M2 Pro MacBook Pro: With High Performance
Apple’s M2 chip came out last year, so it was only a matter of time before it made its way into the tech giant’s laptops. The M2 Pro MacBook Pro (M2, 2033) isn’t as groundbreaking in terms of design as its predecessor, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M1, 2021), but it improves on its performance to make it Apple’s most impressive portable laptop for creatives.
M2 Pro MacBook Pro Specifications
This laptop will definitely be at the top of our list of the best ones for graphic design, but the real question you should ask yourself is whether or not you really need it. What makes you want to buy something? Is it just because it’s a new device from Apple, or do you need its, well, mind-boggling power? Will this improve your work enough to make it worth the price? Let’s look more closely at what it can do to help you make a good choice.
Pros of M2 Pro MacBook Pro
- Fantastic core performance
- HDMI and a slot for SD cards
- 1080p webcam
- Surprisingly long battery life
Cons of M2 Pro MacBook Pro
- The mic isn’t the best.
- There are cheaper options.
| Display size | 14.20-inch |
| Display resolution | 1964×3024 pixels |
| Processor | Apple M2 Max |
| RAM | 32GB |
| OS | MacrOS |
| SSD | 1TB |
| Weight | 1.63 KG |
Design
The bodies of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are the same as the ones that were updated last year. They still look and feel new, and they still have a good selection of ports and a lot of power, so I’m fine with this decision. Both options have square sides and rounded corners to give them a professional look with an Apple feel. We tried out the silver M2 Pro MacBook Pro and the space grey 16-inch one, but the colours aren’t that different. At least this year, the MagSafe power cables that come with the notebooks match their colours. No matter what size or colour you choose, the lid has Apple’s logo in a tone-on-tone mirror finish. Other than that, it’s simple. Whether you get the 14.2-inch or 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, it will have a notch at the top, just like the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus (the 14 Pro line switched to a pill-shaped cutout last year). This makes it possible for Apple to put in a 1080p camera.
Features
People went crazy over the extra ports and ways to connect, while others couldn’t understand what the notch was for. Both haven’t changed much, but as someone who used a 2020 MacBook Pro, I can say that the difference is huge. Not long after I started using this computer, I stopped noticing the notch, and the extra ports are obviously a big deal.
The new M2 Pro MacBook Pro now has Wi-Fi 6E3, which lets you connect to the internet wirelessly at a very fast speed. A more advanced HDMI can support up to 60 Hz for 8K displays and up to 240 Hz for 4K displays. That means that whatever you want to do on or with the internet will be done very quickly, and you can connect the machine to a 4K or an 8K monitor. The microphone on this device has always felt a little weak, but it has improved a lot in the last few years. It works fine for video calls, and I was happy to find out how well it cuts down on background noise (nothing like a crazed washing machine in the background to disturb a call). It will work fine for podcasts, but you will need professional microphones for anything else.
Keyboard, mouse, and webcam
High-end laptops must now have great keyboards, and the competition from Windows competitors like Dell and Huawei has never been tougher. Apple doesn’t have too much to worry about here, since the keyboard is light and springy and easy and quick to type on. It’s not quite as smooth as some of the best Windows options, and the speaker grilles on either side make it a little tighter than others, but those are minor complaints. The power button on the keyboard also has a fingerprint sensor built in. This lets you use Touch ID to unlock the laptop and make purchases from the App Store and other places. It’s easy to use and quick to put together.
Display
In M2 Pro MacBook Pro, the screen is still a 14.2-inch mini LED-backlit Liquid Retina XDR display with great brightness, contrast, and colour reproduction thanks to the backlighting. That means you can get up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness and 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness, along with a more typical 500 nits for normal use. Still, a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 is very high. The resolution of 3,024 by 1,964 is the same as before, and there are 254 pixels per inch, so there’s nothing to complain about. Some people will say bad things about how the notch at the top is still being used. Even though it has a FaceTime camera, it still doesn’t have a system like Face ID, which is a missed chance to add security to the notebook line.
FAQs
2023 MacBook Pro: What’s new?
Apple upgraded its MacBook Pro portfolio in early January, adding the M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets to the 2023 models. The design is the same as the 2021 models.
Cheapest MacBook Pro?
The lowest M2 Max has a 12-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD for $3,099. Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro costs $2,499 with an M2 Pro (!2-core GPU, 19-core GPU), 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD.
M2 Pro MacBook Pro memory?
16GB or 32GB M2 Pro variants are available. Further memory capacities, including 64GB and 96GB, require M2 Max chips. We tested the new base model M2 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro against the step-up M1 Pro.
