Home » Apple introduces the M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs for its latest MacBook Pro and Mac mini

Apple introduces the M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs for its latest MacBook Pro and Mac mini

Apple has officially announced M2 Pro and M2 Max, two next-generation SoCs (systems on a chip) that take the breakthrough power-efficient performance of Apple silicon to new heights. M2 Pro scales up the architecture of M2 to deliver an up to 12-core CPU and up to 19-core GPU, together with up to 32GB of fast unified memory. M2 Max builds on the capabilities of M2 Pro, including an up to 38-core GPU, double the unified memory bandwidth, and up to 96GB of unified memory.

Its industry-leading performance per watt makes it the world’s most powerful and power-efficient chip for a pro laptop. Both chips also feature enhanced custom technologies, including a faster 16-core Neural Engine and Apple’s powerful media engine. M2 Pro brings pro performance to Mac mini for the first time, while M2 Pro and M2 Max take the game-changing performance and capabilities of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro even further.

“Only Apple is building SoCs like M2 Pro and M2 Max. They deliver incredible pro performance along with industry-leading power efficiency,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. “With an even more powerful CPU and GPU, support for a larger unified memory system, and an advanced media engine, M2 Pro and M2 Max represent astonishing advancements in Apple silicon.”

M2 Pro: Next-Generation Performance for Pro Workflows

Built using a second-generation 5-nanometer process technology, M2 Pro consists of 40 billion transistors — nearly 20 percent more than M1 Pro, and double the amount in M2. It features 200GB/s of unified memory bandwidth — twice that of M2 — and up to 32GB of low-latency unified memory. The next-generation 10- or 12-core CPU consists of up to eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, resulting in multithreaded CPU performance that is up to 20 percent faster than the 10-core CPU in M1 Pro. Apps like Adobe Photoshop run heavy workloads faster than ever, and compiling in Xcode is up to 2.5x faster than on the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro.

The GPU in M2 Pro can be configured with up to 19 cores — three more than the GPU in M1 Pro — and includes a larger L2 cache. Graphics speeds are up to 30 percent faster than that of M1 Pro, resulting in huge increases in image processing performance and enabling console-quality gaming.

M2 Max: The World’s Most Powerful and Efficient Chip for a Pro Laptop

With 67 billion transistors — 10 billion more than M1 Max and more than 3x that of M2 — M2 Max pushes the performance and capabilities of Apple silicon even further. Its 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth is twice that of M2 Pro, 4x that of M2, and supports up to 96GB of fast unified memory. So massive files open instantaneously, and working across multiple pro apps is incredibly quick and fluid.

M2 Max features the same next-generation 12-core CPU as M2 Pro. The GPU is even more powerful with up to 38 cores, and is paired with a larger L2 cache. Graphics speeds climb up to 30 percent faster than M1 Max. Along with 96GB of memory, the new MacBook Pro with M2 Max can tackle graphics-intensive projects that competing systems can’t even run. From powering visual effects, to training machine learning models, to stitching together gigapixel images, MacBook Pro with M2 Max brings incredible performance whether plugged in or running on battery power. M2 Max is the world’s most powerful and efficient chip for a pro laptop.

Extending Capabilities with Custom Technologies 

M2 Pro and M2 Max feature updated custom technologies:

  • Both M2 Pro and M2 Max include Apple’s next-generation, 16-core Neural Engine, capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second, and up to 40 percent faster than the previous generation.
  • M2 Pro has an immensely powerful and efficient media engine, including hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, and ProRes video encode and decode, allowing playback of multiple streams of 4K and 8K ProRes video while using very little power. M2 Max features two video encode engines and two ProRes engines, bringing up to 2x faster video encoding than M2 Pro.
  • Apple’s latest image signal processor delivers better noise reduction and, along with the Neural Engine, uses computational video to enhance camera image quality.
  • A next-generation Secure Enclave is a critical part of Apple’s best-in-class security.

macOS Ventura with M2 Pro and M2 Max

macOS has been designed for Apple silicon, and the combination of macOS Ventura and industry-leading new chips delivers unbeatable performance and productivity for users. Mac computers powered with Apple silicon have access to more than 15,000 native apps and plug-ins that unlock the full power of M-series chips.

macOS Ventura brings new features including Stage Manager, and new capabilities with Continuity Camera and Handoff in FaceTime. macOS Ventura also includes big updates to Safari, Mail, Messages, Spotlight, and more, all of which are more responsive and run efficiently on M2 Pro and M2 Max.

Apple Silicon and the Environment

M2 Pro and M2 Max help the new MacBook Pro and Mac mini meet Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency. The power-efficient performance of Apple silicon helps the new MacBook Pro achieve the longest battery life ever in a Mac — up to 22 hours. This results in less time needing to be plugged in and less energy consumed over its lifetime.

Unrivaled Power-Efficient Performance with M2 Pro and M2 Max

With M2 Pro and M2 Max, MacBook Pro is capable of transforming pro workflows across a wide range of disciplines, from art to science to app development. Users looking to upgrade from Intel-based Mac models will experience even more dramatic improvements in performance, battery life, connectivity, and overall productivity. MacBook Pro also maintains performance whether users are plugged in or on battery.
With M2 Pro on MacBook Pro:
  • Rendering titles and animations in Motion is up to 80 percent faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation.
  • Compiling in Xcode is up to 2.5x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and nearly 25 percent faster than the previous generation.
  • Image processing in Adobe Photoshop is up to 80 percent faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 40 percent faster than the previous generation.

MacBook Pro with M2 Max pushes workflows to the extreme with a much larger GPU featuring up to 38 cores and delivering up to 30 percent greater graphics performance over M1 Max, and also includes 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth — twice that of M2 Pro. With up to 96GB of unified memory, MacBook Pro once again pushes the limits of graphics memory in a laptop to enable intensive graphics workloads, such as creating scenes with extreme 3D geometry and textures, or merging massive photographic panoramas. M2 Max has a next-gen 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores that delivers up to 20 percent greater performance over M1 Max, and a more powerful media engine than M2 Pro, with twice the ProRes acceleration to dramatically speed up media playback and transcoding.

With M2 Max on MacBook Pro:
  • Effects rendering in Cinema 4D is up to 6x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation.
  • Color grading in DaVinci Resolve is up to 2x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro and up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation.

Enhanced Connectivity

MacBook Pro now features Wi-Fi 6E for faster wireless connectivity, as well as more advanced HDMI, to support 8K displays up to 60Hz and 4K displays up to 240Hz. These new capabilities build on the versatile connectivity options already in MacBook Pro, including three Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed connection to peripherals, an SDXC card slot, and MagSafe 3 charging.

Pricing and Availability

  • The new MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max are available to order today, January 17, on apple.com/ae/store
  • The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at AED 8,499 , and AED 7,899 for education; and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at AED 10,599 , and AED 9,799 for education.

Mac mini with M2 Pro

M2 Pro brings pro-level performance to Mac mini for the first time. Featuring up to a 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, along with up to a 19-core GPU, M2 Pro has 200GB/s of memory bandwidth — double the amount in M2 — and supports up to 32GB of memory. The next-generation Neural Engine is 40 percent faster than M1, speeding up ML tasks like video analysis and image processing. Designed to dramatically accelerate video playback and encoding while using very little power, M2 Pro offers a powerful media engine, which speeds through the most popular video codecs and can simultaneously play up to five streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 23 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps. The M2 Pro-powered model is up to 14x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini.

When compared to the 27-inch iMac with Intel Core i7 and Radeon Pro 5500 XT, Mac mini with M2 Pro offers:

  • Up to 50 percent faster filter and function performance in Adobe Photoshop.
  • Up to 5.5x faster panoramic merge in Adobe Lightroom Classic.
  • Up to 4.4x faster object tracking in Final Cut Pro.

When compared to the previous-generation M1 Mac mini, Mac mini with M2 Pro delivers:

  • Up to 2.5x faster graphics performance in Affinity Photo.
  • Up to 4.2x faster ProRes transcode in Final Cut Pro.
  • Up to 2.8x faster gameplay in Resident Evil Village.

With M2 Pro, Mac mini users can run high-performance workflows that were previously inconceivable in such a compact form factor. Musicians can produce music with incredibly powerful plug-ins and effects without missing a beat, while photographers can adjust huge images in an instant. Creators can seamlessly work in multicam with multiple camera formats, including ProRes video, and gamers can play demanding titles in console quality. Gaming performance is up to 15x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini.

Pricing and Availability

  • The new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro is available to order today, January 17, on apple.com/ae/store
  • Mac mini with M2 starts at AED 2,499 and AED 2,099 for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/ae/mac-mini/.
  • Mac mini with M2 Pro starts at AED 5,499 and AED 5,099 for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/ae/mac-mini/.
  • Additional technical specifications and details on Studio Display and Magic accessories are available at apple.com/ae/store.

Have your say!

0 0

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.