Apple has recently revealed two next-generation SoCs (system on a chip), the M2 Pro and M2 Max, and a couple of new products that are equipped with this new M2 chip. As expected, the M2 Pro and M2 Max have more processing power, including graphics processing power, and support up to a whopping 96 GB of unified memory, with “industry-leading power efficiency” to boot.
“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. M2 Max builds on the capabilities of M2 Pro, including an up to 38-core GPU, double the unified memory bandwidth, and up to 96GB of unified memory.”
Apple said that the industry-leading performance per watt from the M2 Pro makes it the world’s most powerful and power-efficient chip for a pro laptop. And here’s the M2 Max:
“With 67 billion transistors — 10 billion more than M1 Max and more than 3x that of M2 — M2 Max pushes the performance and capabilities of Apple silicon even further. Its 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth is twice that of M2 Pro, 4x that of M2, and supports up to 96GB of fast unified memory.”
While the M2 Max shares the same next-generation 12-core GPU as the M2 Pro, the GPU is on the next level with up to 38 cores. This is further bolstered with a larger L2 cache. So, yeah, the M2 Max is the chip you want on the new MacBook if you are looking to do graphic-intensive jobs. Both chips further boast enhanced custom technologies, including a faster 16-core Neural Engine and Apple’s powerful media engine. The new Mac mini is the first desktop to feature the M2 Pro.
Announced with the new silicons is the new Mac mini which has the option of being powered by the M2 chip announced last year, or the new M2 Pro. As a boon, the new Mac mini has a lower starting price of US$599.
If anyone’s interested, the new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro is available to order now.
The new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro meanwhile boasts up to 6x faster performance over the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro – thanks to the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The new chips also afford unprecedented power efficiency of up to 22 hours.
Other notables include Wi-Fi 6E, advanced HDMI with support for 8K displays, up to 96 GB unified memory (M2 Max model), Liquid Retina XDR display, 1080p FaceTime HD camera, six-speaker sound system, studio-quality mics, and macOS Ventura.
The new MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max are available to order now. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at US$1,999 and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at US$2,499.
All images courtesy of Apple Inc.
