Apple MacBook Pro: More Power, More Productivity
Is a MacBook Pro your best bet as a macOS laptop?
Apple’s MacBook Pro is the macOS laptop aimed at users who demand performance. With three screen sizes and three custom Apple processors to choose from (the M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max), there is a MacBook Pro that’s ideal for any user and even the most demanding applications.
Is MacBook Pro or MacBook Air better?
As Apple's flagship laptop line, the MacBook Pro beats the MacBook Air in virtually every aspect.
The base MacBook Pro 13-inch is now equipped with the next-gen Apple M2 chip, featuring an 8-core CPU,10-core GPU, and support for up to 24GB of unified memory. The MacBook Air is available with either an M1 or M2 chip, with a 10-core GPU only available in high end M2 MacBook Air configurations. The MacBook Pro is also equipped with a cooling fan, so it can push the performance envelope further and for longer than the fanless MacBook Air.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 features 50% more memory bandwidth than the previous generation. Working with RAW images is 40% faster and conversion of video to ProRes format is nearly three times faster. It is equipped with a 13.3-inch Retina display, dual USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, backlit Magic keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, stereo speakers, FaceTime HD webcam, studio-quality mic array, the unique Touch Bar, and Touch ID button. Despite the power upgrade, the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 gets up to 20 hours of battery life.
The MacBook Air is less expensive and comes out on top of the MacBook Pro in terms of weight at just 1.24 kg (2.7 pounds) for the M2 model.
If you are choosing between 13-inch macOS laptops, the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 is the best choice for performance, while the MacBook Air takes the top spot for portability and affordability.
The new MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch, powered by Apple M2 and M2 Pro
The latest MacBook Pro M2 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch models get even more powerful, with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, plus support for up to 96GB of unified memory. They gain faster memory (up to 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth on M2 Max MacBook Pro models), hardware accelerated media encoding, Wi-Fi 6E, and dramatic battery life improvements.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro 2023 models offer other advantages, including Liquid Retina XDR displays with ProMotion 120Hz adaptive refresh, and 1600 Nits peak brightness. They have more storage (up to 8TB SSDs),1080p FaceTime cameras with Continuity Camera support, six-speaker audio systems (with force-cancelling woofers), and studio-quality mic arrays. These latest MacBook Pro models feature three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, MagSafe 3 charging, an SDXC card slot, and an HDMI port. Wi-Fi connectivity is the latest standards: Bluetooth 5.3, and Wi-Fi 6E. Colour options for the 100% recycled aluminum enclosures is Space Grey or Silver.
Is MacBook Pro touchscreen?
Apple does not support touchscreen functionality in macOS, and the MacBook Pro display does not support touch input.
Which MacBook Pro is the best?
The question of which MacBook Pro is best really comes down to your preferences and how you configure your laptop.
The MacBook Pro 13-inch is a capable entry-level professional laptop that’s now even more powerful thanks to its next-gen M2 processor. However, if you need a bigger or higher quality display, the Liquid Retina XDR display found on the larger MacBook Pro M2 models is a definite step up. The M2 Pro and M2 Max processors on these models are more powerful and both support more RAM (unified memory). The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops also offer more ports than the 13-inch model along with much larger storage capacities.
Generally speaking, the MacBook Pro 13-inch is the base model in this lineup, and the MacBook Pro 16-inch is the largest. Either the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Max processor would be considered the most powerful.
Is a MacBook Pro good for gaming?
Apple designed the MacBook Pro laptops with content creation in mind, not gaming. There is no option to equip them with a discrete graphics card and they lack features like gaming-optimized keyboards.
The M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max used in the MacBook Pro are powerful processors. They have up to 38-core GPUs and as much as 96GB of unified memory, but despite the impressive specs the MacBook Pro is not at the level of PC gaming laptops equipped with NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards. That means lower frame rates, and forgoing features like real-time ray tracing. In addition, games that will run natively on Apple silicon are limited.
The bottom line is a MacBook Pro may be able to run your favourite games just fine, but it may not. The MacBook Pro laptops are powerful, but not recommended for someone who is specifically looking for a gaming laptop.
Apple MacBook Pro: More Power, More Productivity
Is a MacBook Pro your best bet as a macOS laptop?
Apple’s MacBook Pro is the macOS laptop aimed at users who demand performance. With three screen sizes and three custom Apple processors to choose from (the M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max), there is a MacBook Pro that’s ideal for any user and even the most demanding applications.
Is MacBook Pro or MacBook Air better?
As Apple's flagship laptop line, the MacBook Pro beats the MacBook Air in virtually every aspect.
The base MacBook Pro 13-inch is now equipped with the next-gen Apple M2 chip, featuring an 8-core CPU,10-core GPU, and support for up to 24GB of unified memory. The MacBook Air is available with either an M1 or M2 chip, with a 10-core GPU only available in high end M2 MacBook Air configurations. The MacBook Pro is also equipped with a cooling fan, so it can push the performance envelope further and for longer than the fanless MacBook Air.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 features 50% more memory bandwidth than the previous generation. Working with RAW images is 40% faster and conversion of video to ProRes format is nearly three times faster. It is equipped with a 13.3-inch Retina display, dual USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, backlit Magic keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, stereo speakers, FaceTime HD webcam, studio-quality mic array, the unique Touch Bar, and Touch ID button. Despite the power upgrade, the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 gets up to 20 hours of battery life.
The MacBook Air is less expensive and comes out on top of the MacBook Pro in terms of weight at just 1.24 kg (2.7 pounds) for the M2 model.
If you are choosing between 13-inch macOS laptops, the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 is the best choice for performance, while the MacBook Air takes the top spot for portability and affordability.
The new MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch, powered by Apple M2 and M2 Pro
The latest MacBook Pro M2 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch models get even more powerful, with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, plus support for up to 96GB of unified memory. They gain faster memory (up to 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth on M2 Max MacBook Pro models), hardware accelerated media encoding, Wi-Fi 6E, and dramatic battery life improvements.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro 2023 models offer other advantages, including Liquid Retina XDR displays with ProMotion 120Hz adaptive refresh, and 1600 Nits peak brightness. They have more storage (up to 8TB SSDs),1080p FaceTime cameras with Continuity Camera support, six-speaker audio systems (with force-cancelling woofers), and studio-quality mic arrays. These latest MacBook Pro models feature three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, MagSafe 3 charging, an SDXC card slot, and an HDMI port. Wi-Fi connectivity is the latest standards: Bluetooth 5.3, and Wi-Fi 6E. Colour options for the 100% recycled aluminum enclosures is Space Grey or Silver.
Is MacBook Pro touchscreen?
Apple does not support touchscreen functionality in macOS, and the MacBook Pro display does not support touch input.
Which MacBook Pro is the best?
The question of which MacBook Pro is best really comes down to your preferences and how you configure your laptop.
The MacBook Pro 13-inch is a capable entry-level professional laptop that’s now even more powerful thanks to its next-gen M2 processor. However, if you need a bigger or higher quality display, the Liquid Retina XDR display found on the larger MacBook Pro M2 models is a definite step up. The M2 Pro and M2 Max processors on these models are more powerful and both support more RAM (unified memory). The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops also offer more ports than the 13-inch model along with much larger storage capacities.
Generally speaking, the MacBook Pro 13-inch is the base model in this lineup, and the MacBook Pro 16-inch is the largest. Either the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Max processor would be considered the most powerful.
Is a MacBook Pro good for gaming?
Apple designed the MacBook Pro laptops with content creation in mind, not gaming. There is no option to equip them with a discrete graphics card and they lack features like gaming-optimized keyboards.
The M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max used in the MacBook Pro are powerful processors. They have up to 38-core GPUs and as much as 96GB of unified memory, but despite the impressive specs the MacBook Pro is not at the level of PC gaming laptops equipped with NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards. That means lower frame rates, and forgoing features like real-time ray tracing. In addition, games that will run natively on Apple silicon are limited.
The bottom line is a MacBook Pro may be able to run your favourite games just fine, but it may not. The MacBook Pro laptops are powerful, but not recommended for someone who is specifically looking for a gaming laptop.