Apple announced a new range of MacBook Pro models, using the new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, available in 14 and 16 inches. We’re looking at the 14-inch version here, and breaking down everything we know so far.
The new silicon at the heart of these Apple laptops could make for some of the best MacBooks ever made, followed by the excellent 13-inch 2022 MacBook Pro chip — which used the same standard M2 chip found in last year’s MacBook Air.
Fortunately, it looks like Apple didn’t pull the same trick here as it did with the new M2 Air, since pricing is pretty much the same for the M2 MacBook Pro models as it was for the 2021 M1 Pro and Max models. Read on for all the key details we have left now – we’ll be reviewing this new MacBook Pro as soon as we get our hands on one, so watch out for that too!
14-inch MacBook Pro (2023): Stop working
- What is this? 14-inch model of the Apple 2023 M2 MacBook Pro
- When will it be available? Available to order now, official release on January 24th
- What will it cost? Starting at $1,999 / £2,149 / AU$3,199 to $3,099 / £3,349 / AU$4,999, Optional upgrades cost extra
14-inch MacBook Pro (2023): Release date
Apple posted a video on its website (Opens in a new tab) It details a lot of what we want to know about the new 14-inch MacBook Pro. Most importantly, we have a release date – January 24th, with pre-orders available now through Apple’s website and retailer support.
This release date will be shared with the new 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro and M2 Mac mini models. If you order directly from Apple’s website, it’s guaranteed to ship by January 23rd, which means you should get it on release day or very shortly thereafter.
MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023): Price
Good news, folks: We’re not getting a generational price hike here like we did with the M2 model of the MacBook Air last year. In the US, the 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro will start at $1,999 for the base model with 512GB of storage and the M2 Pro chip — exactly the same starting price as the 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro, which is good to see.
At the higher end, the M2 Max version starts at $3,099—slightly more expensive than its predecessor, but only $100. If you want to make the most of it, there are a host of optional extras here – including more powerful versions of the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, and extra memory and storage.
If you fully outfit your 14-inch MacBook Pro with the most powerful M2 Max chip in the maximum configuration (it doesn’t include any of the pre-installed software options like Final Cut Pro), that’ll run you a tidy $6,299. Yikes!
Frustratingly, it looks like users outside the US are going to burn here. The M2 Pro starts at £2,149 in the UK — that’s about $2,640. Meanwhile, the M2 Max model starts at £3,349, and the full-featured M2 Max version will cost £6,549, over $8,000.
If you’re looking to pick one up in Australia, prices start at AU$3,199 for the base-spec M2 Pro. Upgrading to a 1TB SSD will set you back AU$3,999, while opting for the top-of-the-line M2 Pro Max will cost you AU$4,999.
Oddly, only the base price seems to vary greatly between regions. The costs of extras like more RAM or a larger drive seem to have translated directly into pounds from the original MSRP; For example, upgrading an M2 Max model from a 1TB SSD to a 2TB one costs $400 / £400. What gives, Apple?
MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023): Specifications
As we’ve already discussed, the new 2023 MacBook Pro will come with either the M2 Pro or M2 Max chip. Each of these chips has two variants; The M2 Pro can come with either 10 or 12 CPU cores and 16 or 19 GPU cores, while the M2 Max always packs 12 CPU cores but can use 30 or 38 GPU cores.
This will make the M2 Max a force to be reckoned with graphically. Each version of the M2 Pro and Max chipset also has an integrated 16-core Neural Engine for machine learning workloads.
Away from the processor, M2 Pro models of the MacBook Pro will start with 16GB of combined RAM and a 512GB SSD, expandable to 32GB and 8TB respectively. Meanwhile, the M2 Max version starts with 32GB of RAM and can be configured to 64GB (or even 96GB, but only with the more powerful M2 Max chip), with the same drive options.
Apple also boasts that this MacBook Pro has the longest battery life of any model released to date, and it seems to have stopped at an impressive 22 hours of use. In terms of connectivity, we have Thunderbolt 4, HDMI and SDXC ports along with fast Wi-Fi 6E.
The display is the same crisp Liquid Retina XDR display we’ve come to love for Apple laptops, and all models will support up to 8K video output via HDMI, along with the ability to support up to a maximum of four external monitors.