerful ever released, providing users with an option which offers both performance and capability in addition to an affordable starting price.
“The new M2 Pro chip delivers pro-level performance to Mac mini for the first time, enabling users to run high-performance workflows that were previously unimaginable in such a compact design,” the company said.
Users opting for the Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro can expect faster performance, more unified memory, and advanced connectivity. In addition, the device will also include support for up to two displays on the M2 model, with three available through M2 Pro.
“With incredible capabilities and a wide array of connectivity in its compact design, Mac mini is used in so many places, in so many different ways. Today, we’re excited to take it even further with M2 and M2 Pro,” Joswiak said.
“Bringing even more performance and a lower starting price, Mac mini with M2 is a tremendous value. And for users who need powerful pro performance, Mac mini with M2 Pro is unlike any other desktop in its class.”
Wood described the launch of the Mac mini as one that marked a shift to a modular approach towards high-end computing within the Apple device ecosystem, moving away from the all-in-one iMac Pro to a Mac mini paired with an Apple display for a similar experience.
"This provides a more flexible upgrade path for users in future, allowing them to swap out the Mac mini when they need a more powerful computer, rather than having to replace the entire system," he said.
