The 13-inch MacBook Pro has the same M2 chip as the updated MacBook Air, but it also has extra features like the Touch Bar and active cooling via integrated fans.
The MacBook Pro, which was first released in June 2022, is nearing the end of its life cycle. Prior to the November 2020 release of the previous MacBook Pro with the M1 chip, Apple updated the MacBook Pro every year. Given the months it will take to wait for a new 13-inch MacBook Pro model, which rumours indicate may launch in 2024, this is a good time to purchase.
The MacBook Pro M2 model
When Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro in June 2022, the M1 chip was replaced with the Apple-designed "M2" Arm-based chip. As the entry-level model in the MacBook Pro lineup, the M2 MacBook Pro is sold alongside the more expensive M2 Pro and M2 Max 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
Apple's second System on a Chip for Macintosh, the M2 chip combines the CPU, GPU, RAM, and other components into one unit. The M2 boasts an integrated GPU with up to 10 cores and an 8-core CPU with four high-efficiency and four high-performance cores.
The M2 offers improvements in performance and efficiency over the previous generation M1 chip, with an 18% faster CPU, a 35% faster GPU, and a 40% faster Neural Engine. Up to 2TB of SSD storage and 24GB of RAM are supported by the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro's battery life remains unaltered, with up to 20 hours of use before requiring a recharge.
Design:
The M2 MacBook Pro maintains the same aluminium body, uniform rectangular shape, and thin bezels surrounding the display that Apple has been using for years. The MacBook Pro models are available in space grey and silver.
The large trackpad, thin hinge, Touch Bar, Apple logo, two USB-C ports, side headphone jack, speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard and two USB-C ports are all present. The dimensions of the MacBook Pro are 8.36 inches (21.24 cm) in width, 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) in length, and 0.61 inches (1.56 cm) in thickness. It is 0.3 pounds (0.16 kg) heavier than the MacBook Air, weighing three pounds (1.4 kg).
Active Cooling:
The MacBook Pro's internal active cooling mechanism is designed to maintain a lower temperature during the operation of the M2 chip, resulting in enhanced performance.
Display:
The Retina display on the 13-inch MacBook Pro models has 500 nits of brightness, supports P3 Wide colour, and has True Tone capabilities. At 227 pixels per inch, the display offers a resolution of 2560 by 1600.
The new MacBook Pro models come with a multi-channel ambient light sensor that is used for the True Tone feature. This sensor can measure the colour temperature and brightness of the room. The MacBook Pro can detect the white balance and then adjust the display's colour and intensity to match the lighting in the room, making for a more natural, paper-like viewing experience that also reduces eyestrain.
P3 Wide colour support offers more vibrant and lifelike colours thanks to a wider colour spectrum than typical sRBG displays.
Keyboard:
The MacBook Pro is equipped with the same updated Magic Keyboard that debuted with the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The butterfly mechanism, which Apple had been using since 2015, was replaced by the Magic Keyboard because it had numerous problems that could cause keys to fail because of dust and other tiny particles.
The MacBook Pro keyboard's scissor mechanism uses an Apple-designed rubber dome to store more potential energy for a more responsive key press. It also offers 1mm of key travel and a stable key feel.
Additionally, the keyboard has backlit keys that are activated in low-light environments via an ambient light sensor.
Touch Bar and Touch ID:
The Touch Bar has been removed from other MacBook Pro models, leaving the 13-inch MacBook Pro as the only one with it. The Touch Bar is a compact multi-touch OLED retina display that is integrated into the keyboard in place of the function keys. Depending on the application that is open, it can carry out a variety of diverse tasks on the Mac and is contextual.
The Touch Bar, a matte-style display that matches the rest of the keyboard's keys exactly, is compatible with True Tone in all current MacBook Pro models, enabling the white balance to be changed to correspond with the amount of natural light.
With support for up to 10 fingers at once, users can interact with the Touch Bar through taps, swipes, and other multi-touch gestures.
In addition, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the 13-inch MacBook Pro models is situated next to the Touch Bar, which is situated above the keyboard. Touch ID is safeguarded by a Secure Enclave that protects your personal information and fingerprint data.
When a finger is placed on the Touch ID sensor on the MacBook Pro, the Mac unlocks, negating the need for a password. It can be used to make Apple Pay purchases in Safari and to replace passwords for password-protected apps.
Trackpad:
With its large Force Touch trackpad, which lacks conventional buttons in favour of a set of Force Sensors, the MacBook Pro allows users to press anywhere on the pad to receive the same response.
Users no longer feel the physical press of a button when using the trackpad; instead, they receive tactile feedback from a magnet-powered Taptic Engine. Both a deeper press, also known as a "force click," and a light press, which is used as a standard click, are supported by the Force Touch trackpad as distinct gestures that can do various tasks, such as providing definitions for highlighted words.
Ports:
Apple claims that the M2 MacBook Pro can only run one display at a resolution of up to 6K, but the M1 and M2 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models can run up to five external displays with the help of DisplayPort adapters. The Thunderbolt ports don't have enough bandwidth to support five 4K displays, so this is limited to using a combination of 4K and 1080p displays.