Apple unveiled the long-rumored MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. These new laptops not only promise to be the most powerful Apple notebooks yet but should also have astonishing battery life thanks to their new processors.
While the MacBook Pro 16-inch packs new Apple silicon, its design remains unchanged from 2021's MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 (pictured above). This isn’t a problem since we were generally happy with this design since it features MagSafe support, an HDMI port and SD card slot, and a gorgeous mini-LED display.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.
MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Pro: Price and availability
You can order the new 16-inch MacBook Pro right now from the Apple store (opens in new tab) for a starting price of $2,499. This configuration packs an M2 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM and 516GB of storage.
The most decked-out version runs for $3,499 and features an M2 Max chip, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. You can upgrade all models of the new MacBook Pros to include additional RAM and memory, though that will significantly add to the price.
The new MacBook Pros will begin shipping on January 24.
MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Pro: Specs
Here's a chart breaking down how the specs vary across both 14-inch and 16-inch versions of the 2023 MacBook Pros and their predecessors, the 2021 MacBook Pros. As you can see, there are few differences besides the upgrades under the hood.
| 14-inch MacBook Pro 2023 | 16-inch MacBook Pro 2023 | 14-inch MacBook Pro 2021 | 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1,999 | $2,499 | $1,999 | $2,499 |
| Screen | 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024x1964 pixels, 254ppi) | 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3456x2244 pixels, 254ppi) | 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024x1964 pixels, 254ppi) | 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3456x2244 pixels, 254ppi) |
| Processor | M2 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU or 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU), with optional M2 Max with up to 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU | M2 Pro (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU), with optional M2 Max with up to 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU | M1 Pro (8-core CPU, 14-core GPU or 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU), with optional M1 Max with up to 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU | M1 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU) | M1 Max (10-core CPU, 32-core GPU) |
| Battery size | 70Wh | 70Wh | 70Wh | 100Wh |
| Battery life (claimed) | Up to 12 hours of web surfing over Wi-Fi | Up to 15 hours of web surfing over Wi-Fi | Up to 11 hours of web surfing over Wi-Fi | Up to 14 hours of web surfing over Wi-Fi |
| Storage | 512GB to 8TB | 512GB to 8TB | 512GB to 8TB | 512GB to 8TB |
| Memory | 16GB to 64GB | 16GB to 96GB (96GB only available on units w/ maxed-out M2 Max chip) | 16GB to 64GB | 16GB to 64GB |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4 (x3), HDMI, MagSafe 3, headphone jack, SD memory card slot | Thunderbolt 4 (x3), HDMI, MagSafe 3, headphone jack, SD memory card slot | Thunderbolt 4 (x3), HDMI, MagSafe 3, headphone jack, SD memory card slot | Thunderbolt 4 (x3), HDMI, MagSafe 3, headphone jack, SD memory card slot |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches | 14 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches | 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches | 14 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches |
| Weight | 3.5 pounds (M2 Pro) - 3.6 pounds (M2 Max) | 4.7 pounds (M2 Pro) - 4.8 pounds (M2 Max) | 3.5 pounds | 4.7 pounds (M1 Pro) - 4.8 pounds (M1 Max) |
MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Pro: Design, ports and display
The new MacBook Pros feature the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, but remain virtually the same in terms of their overall design.
Like its predecessor, the 16-inch MacBook Pro has a 16.2-inch mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a notch at the top containing a 1080p webcam, a Magic Keyboard with no Touch Bar, and Apple's usual spacious trackpad and six-speaker sound system. Around the edges, you get a generous number of ports, including three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack and lastly MagSafe connector for fast charging.
MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Pro: Performance and graphics
The main draw of the new MacBook Pro 16-inch is that it comes with your choice of an M2 Pro or M2 Max chip.
The M2 Pro chip features a 10- or 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, which Apple claims delivers 20 percent greater performance over M1 Pro. The new chip has 200GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is double the amount of the base M2 chip and can have up to 32GB of RAM. Apple says the chip’s 19-core GPU can deliver up to 30 percent more graphics performance and the Neural Engine is 40 percent faster.
The M2 Max chip has a GPU with up to 38 cores and, according to Apple, delivers up to 30 percent greater graphics performance over M1 Max. It also includes 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth. The M2 Max chip can be configured with up to 96GB of RAM for those who need as much power as possible from their premium Apple laptop. Apple claims this chip is 20 percent faster than its predecessor. That's a significant claim, especially since we were blown away by the performance of the M1 Pro and M1 Max in the 2021 MacBook Pros.
MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Pro: Battery life
Battery life could be a major selling point of both the new MacBook Pro laptops.
Apple says the MacBook Pro 16-inch is rated for 22 hours of movie playback and 15 hours of web surfing. We’ll run both the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros through our benchmark tests, but if these claims are accurate, it’s possible one or both of these laptops could beat out last year’s MacBook Pro 13-inch, which lasted for over 18 hours.
MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Pro: Outlook
Both the new MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch feature the same design as their 2021 iterations, but the boost of power from the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips should make them extremely performant machines. We'll obviously need to put each device through our testing lab to determine how much faster they are than the previous models, but based on Apple's claims, these should be the beefiest MacBooks yet.
Stay tuned for more info on both the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and keep an eye out for our full reviews!
