A lot of people (including us) were expecting 3nm SoCs in the new MacBook Pro models. Despite the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. We plan to analyze the efficiency of the new M2 SoCs in more detail soon. In everyday use, the new chips are definitely more efficient, which is simply due to the two additional efficiency cores that are able to take on more work.
Fundamentally, Apple maintains its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption. Moreover, another significant advantage is the fact that performance control can also be fully accessed in battery mode. However, Apple also slows down the M2 Pro somewhat here, because the processor is throttled significantly when the CPU and GPU are simultaneously stressed. The M2 Pro could offer more performance in this case (the cooling could handle it, since there is also room for improvement here), but Apple appears to have decided otherwise. There are two possible reasons for this: either battery performance shouldn’t differ from mains operation, even in this extreme case, or the MacBook Pro simply shouldn’t get too loud. In any case, potential is being wasted here and since the graphics unit of the new M2 Max (38 GPU cores) alone is able to consume more than 50 watts in the MacBook Pro 16, the large M2 Max in the smaller MBP 14 is hardly worth goes.
Elsewhere, Apple has addressed some points of criticism, finally installing HDMI 2.1 and fast Wi-Fi 6E for modern 6 GHz networks. Battery life has also improved in some situations and both the mini LED display and sound system remain worthy of reference.
The MacBook Pro 2023 just got better with the M2 Pro, now offering even more performance. In addition, customers now get fast Wi-Fi and improved HDMI output. The price may be high, but the new MacBook Pro 14 is also a damn good machine. However, switching from the predecessor with the M1 Pro is not really worth it.
Of course, there are still a few points of criticism, and here one only has to mention the non-existent maintenance or upgrade options. If these criteria are decisive for purchase, the MacBook Pro 14 immediately disqualifies itself despite its objectively excellent performance values. Furthermore, the surcharges for additional RAM and SSD storage remain extremely high. To be fair, it should be kept in mind that many other manufacturers are increasingly relying on soldered components and have also limited the maintenance and/or upgrade options for their premium devices.
In the 14-inch segment, it is not easy to find a comparable competitor. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio is weaker with its old Tiger Lake processor and also falls behind in graphics performance. The most interesting competitor in the Windows camp at present is probably the Schenker Vision 14, which can keep up in terms of performance despite its noticeably lower weight and is also very modular. The old MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro also remains a worthy choice. Compared to the basic model with the fast M2 Pro, 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD for an RRP of EUR 2,999, you save around EUR 600-700 with an identically equipped MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro. The performance is a little lower here, but still very competitive.
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