Apple announced a major update to its high-end MacBook Pro models last year, with new machines including a complete redesign, M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, larger mini-LED displays with ProMotion, HDMI port and SD card slot, full function keys with dimensions, etc. This month, Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, so how do you compare machines?
Although both are MacBook Pros, the M2 and high-end models are very different machines, so should you consider buying a lower-priced MacBook Pro that starts at $ 1299 to save money, or you need from a higher-end 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro that costs at least $ 700 more? Our guide helps answer the question of how to decide which of these two Apple silicone MacBook Pro is best for you.
Comparison of 13-inch MacBook Pro and 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro
The 13-inch MacBook Pro and high-end MacBook Pro share a number of important features such as Apple’s silicon chip, wide stereo sound and Touch ID. Apple lists these same features on both devices:
Similarities
- Wide P3 and True Tone display
- Apple silicone chip system (SoC)
- H264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW hardware accelerated media engine, video encoding and decoding machines and ProRes encoding and decoding machines
- 16-core neural motor
- 16GB unified memory option
- 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage options
- Ambient light sensor
- FaceTime HD camera with advanced image signal processor with computing video
- Wide stereo sound
- Studio-quality trim microphone array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beam formation
- Touch ID
- Magic backlit keyboard
- Force Touch trackpad
- 3.5 mm headphone jack with extended support for high impedance headphones
- At least two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0
- Available in Space Gray and Silver
Apple’s breakdown shows that the two MacBooks share a number of key features. However, there are some significant differences between the M2 MacBook Pro and the 14- and 16-inch models that are worth highlighting, including design, chip options, battery life, and display brightness.
Differences
13-inch MacBook Pro
- 13.3-inch display
- LCD Retina display
- 500 nits brightness
- Apple M2 chip
- 8-core processor
- 10-core graphics processor
- 8GB, 16GB or 24GB unified memory
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB storage space
- 720p FaceTime HD camera
- High dynamic range stereo speakers
- Dolby Atmos playback support
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Supports an external display with a resolution of up to 6K at 60Hz
- Touch Bar
- Built-in lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 58.2 watts
- Up to 20 hours of battery life when playing video
- 67W USB-C power adapter
14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro
- 14.2-inch or 16.2-inch display
- Mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion
- Up to 1000 nits constant (full screen) brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness
- Apple M1 Pro chip or Apple M1 Max chip
- Up to 10-core processor
- Up to 32-core GPU
- 16GB, 32GB or 64GB unified memory
- 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB storage space
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- High quality six-speaker sound system with subwoofers that cancel out the power
- Support for surround audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers
- Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port and SDXC card slot
- Supports two external displays with a resolution of up to 6K at 60Hz (M1 Pro) or three external displays with a resolution of up to 6K and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz (M1 Max)
- Full-size function keys
- Built-in 70- or 100-watt lithium-polymer battery
- Up to 17 or 21 hours of battery life when playing video
- 67W, 96W or 140W USB-C power adapter
- MagSafe 3 and fast loading
Design
The entry-level and high-end MacBook Pro models are available in silver and space gray, but their design varies. Although the machines are approximately the same thickness, the 14-inch and 16-inch models do not have pointed edges, which makes them look thicker and bulkier. The high-end area of the MacBook Pro’s keyboard is also completely black. The dimensions of the three machines are listed below:
13-inch MacBook Pro
- Height: 0.61 inches (1.56 cm)
- Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
- Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
- Weight: 3.0 pounds (1.4 kg)
14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro
- Height: 0.61 inches (1.55 cm) / 0.66 inches (1.68 cm)
- Width: 12.31 inches (31.26 cm) / 14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
- Depth: 8.71 inches (22.12 cm) / 9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
- Weight: 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) / 4.7 pounds (2.1 kg)
The 13-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro are very similar in size, so the dimensions of these two machines should not greatly affect your decision. Instead, you may want to keep in mind that the 13-inch MacBook Pro features a much older, pointed design compared to the more rounded appearance of high-end models. Since then, the high-end MacBook Pro design has spread to the M2 MacBook Air and offers a more modern look, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro uses a 2016 design.
Touch Bar
Touch Bar is an OLED Retina multitouch bar built into the keyboard, where the function keys are traditionally located. It is contextual and can perform a number of different Mac functions depending on which application is used.
The Touch Bar is a matte-style display that blends in with the other keys on the keyboard and supports True Tone, allowing the white balance to be adjusted to suit ambient lighting conditions. Interaction with the Touch Bar is done by touching, dragging and other multi-touch gestures, with support for up to 10 fingers at a time.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar, while the 14- and 16-inch models simply have full-size function keys. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the only device left with this feature, but if you’re enjoying the Touch Bar experience, you may prefer the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Ports and connectivity
The choice of available ports is an area with a major difference between the two machines. The 13-inch MacBook Pro has only two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The 14-inch and 16-inch models have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port and an SDXC card slot.
Both machines feature a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones, but the 13-inch MacBook Pro can only support one external display, while the high-end model can support up to four displays in total with the M1 Max chip. . All this makes high-end models much more flexible in terms of connectivity and will be of particular value to professionals who use digital cameras or need to connect to external displays.
Display size
The entry-level display of the MacBook Pro measures exactly 13.3 inches, which is significantly less than 14.2 inches and 16.2 inches on high-end models. 13.3 inches is still larger than the largest iPad Pro, which is available at 12.9 inches and will be enough for most users.
The 16.2-inch display will be a better replacement for a desktop machine and will provide much more screen space for arranging multiple windows and using professional applications that take advantage of the extra display space. The 14.2-inch display is still larger than the 13.3-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models of recent years, but still adds to the overall size of the machine. The larger MacBook Pro also has thinner bezels, a slot and rounded top corners.
Although the slot containing the webcam consumes very little display space, both high-end MacBook Pro displays are larger than previous models, so there is generally more display space. In addition, the display area under the slot has an aspect ratio of exactly 16:10, just like previous MacBook Pro models, to ensure that the slot doesn’t interfere with normal display views or media viewing.
On this basis, if you’re worried about the slot, you don’t necessarily feel obligated to pick up the larger, 16-inch MacBook Pro. With that in mind, since the slot is the same size on both models, it may be a little less noticeable on the 16-inch model. If you really don’t like the slot, it may just be easier to choose a 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Display technology
The display technologies of both machines also differ significantly. Like most MacBooks in recent years, the 13-inch model has an LCD Retina display. The 14- and 16-inch models feature Apple’s newer Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED technology for deeper blacks, better dynamic range and improved color accuracy.
The XDR display can become much brighter, reaching 1600 nits of brightness at its peak when displaying HDR content. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models also have ProMotion displays, which allow them to change their refresh rate to 120Hz. The 13-inch model does not have a variable refresh rate display.
It will be worth taking high-end MacBook Pro models for watching and editing HDR content, as well as for watching high-frequency video, such as sports. The 13-inch MacBook Pro’s display will still be more than enough for normal everyday use, but the high-end model, which offers deeper blacks and smoother screen movement, simply offers a better experience.
chip
The 13-inch MacBook Pro has an M2 chip, while the 14-inch and 16-inch models can choose between the M1 Pro or M1 Max chip. M1 Pro and M1 Max are enlarged versions of the M1 chip.
The M1 Pro and M1 Max allow a processor with up to two additional CPU cores, 24 additional GPU cores, 56GB more memory and 6TB more storage space compared to the M2 chip. The M2 chip is much closer to M1 than to M1 Pro, giving efficiency priority over performance. M2 leveled the playing field in some respects, adopting the capabilities of the special media engine of M1 Pro and the chip is more powerful for single-core tasks with its higher processor clock speed of 3.49 GHz, but M1 Pro and M1 Max are significantly more better in multi-core and graphical tasks. See our detailed manual M2 vs. M1 Pro for more information:
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