Apple’s M2 MacBook Pro comes more than a year and a half after its M1-based predecessor. The new device has the same design, but there are some important differences under the hood between the two machines that could make it an upgrade that is worth considering for some users, although it may not be worth it for many customers.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is often chosen by those who need active cooling for better sustainable performance, the best compact battery life on a MacBook, or just like the Touch Bar, with the device offering more than the MacBook Air, but the price is quite high. below the high-end MacBook Pro models. Apple outlines at least six key differences between the discontinued M1 MacBook Pro and the new M2 MacBook Pro:
M1 MacBook Pro
- M1 chip with 8-core GPU
- 8GB and 16GB unified memory configurations
- 68.25 GB / s memory bandwidth
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- 61W USB ‑ C power adapter
M2 MacBook Pro
- M2 chip with 10-core GPU and special media engine
- 8GB, 16GB and 24GB unified memory configurations
- 100GB / s memory bandwidth
- 3.5 mm headphone jack with support for high impedance headphones
- 67W USB ‑ C power adapter
- Made from more recycled materials
M1 vs. M2
The main difference between the current and previous generation 13-inch MacBook Pros is their Apple silicon chip. The M1 chip, introduced in November 2020, is based on Apple’s A14 Bionic chip. On the other hand, M2 seems to be based on the A15 Bionic chip. While both chips feature an octa-core quad-core processor with performance and quad-core efficiency, the M2 cores offer moderate performance and performance improvements. M2 also adds two additional GPU cores.
According to Apple, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is nearly 40 percent faster than the previous generation when running RAW images in applications such as Affinity Photo or playing graphics-intensive games such as Baldur’s Gate 3.
Like the M1 Pro, the M2 has a multimedia engine for hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW video encoding and decoding. The M1 chip does not contain a special media motor.
Apple says this drastically speeds up the video workflows of the latest MacBook Pro, allowing users to play up to 11 streams of 4K and up to two streams of 8K ProRes video. Users can convert their video projects to ProRes almost three times faster than before.
Unified memory
Both M1 and M2 are configured with 8GB or 16GB of unified memory, but M2 offers an additional option for a top-level memory of 24GB. Multitasking and memory-hungry workflows, such as working with large assets, benefit from the M2 chip as a result. In addition, M2 has 100GB / s of memory bandwidth, compared to 68.25GB / s with M1, which means that the latest MacBook Pro can access more memory faster.
High impedance headphone support
The 13-inch MacBook Pro continues to offer better speakers and microphones than the MacBook Air, with high dynamic range and “studio quality.” The M2 MacBook Pro further enhances the audio credentials of the device with support for high-impedance headphones such as the 14- and 16-inch high-end MacBook Pro, which can be a meaningful upgrade for some audio professionals.
Power adapter
The MacBook Pro M2 comes with a 67W power adapter for slightly faster charging compared to the previous model’s 61W power adapter.
Environmental improvements
The previous 13-inch MacBook Pro was free of harmful substances, met Apple’s energy efficiency standards and used wood fiber in packaging from recycled sources or responsibly managed forests, but the M2 MacBook Pro further reduces the device’s impact on the environment by using 100 the percentage of recycled rare earth elements in the case magnets and 100 percent of the recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board.
Last thoughts
The MacBook Pro M2 offers modest upgrades over the previous generation model, with most aspects of the device remaining the same. Specific video and audio workflows can benefit from the improvements of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, as well as anyone who needs more than 16 GB of memory or wider memory bandwidth, but everyday users are unlikely to notice significant differences.
Given that it’s only been 18 months since Apple released the MacBook Pro M1 and the M1 chip is still available on the iPad Air, iPad Pro, Mac mini and iMac, the M2 MacBook Pro probably won’t be worth coming straight from the previous one. model and reliability of the future are unlikely to be an important factor at this stage. Most 13-inch MacBook Pro customers may want to wait longer between upgrades for more significant improvements.
The MacBook Pro M2 is better suited for buyers upgrading from an older machine than the M1 2020 model. Driven by the M2 chip, a series of minor device enhancements offer a good overall package for these buyers, ensuring they get a little more modern and capable machine.
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