16-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro) review: The final push for Intel holdouts

At a look

Skilled’s Ranking

Professionals

• Good efficiency increase over its predecessor
• HDMI improve expands exterior show choices
• Outfitted with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3

Cons

• 1080p digital camera with out Heart Stage
• Some will deem the notch ugly
• Contact Bar followers will likely be dissatisfied
• No ethernet port

Our Verdict

The M2 Professional MacBook Professional is a profitable follow-up to the M1 Professional mannequin. Should you’re nonetheless utilizing an Intel-based MacBook Professional, it’s time to improve. Heck, the HDMI 2.1, Wi-fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 upgrades might tempt M1 Professional MacBook Professional homeowners to speculate.

Value When Reviewed

$2,499 | $2,699 | $3,499

Finest Costs At the moment: Apple 16-inch MacBook Professional (2023)

$2499

Within the fall of 2021, Apple’s 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professionals made a grand entrance into the Mac lineup, and made an immediate impression, combining processing prowess with a complicated redesign. Should you had been aching for a brand new high-end MacBook Professional, the 2021 launch provided soothing reduction.

However perhaps you determined to attend a bit longer. Perhaps you thought it will be clever to let a technology of Apple silicon move so the corporate can work out the kinks and app builders can meet up with native software program. Or perhaps you simply weren’t satisfied this complete factor was actually going to work, regardless of Apple’s previous success with silicon transitions.

Regardless of the purpose, let me let you know, for most individuals, there isn’t a purpose to attend any longer. The transition has been easy for essentially the most half, tons of native software program from third-party builders can be found, and the M-series SoC is right here to remain.

Really, you profit from ready, as a result of the brand new M2 Professional/Max provides a pleasant efficiency increase over the earlier M1 Professional and M1 Max machines. On prime of that, you get a much-needed improve for HDMI and futureproofing with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3–three options which may even be sufficient for present M1 Professional or M1 Max MacBook Professional homeowners to improve.

Foundry

This overview takes a take a look at the brand new 16-inch MacBook Professional. Right here’s the lowdown of the specs of our overview unit:

• M2 Professional CPU with 12-core CPU (8 efficiency cores and 4 effectivity cores) and 19-core GPU
• 32GB of unified reminiscence
• 200GB/s reminiscence bandwidth
• 16-core Neural Engine
• 2TB SSD

This mannequin takes the $2,499 commonplace configuration and upgrades the reminiscence from 16GB to 32GB (a $400 improve) and the SSD from 512GB to 2TB (one other $400). That brings the whole worth of our overview unit to $3,499. 

14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional: Temporary overview

Apple provides the MacBook Professional with the M2 Professional and M2 Max in numerous CPU, GPU, and reminiscence setups, and it may well get complicated to kind out what’s included with every chip at every commonplace configuration. Right here’s an summary of what it’s essential know:

• For its lowest-priced ($1,999) 14-inch configuration, Apple provides a scaled-down model of the M2 Professional with 6 efficiency cores and 4 effectivity cores, and a 16-core GPU.
• The M2 Professional with 12 CPU cores, 19 GPU cores, and 16GB of unified reminiscence is obtainable within the mid-tier ($2,499) 14-inch MacBook Professional, and the low-end ($2,499) and mid-tier ($2,699) 16-inch MacBook Professional.
• Each the high-end 14- ($3,099) and 16-inch ($3,499) MacBook Professional have the M2 Max, however the 14-inch laptop computer’s chip has a 30-core GPU, whereas the 16-inch laptop computer has a 38-core GPU.
• Every configuration may be personalized to improve the GPU, reminiscence, and SSD.

The M2 Professional in our overview unit has a 12-core CPU, which is split into 8 efficiency cores and 4 effectivity cores. In his overview of the M2 Pro and Max, Macworld’s Jason Cross factors out that M2 Professional and M2 Max look like scaled-up variations of the M2 used within the new Mac mini, MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro–these new chips don’t use new manufacturing processes, GPUs, or anything. The chip that the M2 Professional replaces, the M1 Professional, had 10 CPU cores; it had two fewer effectivity cores.

M2 Professional: Efficiency

These new laptops are all concerning the new M2 Professional and M2 Max processors, so the main target of this overview is totally on the benchmark efficiency of the M2 Professional in our overview unit. The M2 Professional’s structure is predicated on the M2, however Apple makes enhancements to spice up efficiency.

Our benchmarks evaluate the M2 Professional’s efficiency to the M1 Professional and M1 Max, in addition to the M2. For some assessments, we had been additionally in a position to embrace an older Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Professional.

Apple proclaims a 20 % enchancment for the M2 Professional over the M1 Professional, and our Geekbench 5 Multi CPU benchmark end result hits that sq. on the nostril. Apple additionally stated that the M2 Professional is twice as quick because the M2, however we didn’t see that in Geekbench. In Geekbench’s Single CPU benchmark, the M2 Professional had an identical rating because the M2, which isn’t stunning. This check includes a single CPU core, and for the reason that M2 Professional and M2 principally have the identical kind of particular person cores, the outcomes would be the identical.

The 20 % enchancment seems once more within the Cinebench R23 Multi Core CPU assessments. Cinebench, which performs 3D modeling, is the sort of benchmark the place chips with extra CPU cores, the higher. This benchmark is a greater indicator of efficiency for the supposed use of the M2 Professional MacBook Professional: graphics execs who put heavy calls for upon the CPU.

We used Handbrake to encode the Tears of Steel video from 4K to a 1080p H.265 file. When doing the encoding fully in software program utilizing the H.265 (x265) video encoder, the M2 Professional confirmed a 37 % pace enchancment over the M1 Professional. With Handbrake’s H.265 (VideoToolBox) encoder, the app takes benefit of accessible {hardware} acceleration, so when VideoToolBox was used, the M2 Professional had a 20 % enchancment.

With the M2, Apple launched enhancements to the media engine within the CPU to enhance audio and video encoding and decoding. The M2 Professional carried out our iMovie 4K video export at Finest (ProRes) high quality in half the time it took the M2, however in comparison with the M1 Professional, the outcomes had been the identical. This activity includes writing to the SSD, which has an impact on the advance between the 2 Professional chips. When exporting the identical video at Top quality (not ProRes), the efficiency was virtually the identical between the M2, M1 Professional, and M2 Professional.

Earlier than doing the iMovie exports, we measured the period of time it took to carry out a stabilize shaky video perform. The M2 MacBook Professional demonstrated a noticeable enchancment of 28 % over the M1 Professional.

The 20 % enchancment continues within the Blackmagic Disk Take a look at write benchmark for the SSD. Curiously, the 2TB SSD in our overview unit posted a learn rating that was 7 % slower than the 1TB SSD within the 14-inch M1 Professional MacBook Professional that we examined–that’s sufficiently small to be barely noticeable. The M2 Professional’s SSD greater than doubled the efficiency of the M2 13-inch MacBook Professional, which we examined with a 1TB SSD.

We additionally ran the AmorphousDiskMark benchmark and the M2 Professional and M1 Professional posted related learn outcomes of 6.71GBps and 6.77GBps, respectively, whereas the M1 posted a learn score of two.4GBps. In one other SSD benchmark device, Stibium, the M2 Professional’s learn score was 7.89 GBps, whereas the M1 Professional posted 7.05GBps, and the M1’s learn was 2.06GBps.

M2 Professional: Graphics efficiency

The M2 Professional MacBook Professional has some critical GPU energy. (Should you want extra, you will get extra with the M2 Max.) We’re used to seeing cores in even quantity units, so to see the M2 Professional has a 19-core GPU which is odd (actually)–20 GPU cores would make it precisely double that discovered within the M2.

Rise of the Tomb Raider and Civilization VI are older video games written for Intel and never optimized for Apple’s Metallic graphics API, however these video games nonetheless see a big increase with the M2 Professional. At every sport’s larger decision settings, Tomb Raider and Civilization VI each noticed jumps in framerate of 27 and 30 %, respectively. Tomb Raider on the M2 Professional doubled its framerate from the M2.

We will additionally see on this set of assessments that the M2 Professional’s 19-core GPU creates extra separation between it and the 8GB AMD Radeon Professional 5500M GPU within the 16-inch MacBook Professional with an Intel 2.4GHz Core i9 8-core CPU from 2019. Granted, that AMD GPU is three years outdated and out of date, however the margin the M2 Professional created is critical.

Geekbench 5’s Compute benchmark assessments GPU efficiency utilizing OpenCL or Metallic APIs. In each of those assessments, the M2 Professional and its 19-core GPU had been 20 % quicker than the M1 Professional and its 16-core GPU. Contemplating that going from 16 cores to 19 cores works out to about 19 % extra core energy, the 20 % increase falls proper in line.

I ran a number of different graphics benchmarks with the intention to evaluate the efficiency between the M2 Professional and M1 Professional. These assessments got here out as anticipated, with the M2 Professional blazing previous the M1 Professional, often by about 20 %, however typically larger. Right here’s a listing of the assessments.

• 3DMark Wild Life is an iOS app–you’ll be able to run iOS apps on Apple silicon Macs, in case you didn’t know or forgot. This graphics check is native to Apple silicon and makes use of Apple’s Metallic API. The M2 Professional posted a 26 % enchancment over the M1 Professional within the check’s Excessive Limitless mode. See test data and performance chart.
• BasemarkGPU makes use of Basemark’s Rocksolid proprietary graphics engine to generate graphical scenes just like these you’d discover in a online game. This benchmark is native to Apple silicon and we ran it utilizing Metallic. The M2 Professional’s rating was 18 % higher than that of the M1 Professional. See test data and performance chart.
• Corona Benchmark is an older benchmark and runs utilizing Rosetta. that performs a 3D render check utilizing the Corona Renderer. The M2 Professional was 19 % quicker than the M1 Professional. See test data and performance chart.
• V-Ray 5 Benchmark shouldn’t be native to Apple silicon and makes use of Rosetta. Its two assessments use the V-Ray 3D rendering engine. Within the V-Ray 5 CPU check, the M2 Professional outcomes confirmed a 27 % enchancment over the M1 Professional. Within the V-Ray 5 GPU CUDA check, the M2 Professional had a 21 % enhance over the M1 Professional. See test data and performance chart.

16-inch MacBook Professional M2 Professional: Battery and charging

Apple claims a 22-hour battery life with “Apple TV app film playback” for the M2 MacBook Professional, which is an hour longer than the M1 mannequin it replaces. To check this declare on the 100-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery, I performed a full-screen video on a steady loop till the battery ran out–which occurred 27 hours later. (Our check is finished with the show at 150 nits, which is dimmer than the “8 clicks from backside” brightness Apple units its video playback check.) Should you’re going to be doing extra strenuous work on the MacBook Professional than watching video–compiling code, rendering graphics, creating information, and so forth, so that you’ll in all probability have to plug in earlier than you attain the twenty second hour. However nonetheless, the battery life is lengthy sufficient to final a day it doesn’t matter what you’re doing.

Apple features a 140-watt USB-C energy adapter with the 16-inch mannequin, whereas the 14-inch mannequin has a 96-watt adapter (you get a 67-watt adapter in case you purchase the $1,999 14-inch mannequin). While you use the 140-watt adapter with the 16-inch MacBook Professional, Apple says that fast charging kicks in and fills the battery as much as 50 % in half-hour. After I drained the MacBook Professional’s battery to check its life, I discovered that quick charging works simply as Apple says it will–it obtained to 50 % in slightly below half-hour.

Foundry

Apple did make one minor change with the MagSafe cable: the Area Grey mannequin comes with the Area Grey cable that was launched with the MacBook Air. The earlier mannequin’s cable got here in silver, no matter what coloration laptop computer you specified.

16-inch MacBook Professional: All the things else

When Apple launched the Apple silicon MacBook Professional in 2021, it not solely ushered within the M-series chips to Apple’s high-end laptop computer, however the firm additionally unveiled a serious redesign with a brand new show, keyboard configuration, and upgraded FaceTime digital camera.

Suffice it to say, that was plenty of new stuff that Apple introduced us two years in the past, so it’s not stunning to search out out that Apple didn’t change a lot this time round. The design and keyboard have a tendency to stay round for a number of generations, and Apple will improve shows when new applied sciences change into extra viable at an reasonably priced scale, which implies it takes just a few years.

Thankfully, Apple did a superb job with these options, which I lined in nice element in my overview of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and summarized beneath.

Foundry

Design: The case is manufactured from recycled aluminum, and it feels nice in your arms. It has the feel and appear of a luxurious product.

Show: The Liquid Retina XDR (mini-LED) show is brilliant, gives glorious element, and helps ProMotion, which adjusts the refresh charge primarily based on what’s on the display. It’s the most effective show Apple has used on a laptop computer to this point.

The show, nevertheless, nonetheless has a notch, a module on the middle prime of the show that homes the FaceTime digital camera. I’ve by no means been bothered by it and it doesn’t infringe on the workspace beneath it. Whereas the iPhone 14 Professional makes use of its Dynamic Island interface with its show notch, the MacBook Professional doesn’t. Perhaps sometime Apple will replace macOS with a Mac model of Dynamic Island, however within the meantime, you’ll find utilities that may disguise or spotlight the notch.

FaceTime digital camera: Since we had been speaking concerning the notch…that is the one exception to Apple’s glorious job that I discussed earlier. The 1080p FaceTime digital camera is essentially the most disappointing half of what’s thought of Apple’s premier laptop computer for professionals. Its picture high quality is sorely missing in comparison with third-party cameras which are out there. When you’ve got an iPhone 8 or XR or later, use Continuity Camera as an alternative.

Keyboard: It’s the identical as with the 2021 mannequin, with full-sized Perform keys as an alternative of the Contact Bar. If the Contact Bar is a make-or-break function for you, your solely alternative is to go together with the 13-inch MacBook Professional with an M2 chip.

16-inch MacBook Professional: HDMI will get an improve

The brand new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Professional has the identical ports as earlier than: 3 Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, a MagSafe 3 port, a headphone jack, an SDXC card slot, and an HDMI port. Nevertheless, Apple did improve the HDMI port from supporting model 2.0 of the spec to model 2.1.

Foundry

That little HDMI improve is a giant deal as a result of it permits extra flexibility as to the sort of exterior show you should use. With HDMI 2.0, you may join one show with as much as 4K decision at 60Hz and that’s it. With the brand new HDMI 2.1 port on an M2 Professional MacBook Professional, you’ll be able to join:

• One show both at 8K decision at 60Hz, or at 4K decision at 240Hz 
• One show at as much as 4K decision at 144Hz, and one other show related through Thunderbolt at as much as 6K decision at 60Hz

Because the MacBook Professional is utilized by content material professionals, this new exterior show help is a key function. Apple doubtless misplaced some potential MacBook clients as a result of subpar HDMI help. This improve might get these clients again.

Must you purchase a 16-inch MacBook Professional?

The unique introduction of the M1 Professional/Max MacBook Professional over two years in the past introduced with it a ton of pleasure. It wasn’t only a new mannequin. With a brand new chip, new design, and new options, it was additionally a brand new imaginative and prescient for the product line.

In comparison with that launch, the revealing of the M2 Professional improve is low-key–some would possibly even say mundane. Perhaps that’s unfair for the reason that 2021 version was so good and Apple didn’t really want to vary a lot. However there are nonetheless beneficial updates along with the brand new chip, reminiscent of HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 that make the brand new 16-inch Professional an upgrade-worthy launch.

In brief, the M2 MacBook Professional is a profitable follow-up to the M1 mannequin. Should you’re nonetheless utilizing an Intel-based laptop computer and have the cash to put money into a brand new MacBook Professional, there’s just one good purpose why you shouldn’t improve: you may have essential software program that gained’t run natively on Apple silicon. And if that’s the case, it’s essential determine what to do about it, as a result of Apple silicon is right here to remain. The earlier you’ll be able to be a part of the revolution, the higher.

Should you already invested in an M1 Professional or M1 Max MacBook Professional, you’ll be able to in all probability watch for the M3 or M4 mannequin to reach, until that 20 % efficiency increase is totally what you want. Whereas the HDMI improve is essential, you’ve in all probability already adjusted to make your show setup work. And also you gained’t really feel the necessity for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth upgrades for some time. However you probably have just a few thousand bucks saved and have been ready for this technology to reach, your cash will completely be effectively spent.