Apple released new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models Tuesday powered by the company’s most advanced processors, the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The new laptops — which deliver the longest battery life ever in a Mac — are available to preorder now and go on sale January 24, Apple said.
“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, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in a press release. “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.”
Apple refreshes MacBook Pro models with powerful M2 Pro and Max chips
Following its rollout of the iPad 10 and iPad Pro with M2 processors last October, Apple now offers enhanced versions of the powerful chip in its new MacBook Pro models, enabling up to 22 hours of battery life, according to Apple.
Other new features include better connectivity and the capacity for up to 96GB of unified memory on the M2 Max model.
“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,” Apple said.
Originally, the new M2 MacBook Pro models were expected in late 2022, but rumors in recent weeks pushed that back to 2023, and not early in the year. And then news of Canadian regulators approving a mystery MacBook Pro on January 11 came out Monday, prompting speculation they might be imminent.
More processing power
Photo: Apple
Featuring an upgraded architecture, the chips pack in more CPU and GPU cores for better graphics performance and higher speeds overall.
With few changes other than the impressive new processing power, the laptop updates were iterative rather than comprehensive, similar to when the first M2-powered Apple launched in June.
Like the most recent MacBook Pro, the new models come with three Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed connection to peripherals, an SDXC card slot and MagSafe 3 charging, Apple said.
Follows the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro
Photo: Apple
When Apple introduced the M2 in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, it was essentially the same laptop as the M1 model from 2020, but with the new chip. That version offered an 18% faster CPU, a 35% more powerful GPU and 40% faster Neural Engine than the M1.
The M2 MacBook Air followed in a July release that garnered rave reviews for its slim form and blazing performance.
The new 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 ($1,849 education pricing) and the 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro starts at $2,499 ($2,299 for education), Apple said.
Apple also released a new M2 Mac mini on Tuesday.
Source: Apple
