Apple unveiled two new MacBooks during this year’s developer fair, WWDC, in California: MacBook Air with M2 chip and exciting color choices and an updated MacBook Pro 13 with the same chip, which is still only available in two shades of gray.
The most exciting news is of course the new MacBook Air, while the MacBook Pro 13 was the biggest surprise. Not because it is particularly exciting, on the contrary.
Test: A little revolution
My MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro 13 is, in short, the same as the MacBook Pro M1 only with the updated M2 chip.
This means that it does not have the updated mini-LED screen that the 14- and 16-inch has, no abundance of connectivity options and yes, it still has the Touch Bar, which we actually thought Apple was done with. The design is also similar to the MacBook Pro in 2016.
At the same time, the starting price is NOK 6,500 lower, but it is difficult to imagine that it would cost anything close to that sum to put in place more connection options.
On paper, there is no doubt that the MacBook Pro 14 is the most exciting model, but so is it
Below you can see a brief comparison between MacBook Pro 13 and MacBook Pro 14.
model |
MacBook Pro 13 |
MacBook Pro 14 |
Screen | 13,3″ | 14,2″ |
Resolution | 2560×1600 (227 ppi) | 3024×1964 (254 ppi) |
Brightness | 500 nits | 1000 nits |
Chipset | Apple M2 8 cores | M1 Pro 8 and 10 cores, M1 Max 10 cores |
Storage | 512 GB, 1 and 2 TB | 512 GB, 1, 2, 4 and 8 TB |
Remind | 8, 16 and 24 GB | 16, 32 and 64 GB |
Porter | 2 USB 4 / Thunderbolt, headphone | 3 USB 4 / Thunderbolt, MagSafe, HDMI, SDXC, headphones |
Taken | from DKK 16,990 | from DKK 23,490 |
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In terms of design, there is little new to report about the MacBook Pro. It looks like any other MacBook Pro 13 that has been launched in the last five or six years, and which can quickly look a little older with a relatively thick frame around the screen.
Especially next to a Windows PC.
Dont like pro
Apple was criticized for removing the MagSafe magnetic charging socket, memory card reader and HDMI socket on its Pro models, but last year the company responded to the critics by launching the dream Macs, MacBook Pro 14 and 16, which are not only very, very powerful, but also the port selection users had missed from the older MacBook Pros.
As mentioned above, the Pro 13 is not the same pro as 14, and the newcomer has only two Thunderbolt ports as well as a combined microphone and headphone jack.
It is similar to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro M1, but actually two fewer USB-C connectors than MacBook Pro with Intel chip…
Powerful, yes!
Many people who have just bought an Intel MacBook will probably regret that they did not last a few weeks or months extra in the hope that there would be a 13-inch with Apple’s chipset.
The M2 chip is one of the few news in this model, but it is by no means a small news.
One thing that is worth noting is that the M2 chip is not more powerful than the M1 Max and M1 Pro, which it may be natural to believe since 2 comes after 1.
Brief summary of Apple chipsets:
- M1 (2020): 8-core CPU / 7-core GPU
- M1 Pro (2021): 10-core CPU / 16-core GPU
- M1 Max (2021): 16-core CPU / 32-core GPU
- M2 (2022): 8-core CPU / 8- and 10-core GPU
In our tests, the M2 CPU is about 10 percent faster than the M1 from 2020, while the GPU is even more powerful, and it sweeps most of the PC competitors off the track. At least if we disregard laptops.
Apple’s investment in its own chipsets has not only been a revolution for the company’s own PCs, but it has also made AMD and Intel sharpen. Which benefits consumers in the form of faster machines.
Since we tested the MacBook Air M1 in 2020, several apps have also been updated for better support with Apple’s chipset. Among other things, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and the Office package for Microsoft, which we use weekly at work.
The small performance challenges with Rosetta, which allow you to run Intel applications on the M-chips, have long since been resolved.
In addition, support for iPhone and iPad apps is long overdue, so you can also use your favorite apps from your mobile in macOS.
By the way, you can read about here How to check if your apps are compatible with Apple’s chipset.
Expensive to upgrade
Our model is equipped with “only” 8 GB of working memory, but our experience is that it works for most things, thanks to good memory management. Personally, I would never have bought an Intel Mac or Windows laptop with less than 16 GB of memory, so here Apple shows that they have done something very right.
The interplay between good hardware and software also means that the MacBook Pro just lasts and lasts. Apple claims up to 17 hours of battery life with surfing, and here they hit very well. Our experience is that the battery lasts for a day and a half for work use and 15 hours plus for video streaming.
It is simply impressive!
If you are dependent on a laptop for more resource-intensive tasks, such as image and video editing and gaming, even if the latter is not what you associate with a Mac, we also recommend that you run on 16 GB.
And here Apple is well paid: 2500 kroner it costs to double the memory from 8 to 16 GB. If you want 24 GB, which is the maximum, you have to pay an additional 2500 kroner.
Upgrading the SSD is just as expensive. From 256 to 512 GB, Apple charges 2,500 kroner, then there is an additional 2,500 kroner up to 1 TB and then 2 TB.
The price of the MacBook Pro 13 starts at 16,990 kroner. Then get a model with M2 chip, 256 GB storage and 8 GB memory, which is also the one we have tested.
Great experience
After a troubled experience with the Butterfly keyboard, Apple has teamed up and the newer magic keyboard is in our opinion perhaps the best on the market. There are few other keyboards we type on, and it is also very nice that it is relatively quiet.
Together with the trackpad, which in our experience is the class leader, Apple delivers the best combo with keyboard and trackpad on the market. There is nothing new with this version, so there is no need to fiddle with anything that just works.
The experience could probably have been even better if the Touch Bar had been replaced with a regular function row with physical keys, but this is also a matter of taste. However, we are in the group that does not really see any use in Apple’s Touch Bar, and that is another reason why you will not find it on the new MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro 14 and 16.
Conclusion
New MacBook Pro 13 is Apple for better or worse. Compared to the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Air M2, this is a slightly boring and safe launch.
You get the solid and stable Mac experience you are used to, but with a little extra zest and a battery life that is completely unique.
The only important news is the M2 chip – there is hardly a reason to upgrade if you have a newer Intel or M1 MacBook, but it is so powerful that it is worth every penny if you are thinking of upgrading from an older model. However, we lean towards the fact that you should rather go for another, newer MacBook.
Perhaps the smartest thing to do is to wait for the MacBook Air, which launches in July, which boasts the same chipset while having a MagSafe 3 connector and releasing the Touch Bar.
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