Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

13-Inch MacBook Pro With M2 Chip Reviews: Faster Performance, But Consider Waiting for New MacBook Air

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,604
37,992


The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a faster M2 chip launches this Friday. Ahead of time, early reviews of the notebook have been shared by some YouTube channels and media outlets, offering a hands-on look at the performance improvements.

13-inch-macbook-pro-m2-mock-feature-2.jpg

The only notable change to the 13-inch MacBook Pro is the M2 chip, which features an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Apple said the M2 chip has up to an 18% faster CPU, up to a 35% faster GPU, and up to a 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 chip. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features the same design as the previous model, including the Touch Bar and two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left side of the machine.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro's headphone jack has also gained support for high-impedance headphones, in line with the 14-inch and 16-inch models.

With the M2 chip, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with up to 24GB of unified memory, whereas the M1 chip maxes out at 16GB of memory. In line with the previous model, the notebook also supports up to 2TB of SSD storage.

13-inch MacBook Pro pricing continues to start at $1,299 in the United States, with space gray and silver color options available.

Reviews

Many reviews agreed that it might be worth waiting for the redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which Apple says will be available in July. The new MacBook Air starts at a lower price of $1,199 and features newer design elements like MagSafe charging, a 1080p camera, thinner bezels around the display, physical function keys, and more.

However, one notable difference between the notebooks is that the MacBook Air features a fanless design, while the MacBook Pro has an active cooling system to ensure sustained performance for users with more demanding workflows.

WIRED's Brenda Stoylar:
If you just need a good, new laptop, wait for the upcoming MacBook Air. You get a slightly larger, more modern-looking screen, a better webcam, nicer speakers, and a fast-charging support, all in an overall lighter package (and fun colors!). This MacBook Pro remains an awkward middle child and doesn't bring nearly enough to the table to be worth your while.
Click to expand...
Gizmodo's Phillip Tracy:
Viewed in a vacuum, the MacBook Pro 13 is a great laptop with outstanding performance and unbeatable battery life, characteristics that put it ahead of some of its PC rivals. Zoom out and it's hard to see where this model fits within Apple's portfolio. The most direct rival to this entry-level Pro isn't the more premium versions, but rather, the MacBook Air. Not only does the Air have a lower starting price, but it has a larger display, a better webcam, quad speakers, more interesting color options, a slimmer chassis, and the benefit of a traditional shortcut row.
Click to expand...

The Verge's Monica Chin:
This would be the perfect device for someone like me — if it weren't for the new MacBook Air. This new MacBook Air, also powered by the M2, is coming very soon. It will be, as far as I can tell from Apple's website, the same price as the M2 MacBook Pro for the same specs in most cases (they level out at the $1,499 mark). But, unlike the MacBook Pro, the M2 MacBook Air did get a big redesign, and it includes all kinds of new features — including new colors, a larger display, a 1080p webcam, and, especially, MagSafe — that this device doesn't have.
Click to expand...
Chin shared several benchmarks comparing the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the previous model powered by the M1 chip. Geekbench 5 results confirm the new 13-inch MacBook Pro has up to 18-20% faster multi-core performance than the previous model.

13-inch-macbook-pro-m2-benchmarks.jpg

TheStreet's Jacob Krol said the new 13-inch MacBook Pro delivers even more impressive battery life compared to the previous model:
Notably, our battery test beat the promised 20 hours of video playback that Apple was promising. In our testing, the 13-inch MacBook Pro lasted for 23 hours and 15 minutes with a 4K playback test. I also set the brightness to 50% and turned off connectivity during the playback. It's quite impressive, and in day-to-day use, it's tough to make the MacBook Pro die.

I could easily have the 13-inch MacBook Pro last over a full day of use, coming in around 18 hours of full use, and the laptop can sit in standby mode for several days.
Click to expand...
More Reviews
Videos









Article Link: 13-Inch MacBook Pro With M2 Chip Reviews: Faster Performance, But Consider Waiting for New MacBook Air
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/review/13-inch-macbook-pro-with-m2-chip/
Last edited:
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: krspkbl and adrianlondon
i would wait for mac book air m2 - for me i have no extra money to get a new toy for now - darn stock market
 
iDento said:
Isn’t this MacBook Pro screen the same one from 2016?
Click to expand...
I'm sure there's been a few panel revisions since but yes same form factor. It's still a very good screen, much better than the current (2020) MacBook Air screen, and I could easily see Apple opting to keep some difference to differentiate.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: AF_APPLETALK
MYZ said:
The bigger screen of the Air could be of lower quality. Much like how the screen on the 2019 16" MBP was somewhat lower quality than the 2019 15" MBP.

Likely won't know until the detailed reviews come out.
Click to expand...

It’s the same screen. Same brightness, same color gamut, same pixel density, just a bit bigger on the Air.
 
  • Like
Reactions: exoticSpice, Saladin12 and CheesePuff
jarman92 said:
It’s the same screen. Same brightness, same color gamut, same pixel density, just a bit bigger on the Air.
Click to expand...
Source?
The spec sheet doesn't indicate brightness uniformity, color accuracy, or pixel response time.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SFjohn
I am considering one of these. The only significant difference I see is the Pro has touch bar and better sound "driver". I'm not sure either is worth the cost.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SFjohn
MYZ said:
Source?
The spec sheet doesn't indicate brightness uniformity, color accuracy, or pixel response time.
Click to expand...
www.apple.com

Mac - Compare Models

See what makes each Mac laptop and desktop different. And find the one that’s perfect for your life, your work, and your budget.
www.apple.com

0.30" difference in screen size. Not even noticable unless viewing side by side
 
  • Like
Reactions: SFjohn and Bobby Smallwood
This is not a bad computer, but it’s made for an oddly specific audience in the current MacBook lineup. For 99.5% of the people, the MacBook Air is a better choice… if you can get your hands on one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Razorpit
I can only imagine the confusion regular shoppers at an Apple store are going to face and the convoluted sales pitch the employees are going to make when shoppers are faced with making a choice between these devices.
 
Let me get this straight.

The Air has a mag safe charging port, and the "new" 13' Pro does not, but has the touch bar?

I would really rather the 13" with physical function keys and a mag safe connector. I have a MBP with the touch bar and I rarely use it. Usually just for the "mute" button. It's not something I really need or want on a laptop.

My old second generation MBP had both the mag safe connector and an actually useable keyboard. I gifted it to my wife when I got my 4th generation (late 2018) and almost took it back from her when the 'Rona struck and I needed to actually type things on my computer when I was forced to work remote (they would "fog" the office with some noxious gas that was supposed to kill all the germs, but didn't kill the bonsai trees in my office).

The butterfly keyboard is absolutely horrible to type on for any extended period of time. I know it's gone the way of the Dodo but I can't say enough how horrible this keyboard is. The touch bar is, IMHO a useless gimmick. It really does nothing but collect fingerprints.

I would really like a new laptop. The time is drawing near for a legitimate upgrade (4 years come fall, 5 is usually the max I go out) and a 13" with mag safe would be in my wheelhouse. I would love the 15" but with how expensive everything got, and my crappy civil service salary I'm more inclined to save up the $4,000 it's going to cost me to heat my modest (1500 Sq Ft) house with oil this winter than buy a laptop. Not to mention the cost of groceries.

Maybe next year....
 
  • Like
Reactions: mojitochica, Razorpit and Sir_Macs_A_Lot
IIGS User said:
Let me get this straight.

The Air has a mag safe charging port, and the "new" 13' Pro does not, but has the touch bar?

I would really rather the 13" with physical function keys and a mag safe connector. I have a MBP with the touch bar and I rarely use it. Usually just for the "mute" button. It's not something I really need or want on a laptop.

My old second generation MBP had both the mag safe connector and an actually useable keyboard. I gifted it to my wife when I got my 4th generation (late 2018) and almost took it back from her when the 'Rona struck and I needed to actually type things on my computer when I was forced to work remote (they would "fog" the office with some noxious gas that was supposed to kill all the germs, but didn't kill the bonsai trees in my office).

The butterfly keyboard is absolutely horrible to type on for any extended period of time. I know it's gone the way of the Dodo but I can't say enough how horrible this keyboard is. The touch bar is, IMHO a useless gimmick. It really does nothing but collect fingerprints.

I would really like a new laptop. The time is drawing near for a legitimate upgrade (4 years come fall, 5 is usually the max I go out) and a 13" with mag safe would be in my wheelhouse. I would love the 15" but with how expensive everything got, and my crappy civil service salary I'm more inclined to save up the $4,000 it's going to cost me to heat my modest (1500 Sq Ft) house with oil this winter than buy a laptop. Not to mention the cost of groceries.

Maybe next year....
Click to expand...
Sounds like the M2 Air is exactly what you're looking for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Saladin12
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back