Apple has launched new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro computers powered by M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
Power-efficient performance
Apple says its next-generation pro silicon M2 Pro and M2 Max chips give you unprecedented power efficiency. As a result, the MacBook Pro now has a battery life of up to 22 hours, the longest ever for a Mac. In addition, Apple says that the M2 Max is the world’s most powerful and efficient chip for a pro laptop. This means that processor-intensive tasks such as effects rendering is up to six times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. Color grading is also up to twice as fast.
Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Pro
The MacBook Pro with M2 Pro comes with a 10- or 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores. This means that you get up to 20 percent greater performance over M1 Pro. MacBook Pro with M2 Pro also has 200 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth and up to 32GB of unified memory. In addition, it features a next-generation GPU with up to 19 cores, delivering up to 30 percent more graphics performance.
M2 Pro performance enhancements
Apple’s MacBook Pro with M2 Pro renders titles and animations in Motion up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation. It is also up to 80 percent faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. In addition, 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.
Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Max
The MacBook Pro with M2 Max has a much larger GPU with up to 38 cores. This gives you up to 30 percent greater graphics performance compared to the M1 Max. It also includes 400 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is twice that of the M2 Pro. In addition, MacBook Pro with M2 Max can use up to 96 GB of unified memory. The M2 Max has a next-gen 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores. This gives you up to 20 percent greater performance over the M1 Max as with the M2 Pro.
M2 Max performance enhancements
The MacBook Pro with M2 Max has a more powerful media engine than M2 Pro. This means you get twice the ProRes acceleration to dramatically speed up media playback and transcoding. In addition, color grading in DaVinci Resolve is up to two times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation.
Connectivity
MacBook Pro now comes with Wi-Fi 6E for faster wireless connectivity. It also has more advanced HDMI, which means it supports 8K displays up to 60Hz and 4K displays up to 240 Hz. In addition, there are three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SDXC card slot and MagSafe 3 charging.
What we think
The new MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max offer amazing levels of performance for laptop computers. The performance enhancements for video editing and effects software make these very desirable machines for anyone working with video. The new MacBook Pros aren’t cheap, but they certainly deliver.
Pricing and availability
The new MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max computers are available to order online from Apple or in Apple stores in the US and 26 other countries worldwide. Delivery, either direct to customers or in-store, will start on 24 January.
Pricing for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1,999 and at $2,499 for the 16-inch model. The 14-inch M2 Max powered model starts at $3,099 and $3,499 for the 16-inch screen version.
