Apple, the new MacBook Pro and Mac Mini arrive with M2 Pro and M2 Max processors

It’s rare for Apple to launch new products in January, but today, as predicted by various rumors circulating in recent days, new products have indeed arrived. They are two computers, the Mac Mini and the MacBook Pro, updated with the second generation M2 processors.

With the M2 Pro and M2 Max, which Apple says is “the world’s most powerful and efficient chip in a pro laptop,” MacBook Pro can handle demanding tasks like effects rendering and color grading. Those stepping up from an Intel-based Mac model will notice even more impressive improvements in performance, battery life, connectivity, and overall productivity.

The autonomy is record-breaking: up to 22 hours. MacBook Pro also maintains high performance both when connected to the power supply and on battery only. Also refreshed is the Wi-Fi chip, which supports Wi-Fi 6E, up to twice as fast as the previous generation, and there’s also advanced HDMI, which supports 8K monitors for the first time.

“The Apple-powered MacBook Pro changed that completely by allowing the pro user to push the boundaries of their workflow on the go and do things they never thought possible on a laptop,” said Greg Joswiak, Senior Vice President of Apple’s Worldwide Marketing. “Today, MacBook Pro takes it one step further. Faster performance, improved connectivity and the best battery life ever in a Mac, together with the best display ever in a laptop, make it simply unique”.

M2 Pro

MacBook Pro with M2 Pro has a 10-core or 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, for up to 20 percent faster performance than the M1 Pro chip. With 200 GBps of memory bandwidth unified memory, double that of the M2 chip, and up to 32GB of unified memory, you can handle large projects and run several professional apps simultaneously at impressive speeds. The latest generation GPU with up to 19 cores delivers up to 30% faster graphics performance, while the Neural Engine is 40% faster in machine learning tasks such as video analysis and image processing. The media engine in M2 Pro effortlessly handles the most popular video codecs, dramatically accelerating video playback and encoding with minimal power consumption.

With the M2 Pro chip in MacBook Pro, rendering motion titles and animations is up to 80 percent snappier than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro model, and up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation, according to Apple . Image processing in Adobe Photoshop is up to 80 percent snappier than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro model, and up to 40 percent faster than the previous generation.

M2 Max

MacBook Pro with M2 Max goes even further, with up to a 38-core GPU and up to 30% better graphics performance than the M1 Max chip, and 400GBps of unified memory bandwidth, double that of the M2 Pro chip. ram reaches 96GB, allowing graphically demanding workflows such as the creation of scenes with 3D geometries and extreme textures or the photomerge of large panoramic images. M2 Max features a next-generation 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores that deliver up to 20% higher performance than the M1 Max chip and a more powerful media engine than the M2 Pro chip. with double the ProRes acceleration to dramatically speed up playback and transcoding of content. Effects rendering in Cinema 4D is up to six times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro model, and up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation. Color grading in DaVinci Resolve is up to twice as snappy as the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro model and up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation.

Improved connectivity

MacBook Pro now supports Wi-Fi 6E for faster wireless connectivity as well as a more advanced HDMI interface that supports 8K displays up to 60Hz and 4K displays up to 240Hz. These new capabilities further expand the connectivity options built into MacBook Pro, such as three Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed connections to peripherals, an SDXC card slot and a MagSafe charging port.

Prices and availability

The new MacBook Pro models with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are available to order starting today, January 17, at apple.com/uk/store and in the Apple Store app. Shipments will begin on Tuesday, January 24, when they will also be available in Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. New 14″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro Chip starts at €2,499 (incl VAT) and €2,309 (incl VAT) for Education; 16″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro Chip starts at €3,099 (incl VAT) and € 2,849 (VAT incl) for the Education sector.

The new Mac minis

The same on the outside, but all-new inside is the Mac mini, which with the M2 and M2 Pro chips offers faster performance, even more unified memory and advanced connectivity, including support for up to two monitors on the model with M2 and up to three monitors on the model with M2 Pro. Combined with Studio Display and Magic accessories, and thanks to the power and ease of use of macOS Ventura, Mac mini provides an excellent desktop experience.

“Thanks to the great features and a wide range of connectivity options packed into a compact design, Mac mini is used in so many different places and ways. Today we are excited to go even further with the M2 and M2 Pro chips,” said Joswiak. “With even more performance at a lower starting price, Mac mini with the M2 chip offers incredible value for money. And for those looking for powerful pro performance, Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip is a desktop like no other in its class.”

Mac mini with M2 chip

Mac mini with the M2 chip has an 8-core CPU with four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores and a 10-core GPU, making it perfect for those looking for blazing-fast performance and maximum productivity at an even lower starting price. affordable, €729. Daily tasks like launching apps, browsing the web and multitasking between apps are blazingly fast. And for those with more demanding tasks, the M2-powered Mac mini handles even more demanding workloads just fine. With up to 24GB of unified memory and 100GBps of memory bandwidth, tasks like photo editing in Adobe Photoshop are 50% faster than the previous generation. The M2 chip brings ProRes acceleration to Mac mini, so tasks like video editing in Final Cut Pro are twice as snappy. The M2 chip model can also simultaneously play up to two streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30fps, or up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30fps.

The comparison

Compared to Mac mini with Intel Core i7, Mac mini with M2 chip offers: 22x faster machine learning-based image upscaling performance in Pixelmator Pro; render complex timelines 9.8 times faster in Final Cut Pro. Compared to the previous generation Mac mini with the M1 chip, the Mac mini with the M2 chip offers: ProRes file transcoding up to 2.4 times faster in Final Cut Pro; performance of filters and functions 50% faster in Adobe Photoshop; up to 35% faster gameplay in Resident Evil Village.

Mac mini with M2 Pro chip

The new M2 Pro chip brings pro-level performance to Mac mini for the first time. With up to a 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, plus up to a 19-core GPU, the M2 Pro chip boasts 200 GBps of memory bandwidth (double that of the M2 chip). and supports up to 32GB of memory. The next generation Neural Engine is 40% faster than the M1 chip, speeding up machine learning tasks such as video analysis and image processing. Designed to dramatically accelerate video playback and encoding with minimal power consumption, the M2 Pro chip features a powerful media engine that handles major video codecs to the max and can simultaneously play up to five streams of ProRes 422 8K video at 30fps , or up to 23 streams of ProRes 422 4K video at 30 fps. The M2 Pro chip model is up to 14 times faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini model.

The comparison

Compared to iMac 27″ with Intel Core i7 and Radeon Pro 5500 XT,4 Mac mini with M2 Pro chip offers: 50% faster performance of filters and functions in Adobe Photoshop; photomerge of panoramic images up to 5.5 times faster in Adobe Lightroom Classic; up to 4.4x faster object tracking in Final Cut Pro. Compared to the previous generation Mac mini with the M1 chip, the Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip offers: up to 2.5x faster graphics performance in Affinity Photo; Transcoding ProRes files up to 4.2x faster in Final Cut Pro; Gameplay up to 2.8x faster in Resident Evil Village.

Games

According to the Cupertino company, with the M2 Pro chip, Mac mini can handle high-performance workloads previously unthinkable in such a compact design, but the gamer public can “enjoy the most demanding video games at the same quality as a console” : Gaming performance is up to 15x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini model.

The model with the M2 Pro chip includes four Thunderbolt 4 ports and supports up to three monitors. In addition, the model with the M2 Pro chip can support an 8K monitor, a first for the Mac mini. Both models have two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one Gigabit Ethernet port with 10GB option, and an upgraded headphone jack for high-impedance headphones. They are also equipped with the latest wireless standards, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Prices and availability

The new Mac mini with M2 chip and M2 Pro is available to order starting January 17 at apple.com/uk/store and in the Apple Store app. Deliveries will start on Tuesday 24 January.

Mac mini with M2 chip starts at €729 (incl VAT) and €609 (incl VAT) for education. Mac mini with M2 Pro chip starts at €1,579 (incl VAT) and €1,459 (incl VAT) for education. With Apple Trade In it is possible to exchange your computer in exchange for a credit for the purchase of a new Mac, including the models just presented.

Also available on these computers is AppleCare+ for Mac, which offers technical support services and extra hardware coverage, including up to two incidents of accidental damage every 12 months, albeit for an additional fee.