Apple on Tuesday announced its two next-generation SoCs (systems on a chip) – the M2 Pro and M2 Max – that will feature in new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini computers.
Coming to M2 Pro, this chip 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. On the other hand, 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.
Both chips also feature enhanced custom technologies, including a faster 16-core Neural Engine, Apple’s powerful and efficient media engine, Apple’s latest image signal processor, and a next-generation Secure Enclave for best-in-class security.
Let’s have a detailed look at the features and specs of the M2 Pro and M2 Max:
M2 Pro
The M2 Pro, which will be available in the recently unveiled 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini, is built using a second-generation 5-nanometer process technology. It consists of 40 billion transistors, which is nearly 20 percent more than M1 Pro, and double the amount in M2.
Further, the chip features 200GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, and up to 32GB of low-latency unified memory. It also includes 10- or 12-core CPU consisting of up to eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, resulting in up to 20 percent faster multithreaded CPU performance than the 10-core CPU in M1 Pro.
In addition, the GPU in the M2 Pro can be configured with up to 19 cores, which is three more than the M1 Pro GPU and includes a larger L2 cache. This promises faster processing for content creation apps like Adobe Photoshop, and compiling in Xcode up to 2.5x faster than on the fastest Intel-based MacBook Pro. Also, graphics speeds are up to 30 percent quicker than the previous generation, M1 Pro.
M2 Max
The M2 Max, which is exclusive to the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, is made with 67 billion transistors and is 10 billion more than the M1 Max and 3x more than the M2. It features 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is twice that of M2 Pro, 4x that of M2, and supports up to 96GB of fast unified memory.
With 96GB of memory, the new MacBook Pro with M2 Max can handle graphics-intensive projects that competing systems can’t even run, claims Apple.
While the M2 Max comes with the same next-generation 12-core CPU as M2 Pro, the GPU is even more powerful with up to 38 cores, and includes a larger L2 cache. Graphics speeds are up to 30 percent faster than the M1 Max. According to Apple, M2 Max is the world’s most powerful and efficient chip for a pro laptop.
“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.”
