The 2023 MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips is seriously powerful

Apple announced the 2023 MacBook Pro overnight, with 14 and 16-inch models wielding the powerful new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.

Among the headline features of the upcoming Pro-level MacBooks are faster overall performance, Wi-Fi 6E support, an upgraded HDMI port for 8K external display connectivity, and an extended battery life of up to 22 hours. With even more grunt than the previous generation, these laptops are made for high-end rendering, multimedia editing, and hardcore multitaskers.

2023 MacBook Pro features

When compared to the previous generation MacBook Pro running on Apple’s M2 chip, the latest hardware represents a substantial step up. We’ve already detailed the specifics of how the M2 Pro and M2 Max improve over prior chipsets, but the short of it is vastly increased CPU and GPU power.

While last year’s 13-inch MacBook Pro sported an M2 chip housing an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and up to 24GB of unified memory, it’s eclipsed by this year’s models. Both the 14 and 16-inch 2023 MacBook Pro can have up to a 12-core CPU, 38-core GPU, and a whopping 96GB of memory. Also, the new models still stand out in a more like-for-like comparison with 14 and 16-inch devices from 2021, which maxed out at a 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU, and 64GB memory.

The 2023 MacBook Pro laptops house more CPU and GPU cores for increased performance

Externally, the new 14 and 16-inch models sport the snazzy Liquid XDR Retina mini-LED display used by the 2021 MacBook Pro devices. The 14-inch MacBook Pro’s display includes a 3024 x 1964 resolution, while the 16-inch variant gets a 3456 x 2234 pixel count. Both devices reach 1,000 nits of brightness in full-screen, which is boosted up to a peak of 1,600 nits when viewing HDR content. Additionally, the displays use Apple’s ProMotion technology, supporting adaptive refresh rates up to a smooth 120Hz.

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On the connectivity front, the 2023 MacBook Pro has Wi-Fi 6E for faster wireless connections, in addition to Bluetooth 5.3. With an enhanced HDMI port, it also supports 8K displays up to 60Hz, and 4K up to 240Hz, sitting alongside the three Thunderbolt 4 ports, SDXC card slot, and MagSafe 3 charger.

Thanks to the increased grunt, Apple claims new macOS Ventura features like Stage Manager run even smoother on the 2023 MacBook Pro devices. That, and gaming should see another uplift thanks to more GPU cores and developer API Metal 3 seeing wider adoption.

Pricing and availability

Pre-orders are open now for the 14 and 16-inch 2023 MacBook Pro M2 Pro and M2 Max models ahead of a 3 February Australian release. Depending on the configuration, the cheapest new device is the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro, which starts at $3,199, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $3,999.

As one would expect, the M2 Max versions cost a fair bit more: the 14-inch model starts at $4,999, and $5,599 for the 16-inch variety. Out of curiosity, the most powerful 16-inch MacBook Pro would set you back just over $10,000, a figure that made my eyes water.

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