Apple introduced a new lineup of 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops in 2021, marking the first MacBook redesign since the switch to Apple's own chips. Now they are getting an upgrade.
On the surface, the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros look identical to their 2021 counterparts. They have the same exact design, port selection, and infamous "notch" on the top of the display for the front-facing camera. However, they now ship with M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets, which offer faster performance and support for more memory. Besides the speed boost, the new chips mean you can now buy a MacBook Pro with up to 96 GB of unified memory (RAM + VRAM).
Apple said in a press release, "MacBook Pro with M2 Pro features a 10- or 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores for up to 20 percent greater performance over M1 Pro. With 200GB/s of unified memory bandwidth --- double the amount in M2 --- and up to 32GB of unified memory, users can tackle large projects and run multiple pro apps with blazing speed. MacBook Pro with M2 Max pushes workflows to the extreme with a much larger GPU featuring up to 38 cores and delivering up to 30 percent greater graphics performance over M1 Max, and also includes 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth --- twice that of M2 Pro."
The M2 Pro and M2 Max are the stars of the show, but Apple did sneak in a few other minor improvements. Wi-Fi 6E is now supported, giving you the fastest-possible network speeds -- until Wi-Fi 7 comes along, anyway. There's also "more advanced HDMI," which Apple says can now support 8K displays up to 60 Hz and 4K screens up to 240 Hz. Higher resolutions and frame rates were already possible through the Thunderbolt ports, but sometimes HDMI is your only option, so any upgrades there are always appreciated. The rest of the connectors, such as the three Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 ports and MagSafe 3, are unchanged.
You can purchase the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models today, with shipping and pickup starting on Tuesday, January 24. The 14-inch model starts at $1,999 in the United States, with a base model that offers a 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16 GB of unified memory, and 512 GB storage. The 16-inch model starts at $2,499, with a 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16 GB of memory, and 512 GB storage. Those are the same starting prices as the 2021 models.
Apple MacBook Pro 14 & 16-Inch
The new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops start with a blazing-fast M2 Pro chip, and can be configured with an even faster M2 Max.
Unfortunately, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the base M2 has not been updated. Even though it was updated last year with a base M2 chip, it's still using the same design as the 13-inch Pro from a few years ago, with fewer ports than the other models and a Touch Bar. The 14-inch MacBook Pro still starts at $1,299.00, so for most people, it makes more sense to buy the M2 MacBook Air -- especially since it's on sale for $1,000 right now.
Source: Apple