UPDATE 1/23: Check out our full reviews of the M2 Max Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch and M2 Pro Apple Mac mini.
Original Story:
Apple is upgrading the Mac mini and MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models with new M2 processors, including an M2 Pro and M2 Max variant.
The product refresh, announced on Tuesday, includes a price cut for the Mac mini from $699 to $599, despite the fact that it runs the new M2 chip.
On its MacBook Pros, Apple is introducing more powerful versions of last year’s M2 processor, which features an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. The new M2 Pro and M2 Max add even more cores using a 5-nanometer chip manufacturing process.
“M2 Pro scales up the architecture of M2 to deliver an up to 12-core CPU and up to 19-core GPU, together with up to 32GB of fast unified memory,” Apple says. "This can result in an up to 20% performance increase on multithreaded CPU processes, compared to 2021’s M1 Pro chip. Meanwhile, the graphic performance can increase by up to 30%.
The M2 Max, on the other hand, uses the same CPU core as the M2 Pro. But the Max variant beefs up the graphical processing power by featuring an up to 38-core GPU and 96GB of unified memory, which acts as RAM. Hence, the chip should excel at graphics-based workloads that involve processing large batches, such as training machine learning models or video rendering.
The new M2 Pro and Max processors also promise to be Apple’s most power efficient yet for a laptop. “Apple silicon, battery life on MacBook Pro is now up to 22 hours — the longest battery life ever in a Mac,” the company says. (The previous laptop models could run for 19 to 20 hours on a single charge, based on our reviews.)
In addition, the new MacBook Pros are getting support for Wi-Fi 6E, and a new “advanced HDMI” that can power 8K external displays at 60Hz. However, the laptops are expensive, starting at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and $2,499 for the 16-inch model. Both models can also only be outfitted with the M2 Pro or M2 Max chips.
For desktop users, Apple is upgrading the Mac mini with the standard M2 processor and the M2 Pro. “The new M2 Pro chip delivers pro-level performance to Mac mini for the first time, enabling users to run high-performance workflows that were previously unimaginable in such a compact design,” the company says.
The base Mac mini has also been updated to feature Wi-Fi 6E and two Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with an HDMI connection and two USB-A slots. However, the Mac mini with M2 Pro chip, comes with two extra Thunderbolt 4 ports for a total of four.
“Additionally, the M2 Pro model can support one 8K display, a first for the Mac,” the company says, although the M2 Pro Mac mini costs much more at $1,299.
Preorders for the products start today; they'll officially go on sale Tuesday, Jan. 24.