A lot of people (including us) were expecting 3nm SoCs in the new MacBook Pro models beforehand, but despite the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid update. The graphics performance has been increased by about 25% and we can also see a clear gain in efficiency here. The processor, on the other hand, also has an additional performance of up to 20%, but with an additional consumption of up to 25%. However, we will analyze the efficiency of the new M2 SoCs in more detail shortly. In everyday life, however, the new chips are definitely more efficient, which is simply due to the two additional efficiency cores that can do more work.
In principle, Apple also keeps the lead over AMD and Intel, and the results are really good, especially with optimized applications, given the comparatively low power consumption. In addition, it is a very clear advantage that the performance can also be fully accessed in battery mode. However, Apple also slows down the M2 Pro a bit here, because the processor is throttled significantly when the CPU and GPU are loaded at the same time. The M2 Pro could offer more performance in this case (the cooling could also handle it, since there is still room for improvement), but Apple probably doesn’t want that. There are two possible reasons for this: either the battery performance shouldn’t differ from mains operation, even in this extreme case, or the MacBook Pro simply shouldn’t get too loud. In any case, potential is wasted here and since the graphics unit of the new M2 Max (38 GPU cores) in the MacBook Pro 16 alone can consume more than 50 watts, the large M2 Max in the smaller MBP 14 should hardly be worth it.
Elsewhere, Apple has addressed some of the criticisms, finally bringing HDMI 2.1 and fast Wi-Fi 6E to modern 6GHz networks. The battery life could also be increased in some situations and both the mini-LED display and the sound system are still worthy of reference.
The MacBook Pro 2023 just got better with the M2 Pro, now offering even more performance. In addition, customers now get fast WLAN and an improved HDMI output. While the price is high, the new MacBook Pro 14 is also a darn good device. However, switching from the predecessor with the M1 Pro is not really worth it.
Of course, there are still a few points of criticism, and here you simply have to mention the non-existent maintenance and upgrade options. If these criteria are decisive for the purchase, the MacBook Pro 14 simply disqualifies itself despite the objectively excellent performance. In addition, the surcharges for more RAM and SSD storage are still extremely high. To be fair, however, it has to be said that many other manufacturers are increasingly relying on soldered components and have also tweaked their premium devices properly.
It’s not that easy to find a reasonable competitor in the 14-inch range. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio weakens with the old Tiger Lake processor and also falls behind in terms of graphics performance. The most interesting competitor in the Windows camp is currently probably the Schenker Vision 14, which can keep up in terms of performance despite its noticeably lower weight and is also very modular. The old MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro also remains exciting. If we assume the basic model with the fast M2 Pro, 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD for an RRP of 2,999 euros, you can currently save around 600-700 euros with an identically equipped MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro. The performance is a bit lower here, but still very competitive.
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