The 2023 and 2021 MacBook Pros, Compared: Apple’s M2 Chips Muscle Up

Apple just announced new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors and, with them, new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros that will be built around the fresh silicon. Those additions to the MacBook brood make for, now, quite a few modern MacBook Pro options. So we’re here to help compare the old and the new.

The Apple M1 & M2 Rundown: Where We Are in 2023

The Mac-maker made major waves in the processor space when it first introduced its homebrewed M1 system-on-chip (SoC) back in 2020, followed by souped-up M1 Pro and M1 Max options in 2021. These latter chips are better suited for truly demanding workloads than the base M1 chip, particularly those of creative professionals—the MacBook Pro’s target audience. 

The die, another day: The new M2 Pro silicon
(Credit: Apple)

Since then, Apple really upped the ante with its even more powerful M2 silicon—we reviewed a 13-inch MacBook Pro with this chip. Now, we’re at the point in the cycle where Apple is introducing the more powerful M2 Pro and M2 Max, as it did for the M1 before. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to be able to test these chips ourselves and bring you the results, but, based on the M1 Pro's and M1 Max's improvements over the original, it should be a mighty leap in performance.

This can all sound confusing, and has knock-on effects for the laptop offerings. So let’s dive into the hardware and see how the MacBook Pro options stack up.

2023 MacBook Pro Design and Pricing: Do These Laptops Look Familiar?

Though the 13-inch MacBook Pro is available with the base M2 chip and is somewhat relevant, we’ll focus on the comparisons with the previous 14- and 16-inch laptops. These are the systems that have been updated here in early 2023, and they pit the M1 Pro and Max against the new M2 versions.

First off—and one of the main things you may be wondering—they look the same. The new laptops are the same design and size as the existing models. This MacBook launch is not a redesign or an external refinement, but an update focused on the latest silicon, which does come with some new features in addition to increased performance. Maybe the next edition will focus on a physical redesign, but 2023's first MacBook moves are really all about the new processors.

The 2021 MacBook Pro 14-Inch: Same look in '23
(Credit: Molly Flores)

This means that the aspects most folks appreciate in a MacBook Pro are back, even though most are not upgraded. This includes the Liquid Retina XDR display at 14 and 16 inches, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SDXC card slot, a headphone jack, and a MagSafe 3 power port. The new features come in the form of support for faster Wi-Fi 6E, and a new “advanced HDMI” that can power 8K external displays at 60Hz.

The 2021 Apple MacBook Pro M2 16-Inch: Same sharp look, too
(Credit: Molly Flores)

Just as important, the color options remain the same. Either size laptop comes in Apple's signature Space Grey or in silver, as did the existing models. The Touch Bar has not returned to these models, either.

Let’s look at the pricing: The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1,999, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $2,499. Bumping up to the M2 Max will cost you a pretty penny, with the 14-incher jumping to $3,099 and the 16-incher to $3,499. These starting costs reflect the same dynamic we saw with the M1 versions.

Head-to-Head Specs: All About M2

To start, you can read some more in-depth about each of these SoCs and their advantages in our separate M2 Pro and Max explainer. If you’re already caught up, or just want to cut to the chase, we’ll run the differences down here. 

The hard specs below are useful, and of particular interest to the speeds-and-feeds enthusiasts out there, but they don't tell the whole story. Particularly with the hardware and software efficiencies we touch on, it’s difficult to tell, on paper, just how much faster the M2 Pro and M2 Max are than their predecessors—Apple’s synergistic formulas are a bit of a black box.

Apple's render of the 2023 MacBook Pro 14-incher
(Credit: Apple)

Apple does provide plenty of claims, however, for how much faster the new silicon is. We’ll say up front before repeating them that you should take them with a grain of salt, or at the very least understand it’s not always a 1:1 conclusion. Testing conditions can be favorable for quoted results, and sometimes, claims can speak to peak improvements rather than the average gains users will see.

Additionally, comparisons are often made to the “fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro,” but Intel has also released new (very fast) processor generations in the time since Apple used its chips in MacBooks. The following is divided by laptop so you can pit the same sizes from each generation against one another. But realistically, most of the key differences stem from the processor selection—with some exceptions.

The 14-Inch MacBook Pro, Then and Now: M2 Silicon Delivers More of Everything

First up is the smaller of the two MacBook Pros seeing 2023 updates. As with the previous generation, the new MacBooks with the M2 Pro chip will be great for most professional users with demanding workloads, whether that is media editing, design, or modeling. Those who know they’ll need even more power should consider the M2 Max.

For both the 14-inch machine and its larger sibling, the M2 platform is built using a second-generation, 5-nanometer process technology, with the M2 Pro containing 40 billion transistors to the M1 Pro’s 33.7 billion transistors.

This is where the real difference lies: Where the M1 Pro topped out at 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores, the M2 Pro can have up to a 12-core CPU and up to a 19-core GPU. In the 2023 MacBook Pro 14-incher, you can choose between the base-model M2 Pro (10 CPU cores, 16 GPU cores), the upgraded M2 Pro (12 CPU cores, 19 GPU cores), or the M2 Max (more on that in a moment). The base model comes with a 512GB SSD and scales up to a maximum of 8TB, the same as the previous laptop.

Shop the 14-Inch MacBook Pros…

Apple MacBook Pro 14-Inch (2023, M2 Pro)

Like with Apple's current 13th Gen Intel competition, while the core count has increased on the M2 chips, it is no longer the only major measure of performance. This Apple silicon is built for peak efficiency with the laptop hardware, and because Apple is in full control of its hardware and software, it’s built to synergize with the operating system, too. Still, more cores do ultimately mean more performance, even if they’re not the only factor—we’ll get to the new speed claims below.

(Credit: Apple)

The M2 Pro tops out at 32GB of unified memory, with up to 200GB per second of memory bandwidth, which is the same as the previous laptop. The M2 Pro’s GPU features a larger L2 cache than the M1 Pro, however, which will improve graphics performance.

Apple claims that the core count and architecture improvements deliver up to 20% faster performance on multithreaded CPU tasks than the 10-core M1 Pro. Apps like Adobe Photoshop should run heavy workloads notably quicker, and Apple makes specific claims such as, “compiling in Xcode is up to 2.5x faster than on the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro.” Graphics speeds are “up to 30% faster than that of M1 Pro,” as well.

(Credit: Apple)

All told, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro looks the same as its predecessor, but should be quicker on the tasks that matter in just about every facet. If you still need more power…

The M2 Max in the 14-Inch MacBook Pro: Even More GPU Cores

For the ultimate level of Mac power, there's the M2 Max option. The Max series is the super-powered performer in Apple's laptop lineup, and that’s only been taken further with the M2 SoCs. The 14-inch doesn't shy away from the top power options that the larger laptop offers, either.

To start, the M2 Max is built with 67 billion transistors, 10 billion more than M1 Max. The M1 Max kept the CPU core count at 10 like the M1 Pro, but it really ramped up the graphics ceiling, with models coming with up to 32 GPU cores. The M2 Max takes the same concept to new heights: The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max starts with 12 CPU cores and 30 GPU cores, but you can take that up to a whopping 38 GPU cores.

The M2 Max die
(Credit: Apple)

This will no doubt turn the heads of 3D and graphics professionals, especially from such a compact laptop. The M2 Max’s L2 cache is also larger on both sizes, further improving graphics performance; graphics speeds supposedly climb up to 30% faster than M1 Max.

The M2 Max's 400GB per second of unified memory bandwidth is twice that of M2 Pro, and the M2 Max laptops have a higher memory capacity than even the M2 Pro: You can order your 14-inch M2 Max-based laptop with up to 96GB of unified memory. This is for the true power users out there (you know who you are), and most shoppers won’t need to add that much memory. That’s a good thing for most, because it’s expensive: upgrading from 32GB to 64GB costs $400, and going to 96GB is another $400 from there.

The M2 Pro and M2 Max are built on the next-generation, 16-core Neural Engine, which is capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second. Apple claims this is up to 40% faster than the previous generation, though it’s unclear which workloads or use cases that applies to.

What's no-doubt impressive is that these are the same options as the 16-inch version, even including the souped-up flavor of the M2 Max despite its smaller size, though there are likely some thermal differences. What this does mean is that there isn't a lot different to say about the options present in the 16-inch version; it really comes down to the chip you select more than the laptop size. That said, things aren't identical, so let's break that down.

The 16-Inch MacBook Pro: Where True Power Users Line Up

As stated, if you've skipped ahead, most of the comparisons and details for the 14-inch laptop apply here. The processor selection you make is the real key choice once you've settled on screen size, because the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros share the same silicon.

Apple's render of the 2023 16-inch MacBook Pro
(Credit: Apple)

The most significant differences are a couple of configuration choices, the base model being one of them. The 16-inch MacBook Pro doesn't offer a 10-core option, so its M2 Pro base model begins with 12 CPU cores and 19 GPU cores. This, and the screen-size difference, factor into the $2,499 starting price, versus the $1,999 for the 14-inch. (The M1 MacBook Pro laptops used the same pricing structure.)

Shop the 16-Inch MacBook Pros…

Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch (2023, M2 Pro)

The price gap actually closes once you move up the configurations, too. After the base model, there is “only” a $200 premium on the 16-inch MacBook Pro compared to a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the same loadout, down (presumably) to the larger display.

Keyboard for the latest 16-inch Pro
(Credit: Apple)

The other difference is that the lesser of the M2 Max options isn't available in the 16-inch. Thus, your options are an improved M2 Pro (12 CPU cores, 19 GPU cores) or the M2 Max with 38 GPU cores; there is no option for the 30 GPU cores.

Outside of that, the comparisons to the M1 MacBook Pro models are the same as described in the 14-inch section. You're buying one of these new models (chiefly, if not entirely) to attain the new M2 Pro or M2 Max silicon, and the inherent performance advantages.

The 2023 MacBook Pros: Features and Other Improvements

A couple more benefits apply to both sizes of the new MacBook Pros, so we'll unify that discussion here. The biggest potential one? Further improved battery life. (We'll see when we test.)

The M1 chips already offer astounding longevity (the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro ran for 19 hours and 17 minutes on our video battery rundown test), and Cupertino is claiming at least an additional hour of runtime, thanks to more efficient silicon. That means a claimed maximum of 22 hours for the 16-inch model and 18 hours for the smaller laptop. It may only be an hour or two more than the M1 laptops, but nobody will turn away extra runtime, if it's offered.

For some more nitty-gritty for media pros, the M2 Pro is capable of hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, and ProRes video encoding and decoding, allowing playback of multiple streams of 4K and 8K ProRes video on reduced power consumption. The M2 Max features two video-encoding engines and two ProRes engines, which totals out to what Apple claims is up to two times faster video encoding than even the M2 Pro.

The M2 laptops will also be getting a camera boost over the existing models, but it’s not down to just jacking up the sensor resolution. Apple claims its “latest image signal processor delivers better noise reduction and, along with the Neural Engine, uses computational video to enhance camera image quality.” That will be tough to quantify even when we can get our hands on the model, but it’s another claimed improvement between the generations.

A Performance-Focused Upgrade: M2 Pro and Max Bring the Heat

If it’s not clear by now, the buzz for these new MacBook Pro models will be driven almost entirely by the performance boosts brought on by the M2 Pro and M2 Max. If you're content with your M1 laptop or don't need more power, no redesign here will draw you in. Some of the improvements are matter-of-fact, like the uptick to Wi-Fi 6E and the increased M2 core counts, but the exact performance claims will need to be tested independently in our full reviews.

Apple MacBook Pro 2023 M2 models
(Credit: Apple)

While we’ll see about the exact speed ceilings when we can test the laptops ourselves, there is little reason to doubt these laptops will be much faster—the M1 deeply impressed us on its debut, and the M2 did indeed raise the bar further. From what we saw out of the first M1 Pro and Max chips, this new M2 generation may be a dream for rendering, editing, second-counting power users. Check back soon for our full reviews and firsthand testing.