When Apple presented its Macs with its own top processors M1 Pro and M1Max at the end of 2021, it was simply a dam bursting. The chips not only set standards in terms of speed, but also consumed an outrageously little amount of power. Now the group has presented the successor. And raised the bar even higher.
They were a long time coming. Apple has traditionally presented its new notebook models in autumn in recent years. But this time the event was cancelled. And it stayed that way: the two new models of the MacBook Pro and the new Mac Mini were unspectacularly announced in a press release.
The star of the evening is the new Mac Mini. Apple’s cookie jar-sized calculator is now also being upgraded with the M2 chip introduced in the summer. In addition, there is another model with M2 Pro. This not only offers even more performance, but also additional USB-C ports and support for three instead of just two monitors.
But the best new feature is definitely the price: At only 699 euros for the entry-level model, the cheapest Apple computer is even cheaper, contrary to the market trend. The previous model can usually only be had for a few euros less even after two years. If you need more power, you pay more: The model with the M2 Pro is only available from 1549 euros.
The new Macbook Pro is primarily about product maintenance. Both the 14-inch model and the larger 16-inch model are exactly the same in design as the previous models. Nevertheless, power users in particular should benefit from the upgrade. With the new M2 Pro and M2 Max, both models get significantly more power. The new chips offer more CPU and graphics cores, and also support up to 96 GB of RAM, depending on the model.
Because the new chips are also more energy-efficient, the runtime is longer despite the additional power. Apple says the 14-inch model has jumped from 17 to 18 hours of runtime, and the 16-inch Macbook Pro now has 22 instead of the previous 21 hours.
M2 Pro and M2 Max: full on performance
The new chips were manufactured using the second-generation 5-nanometer process, Apple explains. The M2 Pro has 40 billion transistors, an increase of 20 percent over its predecessor. The M2 Max even has 67 billion transistors. Nothing has changed in terms of memory bandwidth: the M2 Pro manages 200 gigabytes per second, the M2 Max 400 GB/s. This corresponds to the performance of the already extremely fast predecessors.
In addition to the memory bandwidth, the chips differ primarily in the graphics calculation. The M2 Pro has 19 graphics cores, and the Max has a total of 38. It is vastly superior to 3D calculations and other graphics-intensive programs.
However, this has its price: with an RRP of 2399 euros, even the entry-level model of the 14-inch Macbook Pro is anything but a bargain. If you need the performance of the M2 Max, you put at least 3699 euros on the table. For the 16-inch model, depending on the chip, you pay between 2999 euros and 4149 euros for the smallest configuration.
The new Macs can already be pre-ordered and will officially be available in stores from January 24th.
Which:Apple
