MacBook Pro 2021 leak just revealed its sheer power

News
By published

Apple might be about to supercharge the MacBook Pro with the M2 chip

macOS 11.3
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Apple could be launching brand new MacBook Pros this summer that feature the next generation of the company’s M series processors. Potentially named the Apple M2 or M1X, these processors could arrive with an almost unbelievable amount of power. The J314 will be known as the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the J316 will be the 16-inch model. 

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg is suggesting that the improved M2 chip will have as many as 10 CPU cores, which improves upon the eight cores currently found on the Macbook and Mac Mini ranges. Those cores could be broken down into eight performance cores and two energy-efficient cores.

Even more interesting is that Gurman is suggesting the new processors could arrive with either a 16 or 32-core GPU included on the package. This doubles what was found on the first generation M1 at the minimum. Offering 32-core GPUs would make the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air potential powerhouses.

Another big improvement is the rumored increase in the maximum memory that the processor can address. The M1 can currently support 16GB of RAM, but the new processor may be able to cope with up to 64GB. It might seem excessive, but it's a big improvement and arguably very important for certain memory-heavy tasks, like video editing. That said, the way Apple’s silicon uses RAM is different to a traditional computer, which complicates things further. 

The M1 has more in common with an iPhone or an iPad than it does with the PC laptops running Intel or AMD processors. And while professionals would feel hamstrung by such a small amount of RAM for most people it may well have been fine. But there is no doubt more RAM is usually better. 

The new machines could also see an increase in the number of Thunderbolt ports as well as a new chassis. The new enclosure could include HDMI, an SD card slot and a new type of magnetic charging cable, the absence of which has been sorely missed by Mac fans since the removal of MagSafe in 2016. 

Once the MacBook Pro has been introduced, Gurman suggests that Apple’s attention will turn to the MacBook Air and an all-new iMac Pro. It’s also claimed that the Mac Pro will get a M-series processor that increases the power once again, with a leap to 64 or 128-core graphics and up to 32 processing cores. There may also be a more powerful Mac Mini on the way too. 

Ian Morris

Ian has been involved in technology journalism since 2007, originally writing about AV hardware back when LCDs and plasma TVs were just gaining popularity. Nearly 15 years on, he remains as excited as ever about how tech can make your life better. Ian is the editor of T3.com but has also regularly contributed to Tom's Guide.