Launch of the M2 Mac Mini and M2 Macbook Pro: Key Highlights of the 17 January 2023 Apple Event
The rumors we all have been hearing about the latest and greatest M2 chips have finally come to life. Apple recently announced its new product lineup on 17 January 2023 and featured the power of M2 chips in popular devices like Mac Mini and Macbook Pros. In this post, you will learn everything about the Apple event, New MacBook Pros, and its unmatched potential. Keep reading.
Apple launched its silicon ARM-based processing chips in November 2020, revolutionizing the computing market space forever. The M1 chip was powerful enough to handle any task you threw at it. Software developers, video editors, architects, and designers were flabbergasted. The power that only full-fledged maxed-out PCs could provide was now available in a compact laptop form factor with extraordinary battery life.
M1 is a uniform SOC that provides CPU and GPU on the same architecture with unified memory power. Apple incorporated their M1 chips in multiple lineups like iMac, Mac Mini, Macbook, and IPad—with this, Mac Mini and Macbook Pro became essential laptops and desktops choices for professionals. According to Wikipedia: “At the time of introduction in 2020, Apple said that the M1 had the world’s fastest CPU core “in low power silicon” and the world’s best CPU performance per watt.” (1) M1 was ahead of its time as no intel based computer could even close to matching its power. Let’s dive deeper into the capacity of the new mac M2.
Mac Mini M2 and M2 Pro
Mac mini is one of the most popular desktop computers among Apple lovers for three main reasons:
- Ports: Ports may not be a huge deal for windows users, but for Mac users, it’s a shining treasure; they have been living a dongle life forever, and with mac mini, they could finally get rid of them.
- Power: Mac Mini packs a punch for its impressive small form factor. It may not be an excellent choice for extreme power users, but for 99% of people, it is a snappy and intuitive machine.
- Price. Apple prioritizes luxury, and its price follows. However, the mac mini was a game changer, mainly because it enabled users to get into the mythical mac OS without going bankrupt.
Mac Mini M1 was launched in 2020 and delivered a powerful performance that was more than enough for the majority of users. However, it has been two years, and people have been anxiously waiting for an upgrade—well, it’s finally here.
Mac Mini M2 was officially launched by Apple on 17 January 2023, along with upgraded Macbook Pros. Mac Mini M2 is a next-generation silicon-based computer that provides a faster and smoother experience than M1. Apple brought two powerful chips to Mac Mini, M2 and M2 Pro.
The regular M2 has an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, and 100 GB/S memory bandwidth. Conversely, the M2 Pro is equipped with 12 core CPU and 19-core GPU, and 200 GB/s memory bandwidth. Apple says that the “M2 Pro crushes compute‑intensive tasks like editing massive images and 8K ProRes video.” (2)
When it comes to photo editing, M2 Mac Mini is 3.5x faster, and M2 Pro is 4.7x faster than the mac mini M1. As for video editing, the M2 Mac mini is 9.8x faster, and the M2 Pro is 18.8x faster than M1—those are some fantastic numbers to generate.
Besides the noticeable power difference between the regular M2 and M2 pro mac mini, the other significant difference is port selection. The standard M2 mac mini secures the same ports as its predecessor, which include: a headphone jack, two USB type A ports, 1 HDMI port, 2 USB Type C thunderbolt ports, an ethernet port, and a power cable port.
Conversely, when you upgrade to an M2 Pro Mac mini, you get all the ports mentioned above plus two additional USB type C thunderbolt ports, a total of 4 Type C ports.
The regular M2 mac mini retains 8GB RAM and 256GB unified memory; it comes at $599. The M2 Pro mac mini provides 16GB RAM and 512GB unified memory for $1299. You can bump up the specifications based on your preferences.
For the majority of the users who perform regular productivity tasks like spreadsheets, browsing, light gaming, coding, or video editing, the base variant of the M2 mac mini packs more than enough power. However, if you work on more demanding tasks, you should upgrade to the M2 Pro mac mini. Apple also upgraded its Macbook Pro lineup with an M2 chip. Let’s find out.
MacBook Pro 14” and 16” M2 Pro and M2 Max
Mac mini isn’t the only device that received an update on 17 January 2023. MacBook Pro 14” and 16” were launched two years ago and were already a powerhouse. The upgrade to an M2 chip has taken the insane power to the next level. MacBook Pros 14 and 16 received the latest chipsets as well. However, MacBooks are professional laptops equipped with the latest M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets.
The only difference between the two laptops is the screen size, the power they provide is the same. The M2 Pro chip houses up to 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 32 GB unified memory, and 200 GB/s memory bandwidth. You can connect up to 2 external displays using the M2 Pro. On the other hand, the M2 Max chip includes up to 12-core CPU, 38-core GPU, 96 GB unified memory, and 400 GB/s memory bandwidth. M2 Max is compatible with up to 4 external displays.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 pro chip comes at the base price of $1999. With it, you get a 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, and 512GB SSD Storage. The M2 Max comes with a 12-Core CPU, 30-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Memory, and a 1TB SSD Storage option. You can spec it higher if you need.
Conversely, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip packs a 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, and 512GB SSD Storage for $2,499. The M2 Max incorporates a 12-Core CPU, 38-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Memory, and 1TB SSD Storage for $3,499. You can learn more about individual devices from Apple’s official website.
Which latest device do you wish to own? Is it the Mac mini or MacBook Pro? Let us know in the comments below.
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