In something of a surprise announcement on Tuesday, Apple unveiled its rumored next-gen 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The updated notebooks feature the new M2 Pro and M2 Max systems-on-a-chip (SoC), although they retain the design of the previous models.
The new notebooks feature improved battery life, Wi-Fi 6E, and support for an 8K display for the first time in a Mac.
Other new features include more CPU and GPU cores than ever with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, along with improved unified memory support.
The M2 Pro features an up to 12-core CPU and up to 19-core GPU. It also supports up to 32GB of fast unified memory and features a faster 16-core Neural Engine. The SoC incorporates Apple’s media engine, and is built via a second-generation 5-nanometer fabrication process. The M2 Pro carries 40 billion transistors, almost 20 percent more than the M1 Pro.
The M2 Max offers 12 CPU cores with as many as 38 GPU cores, support for up to 96GB worth of unified memory. Memory bandwidth is cranked up to 400GB/s, twice that of the M2 Pro. It also sports the same 16-core Neural Engine, along with two of Apple’s media engines.
Apple has stated that the updated MacBook Pro can handle effects rendering up to six times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. The company has also stated that the notebook offers improved power efficiency, with battery life having been increased to as much as 22 hours.
The new models offer the same connectivity options as the previous generation, with an SDXC card slot, three Thunderbolt 4 ports and one HDMI port.
The updated 14-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro notebooks are available for pre-order now in the U.S. and 26 other countries and regions, and will begin arriving to customers on Jan. 24. On that date, they’ll also be available in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1,999, while the M2 Max variant starts at $2,899.
The new 16-inch MacBook Pro, with its M2 Pro configurations, start at $2,499. The M2 Max version of the 16-inch notebook starts at $3,099.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Apple