Apple announced a major update for its high-end MacBook Pro models last year, with new machines with a complete redesign, the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, larger mini-LED displays with ProMotion, an HDMI port and SD card slot, complete. size function keys, and more. This month, Apple has updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, so how do the machines compare?
While both are MacBook Pro, the M2 model and the high-end models are very different machines, so you should consider buying the low-cost MacBook Pro, which starts at $ 1,299, to save money, or you need the high-end 14. – or 16-inch MacBook Pro, which costs at least $ 700 more? Our guide helps answer the question of how to decide which of these two Apple MacBook Pros silicone is best for you.
Comparing the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro
The 13-inch MacBook Pro and high-end MacBook Pro share a large number of important features, such as an Apple silicone chip, wide stereo sound, and Touch ID. Apple lists these same features of the two devices:
Similarities
- Screen with wide color P3 and True Tone
- Apple Silicon System on Chip (SoC)
- Multimedia engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW hardware-accelerated, video encoding and decoding engines and ProRes encoding and decoding engines
- 16-core neural motor
- 16 GB unified memory option
- 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB storage options
- Ambient light sensor
- FaceTime HD camera with advanced image signal processor with computational video
- Ample stereo sound
- Array of three study quality microphones with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beam formation
- Touch ID
- Backlit magic keyboard
- Touch power touchpad
- 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high impedance headphones
- At least two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0
- Available in space gray and silver
The breakdown of Apple shows that the two MacBooks share a large number of key features. Still, there are some significant differences between the M2 MacBook Pro and the 14- and 16-inch models that stand out, such as design, chip options, battery life, and screen brightness.
Differences
13-inch MacBook Pro
- 13.3-inch screen
- Retina LCD screen
- 500 nights of brilliance
- Apple chip M2
- 8-core CPU
- 10-core GPU
- 8 GB, 16 GB or 24 GB of unified memory
- 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB of storage
- 720p FaceTime HD camera
- Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
- Dolby Atmos playback support
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- It supports an external display with a resolution of up to 6K at 60 Hz
- Touch Bar
- 58.2 watt-hour integrated lithium polymer battery
- Up to 20 hours of battery life when playing video
- 67 W USB-C power adapter
14 and 16 inch MacBook Pro
- 14.2-inch or 16.2-inch screen
- XDR Liquid Retina Mini-LED display with ProMotion
- Up to 1000 nights of sustained brightness (full screen), 1600 nights of maximum brightness
- Apple M1 Pro chip or Apple M1 Max chip
- CPU with up to 10 cores
- GPUs of up to 32 cores
- 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of unified memory
- 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB or 8 TB of storage
- 1080p HD Camera aceFaceTime
- High fidelity six speaker sound system with woofers with force cancellation
- Spatial audio support when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on the built-in speakers
- Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port and SDXC card slot
- It supports two external displays with a resolution of up to 6K at 60Hz (M1 Pro) or three external displays with a resolution of up to 6K and an external display with a resolution of up to 4K at 60Hz (M1 Max)
- Full size function keys
- Integrated 70 or 100 watt-hour lithium polymer battery
- Up to 17 or 21 hours of battery life when playing video
- 67 W, 96 W or 140 W USB-C power adapter
- MagSafe 3 and fast loading
Design
Both the entry-level and high-end MacBook Pro models are available in silver and space gray, but their designs vary. Although the machines are about the same thickness, the 14-inch and 16-inch models do not have sharp edges, which makes them look thicker and bulkier. The keyboard area of the high-end MacBook Pro is also completely black. The dimensions of the three machines are detailed below:
13-inch MacBook Pro
- Height: 0.61 inches (1.56 cm)
- Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
- Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
- Weight: 3.0 lbs (1.4 kg)
14 and 16 inch MacBook Pro
- Height: 0.61 inches (1.55 cm) / 0.66 inches (1.68 cm)
- Width: 12.31 inches (31.26 cm) / 14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
- Depth: 8.71 inches (22.12 cm) / 9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
- Weight: 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg) / 4.7 lbs (2.1 kg)
The 13- and 14-inch MacBook Pros are very similar in size, so the dimensions of these two machines shouldn’t greatly influence your decision. Instead, you might want to consider the 13-inch MacBook Pro to have a much older design with a tapered look, compared to the rounder look of high-end models. Since then, the design of the high-end MacBook Pro has been extended to the MacBook Air M2 and offers a more modern look, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro uses a 2016 design.
Touch Bar
The Touch Bar is a multi-touch OLED Retina display strip integrated into the keyboard where the function keys traditionally go. It is contextual and can perform a number of different functions on the Mac depending on the application being used.
The Touch Bar is a matte-style screen that combines with the rest of the keyboard keys and supports True Tone, allowing you to adjust the white balance to suit ambient lighting conditions. The interaction with the Touch Bar is done by touching, sliding and other multi-touch gestures, with support for up to 10 fingers at a time.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro includes the touch bar, while the 14-inch and 16-inch models simply have full-size function keys. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is now the only device left with this feature, but if you enjoy the Touch Bar experience, you may prefer the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Ports and connectivity
The selection of available ports is an area of great difference between the two machines. The 13-inch MacBook Pro only includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The 14- and 16-inch models have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, and an SDXC card slot.
Both machines have a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high impedance headphones, but the 13-inch MacBook Pro only supports an external display, while the high-end model can support up to four screens in total with the M1 Max chip. All of this makes high-end models much more versatile when it comes to connectivity, and will be of special value to professionals who use digital cameras or need to connect to external displays.
Screen size
The input screen of the MacBook Pro has an exact size of 13.3 inches, which is considerably smaller than the 14.2 inches and 16.2 inches of high-end models. 13.3 inches is still larger than the larger iPad Pro model, which reaches 12.9 inches, and will be suitable for most users.
The 16.2-inch screen will be a better replacement for a desktop machine and will provide much more screen space to organize multiple windows and use professional applications that benefit from an additional display area. The 14.2-inch screen is even larger than the ,3MacBook Air and 13.3-inch MacBook Pro models of recent years, but it still increases the overall size of the machine. Larger MacBook Pros also include thinner bezels, a notch, and rounded top corners.
Although the notch that the webcam contains eats up the display space very slightly, the two high-end screens on the MacBook Pro are larger than previous models, so there’s still more display area overall. In addition, the display area below the notch has an exact aspect ratio of 16:10, just like previous MacBook Pro models, to ensure that the notch does not impede normal display of the notch. screen or media display.
On that basis, if you’re worried about the notch, you won’t necessarily feel compelled to buy the larger 16-inch MacBook Pro. That said, since the notch is the same size on both models, it may be a little less noticeable on the 16-inch model. If you don’t really like the notch, it may be easier to opt for the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Visualization technology
The display technologies of both machines are also very different. Like most MacBooks in recent years, the 13-inch model has a Retina LCD display. The 14-inch and 16-inch models include Apple’s new Mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR technology for deeper blacks, better dynamic range, and improved color accuracy.
The XDR screen can get much brighter, reaching up to 1,600 nights of maximum brightness when HDR content is displayed. The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models also have ProMotion screens, which allow them to vary their refresh rate up to 120 Hz. The 13-inch model does not have a screen with a variable refresh rate.
It will be worth getting high-end MacBook Pro models to view and edit HDR content, as well as to watch high-frame videos such as sports. The 13-inch MacBook Pro’s screen will still be more than suitable for normal everyday use, but the high-end model, which offers deeper blacks and smoother screen movement, simply offers a better experience.
Chip
The 13-inch MacBook Pro has the M2 chip, while with the 14- and 16-inch models, you can choose between the M1 Pro or M1 Max chip. The M1 Pro and M1 Max are expanded versions of the M1 chip.
The M1 Pro and M1 Max allow a CPU with up to two additional CPU cores, 24 additional GPU cores, 56 GB more memory and 6 TB more storage, compared to the M2 chip. The M2 chip is much closer to the M1 than the M1 Pro, prioritizing efficiency over performance. The M2 leveled the playing field in some ways by adopting the capabilities of the M1 Pro’s dedicated multimedia engine and the chip is more powerful in single-core tasks with its CPU clock speed of 3 , 49 GHz higher, but the M1 Pro and M1 Max are considerably better. in multicore and graphical tasks. See our detailed guide M2 vs. M1 Pro for more information:
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