At WWDC in June, Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, but nothing else has changed since the 2020 M1 version (other than the price, which has gone up in parts of the world but not in the US). But while the new 13-inch MacBook Pro lacks the influence of the MacBook Air, which has been completely redesigned with a larger screen, should you consider buying one?
You can pre-order the MacBook Pro M2 at Apple.com, Best Buy, and other retailers now and ship June 24th.
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: design
You will have a hard time telling the M1 and M2 MacBook Pro apart. Nothing has changed between the two models. It’s not that the design is ugly and impractical, it just looks outdated compared to the redesigned 2022 MacBook Air and 14-inch MacBook Pro, which share a similar design language.
If you place your 13-inch MacBook Pro next to any other Mac laptop, you’ll notice that the bezels around the edge of the display are much thicker and the screen is smaller. However, there is one potential advantage to this, depending on your point of view. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the only Mac laptop (other than the M1 MacBook Air, which is still on sale) that doesn’t have a notch.
The notch is designed to accommodate the camera, allowing Apple to shrink the bezel at the top and pull the screen up a bit. Some people think that the notch ruins the design, others say that it does not reduce the workspace, because the menu is located on both sides of the notch (although in full screen mode it can get in the way). This is the compromise you have to make if you want a larger display.
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: Touch Bar
There’s another feature of the 13-inch MacBook Pro that sets it apart from any other Mac. It’s the only model to retain the Touch Bar, a feature that Apple added to the MacBook Pro back in 2016 and removed from the 14-inch and 16-inch Pro models in 2021.
The touchpad is divisive – some find it incredibly useful, others see no point in it. Basically, it replaces the function keys with an LED strip that can automatically adjust to suit the app you’re using. This is very useful, for example, for watching videos in the editor, adding emoticons, or correcting typos.
But the market for the Touch Bar has always been meant to be power users of applications like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro, and it turns out they don’t want that. Now that it’s gone from every other model, it’s unlikely the Touch Bar will survive another update. So if you’re a fan, this might be your last chance to buy one.
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: display
The display size of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is unchanged from the 2009 13-inch MacBook Pro. It’s actually just over 13 inches at 13.3 inches diagonally, and is now the smallest laptop Apple is selling since the M2 MacBook Air’s screen has grown to 13.6 inches.
Display technology has improved since 2009, but not as much recently. You can expect 2560×1600 pixels, 500 nits of brightness, wide color (P3), and True Tone technology (which means colors and brightness adjust according to ambient light, making it easier on your eyes). None of these features are different from the previous generation.
If you want the best display, the best options are the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, where you’ll find a Liquid Retina XDR display with a sustained 1,000 nits full-screen brightness, 1,600 nits peak brightness, and ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates. up to 120 Hz. And the MacBook Air has a Liquid Retina display with rounded corners and support for a billion colors.
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: specs
The real difference between the MacBook Pro M1 and M2 is what’s inside. There are two standard M2 MacBook Pros:
- 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB single memory (up to 24GB), 256GB SSD (up to 2TB): $1,299 / £1,349
- 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB single memory (up to 24GB), 512GB SSD (up to 2TB): $1,499 / £1,549
The MacBook Pro M1 also had two standard models:
- 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB single memory (up to 16GB), 256GB SSD (up to 2TB): $1299 / £1299
- 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB combined memory (up to 16GB), 512GB SSD (up to 2TB): $1499 / £1499
As you can see, the M2 chip offers a number of benefits, including 10-core graphics and up to 24GB of combined memory versus 8-core graphics and up to 16GB of memory.
The extra graphics cores and the ability to support 24GB of memory might be reason enough to opt for the newer MacBook Pro, but the M2 offers more than that. The M2 delivers increased performance and efficiency with a faster processor and more powerful GPU. In addition, the Neural Engine is 40% faster and the memory bandwidth increased by 50%.
We hope to have tests for the M2 available soon and will update this article as soon as we have comparable data. We expect slight improvements of around 20 percent over the M1, but don’t expect the M2 to outperform the M1 Pro or other M1 variants.
Another hidden improvement has to do with the sound capabilities of this Mac laptop. While the new M2 MacBook Pro doesn’t offer a four-speaker sound system like the M2 MacBook Air, the new model gets Spatial Audio support when playing Dolby Atmos music or video on the built-in speakers. This includes spatial audio with dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: battery life
Battery life is the same as the M1 model, 20 hours. However, it is possible that some improvements in the M2 processor could lead to better battery life. We’ll update this article as soon as we have testing data.
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: ports and peripherals
While the MacBook Air M2 just got an extra port in the form of MagSafe, which means you don’t have to use one of the USB/Thunderbolt ports to charge, the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 still only offers the same. two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, just like its predecessor.
There is a slight change to the 3.5mm headphone jack, which now supports high impedance headphones.
The only other difference is that the M2 MacBook Pro comes with a 67W power adapter instead of the 61W power adapter of the older model. This could theoretically speed up charging, but it’s unlikely to make much of a difference since the 13-inch MacBook Pro doesn’t support fast charging.
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: Price
While the price of the 2022 generation 13-inch MacBook Pro hasn’t changed in the US, it has changed in other countries.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 starts at $1,299 / £1,349. It previously cost $1299 / £1299.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 with 512GB SSD costs $1,499 / £1,549. The equivalent model cost $1499/£1499.
It’s interesting to note that there’s a MacBook Air M2 with similar specs available for the same price as the more expensive MacBook Pro. You can get the M2 MacBook Air with 512GB SSD and 10-core GPU for $1499/£1549. If you’re torn between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, we’ve compared the differences between the two models.
While resellers are selling off the MacBook Pro M1, you can grab some great deals below:
$1199.99
Free
Not available
Free
13-inch MacBook Pro M1 vs M2: Our recommendation
We’ll have more information on the M2 MacBook Pro as we review it, but for many, the appeal of the new MacBook Air design, along with its bigger, better, brighter display and similar price, will be big. factor in the decision not to buy the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2. However, along with the performance improvements model, they close the gap between it and the more expensive MacBook Pro.