Apple unveils next-generation M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, boosting CPU and GPU performance

Apple has announced updates to their range of SoCs (system-on-a-chip) that they started developing in house with the launch of the M1 back in 2020. These latest additions, the M2 Pro and M2 Max, give performance and efficiency updates to the previous-generation M1 Pro and M1 Max that powered the 2021 MacBook Pro.

The M2 Pro, which will be available in the just announced MacBook Pro and Mac mini, is built using 5-nanometer process technology, 20 percent more transistors than the M1 Pro, and double the amount in M2.

Key features of the M2 Pro include up to 200GB/s unified memory bandwidth, and up to 32GB of low latency unified memory. It also includes 10- or 12-core CPUs consisting of eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, granting a 20 percent performance increase over the M1 Pro.

The GPU in the M2 Pro can also be configured with up to 19 cores, three more than the M1 Pro, including a larger L2 cache and increasing graphics performance up to 30 percent over the previous generation.

The M2 Max on the other hand, is exclusive to the latest MacBook Pro models and is made with 67 billion transistors, 10 billion more than the M1 Max and 3x more than the M2. It comes with 400GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, twice that of the M2 Pro and 4x that of M2, and supporting up to 96GB of unified memory.

It includes the same 12-core CPU as the M2 Pro, but the main gains come to the GPU, with the M2 Max going up to 38 cores and is also paired with the larger L2 cache. This allows for graphics speeds to go up to 30 percent faster than M1 Max, which Apple claims to be the world's most powerful and efficient chip for a pro laptop.

Apple unveils next-generation M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, boosting CPU and GPU performance