Apple has launched a new MacBook Pro with options for the M2 Pro and M2 Max, but which should you buy?
After some delays, Apple has announced a new version of its beloved MacBook Pro. It still comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, but now has the option for the more powerful M2 Pro and Max.
Like with the the previous model, which came out in 2021, these new configurations offer significant differences in performance, especially if you opt for the 16-inch versus the 14-inch. We’ll have to wait until we’ve reviewed them both to make more definitive claims, but there’s a lot that can be said based on just the information currently available.
For starters, the way Apple has split up its configurations this time around is worth noting. It’s not as simple as choosing just between the M2 Pro and M2 Max, unfortunately. It was already complicated with the M1 Pro and M1 Max, but this time around, there’s even more to disentangle from Apple’s spec pages.
There are now two versions of both the M2 Pro and M2 Max, which I’ve differntiated below with the “+” symbol — though Apple doesn’t make such a designation itself.
The first choice you have to make is between the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. When comparing similarly configured models, you’ll see that Apple still doesn’t charge extra for the 16-inch model compared to the 14-inch — but there’s a cheaper configuration exclusive to the smaller model.
The cheaper and less powerful M2 Pro configuration is not available on the 16-inch model. This configuration starts at $1,999 and also comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
