Updated versions of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro will go onto production during the last months of 2022, according to a prominent Apple analyst. These will have faster processors.
Another reliable source said essentially the same, making it likely that Apple is about refresh its top-tier notebooks.
Expect 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with faster processors in 2022
The MacBook Pro models that in launched fall of 2021 sport a new design, including additional ports like HDMI and MagSafe 3. But the highlight is their M1 Max and M1 Pro processors. The chips gave them blazing fast performance, but the clock marches on.
Versions with improved processors are reportedly on the way. “New 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro with new processors will enter mass production in 4Q22,” reports Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities via Twitter.
If this sounds familiar, Bloomberg reported essentially the same several months ago. Still, a bit of corroboration is always welcome when it comes to unconfirmed reports.
Starting production in the the fourth quarter of the year doesn’t guarantee a Q4 release, but that’s likely Apple’s intention.
M2 Pro and M2 Max, but…
All sources point to the updated 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models being built around the M2 Pro and M2 Max, enhanced versions of the M2 chip that debuted in July in the 2022 MacBook Air. But there isn’t agreement on an important aspect of these chips.
Taiwan’s Commercial Times reported recently that the processors will be made with TSMC’s 3nm process, not the 5nm process used for the basic M2. If true, the Pro/Max versions will be more power efficient than the earlier one.
But Kuo disagrees. He wrote on Monday, “Given TSMC’s guidance that the 3nm will contribute revenue starting in 1H23, processors of 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro models may still adopt the 5nm advanced node.”
