M2 MacBook Pro Review: Who should buy this device

M2 MacBook Pro Review: Since the release of the M2 MacBook Pro at the 2022 WWDC event, there have been mixed reactions to the device. On the one hand, the M2 MacBook Pro 2022 (as it’s also called) features the new Apple M2 chip but on the other hand, it has an old design from like 6 years ago.

What Apple did with the M2 MacBook Pro is that the company puts a brand new performance inside an old body. And to further complicate things, Apple released a 2022 MacBook Air that is powered by the same Apple M2 chip, has more ports, features MagSafe, and is cheaper.

So, who should buy the new M2 MacBook Pro? where does it fit in currently among the other Apple MacBooks? Well, this M2 MacBook Pro review will compare the device with other current Apple devices and also explain why you should consider buying the new device. But first, allow me to introduce you to the M2 MacBook Pro 2022.

M2 MacBook Pro Review

Design and Display

The design of the new MacBook Pro 2022 is arguably the biggest turn-off for most people. The fact that Apple decided to stick with a design from 6 years ago in 2022 is kinda upsetting to some people. But, there is a saying “if it’s not broken don’t fix it”. I guess that question you have to ask yourself when it comes to the design is, how bad is the new M2 MacBook Pro design?

Yes, it does have bigger bezels but is that such a bad thing? The new Apple laptop might have an old design but it’s still a very neat design. Maybe Apple could have given the MacBook Pro 2022 a new design but the old design does not mean the laptop is bad.

One of the areas I find troubling though is the display. The display of the MacBook Pro 2022 is smaller than that of the MacBook Air 2022 and has no refresh rate like the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro of 2021. For a PRO device, the display is a little of a letdown.

Performance

The performance of the M2 MacBook Pro 2022 is sitting in the middle. Its performance is better than that of the M1 MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook Air but not as good as that of the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

The CPU performance of the M2 MacBook Pro is about 10% better than that of the M1 MacBook Pro. While its GPU has two extra cores which makes it about 30% better than that of the M1 MacBook Pro. Even though the MacBook Air 2022 uses the same M2 chip, the MacBook Pro 2022 has an active cooling feature that makes it perform consistently for a longer time.

So here is where it gets a little tricky, the base model of the M2 MacBook Pro is about $100 more expensive than the base model of the M1 MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook Air 2022. And the 512GB base model of the M2 MacBook Pro is about $500 cheaper than the 512GB base model of the 14-inches M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

So, the question is, should you buy the cheaper M1 MacBook Pro, M2 MacBook Air, or buy the more expensive 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro over the M2 MacBook Pro 2022? I’ll tell you what I think in my concussion below for now let’s continue with the M2 MacBook Pro review.

Battery

The MacBook Pro 2022 is powered by a 58.2-watt-hour battery. Under heavy load, the battery lasts for about five hours and under light use, the battery lasts for about thirteen and half hours. Although the other laptops mentioned in this post so far have good battery life, the battery life of the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro is better.

Comparing M2 MacBook Pro to other Apple laptops

Before I get to the conclusion of this M2 MacBook Pro review, allow me to show you how this Apple laptop compares to other Apple laptops. I’ll compare it to its predecessor the M1 MacBook Pro and its old elder brother the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

Xcode Webkit Build	M1 MBP	M2 MBP	M1 Pro MBP
Time to finish	23m 17s	18m 32s	16m 27s

From the Xcode Webkit Build test above, the M2 MacBook Pro performed better than the M1 MacBook Pro but less than the M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

5K Render Final Cut	M1 MBP	M2 MBP	M1 Pro MBP
Time to finish	6m 42s	4m 36s	2m 54s

Also, doing a 5K render on Final Cut shows that the M2 MacBook Pro is better than the M1 MacBook Pro but not as good as the M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

So the question is if the M1 Pro MacBook Pro is way better than the M2 MacBook Pro, why not just skip the M2 MacBook Pro and buy the M1 Pro MacBook Pro?

The review of the M2 MacBook Pro shows that its performance is better than that of the M1 MacBook Pro but trails behind the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro. And this leaves the question, of who should buy the M2 MacBook Pro.

The following people can buy the M2 MacBook Pro:

First-time buyers: If 2022 is your first time buying a MacBook device, you should probably buy the M2 MacBook Pro
If you’re on a budget: If you’re on a budget but need an Apple laptop that has good performance at a good price.
Performance: The M2 MacBook Pro has better performance than the M1 MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook Air. So, if you don’t have the extra $500 to buy the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro, then you should throw in an extra $100 and buy the M2 MacBook Pro 2022.

Now you might ask, why should you buy the M2 MacBook Pro over the other Apple laptops. Here are a few reasons:

The M2 MacBook Pro has better performance than the M1 MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook Air and it’s just about $100 more expensive.
The M2 MacBook Pro is not as expensive as the base model of the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro but also has really good performance.
To buy the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro over the M2 MacBook Pro, you’ll have to shell out about $500 more. Which is a big jump in price considering that the new M2 chip from Apple is just as capable.

M2 MacBook Pro Price

The starting price of the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro is $1299 for the base model and it comes with an 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The price of the model with an 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage is $1499.

Reasons to not buy the M2 MacBook Pro

The M2 MacBook Pro is not without its cons and below are some of the reasons why you might not want to buy the device:

It has an old design which some people might not like. The new design of the M2 MacBook Air looks way better.
It has fewer ports for connectivity
Its display is not top level for a PRO device

Reasons to buy the M2 MacBook Pro

It’s a very good-performing Apple laptop
Features an active cooling system for sustainable performance
Has a very long battery life
It’s a good tie-breaker if you don’t have the extra money to buy the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro

M2 MacBook Pro Review: Conclusion

If design and looks are what you go for in a laptop, the M2 MacBook Pro will not look very appealing to you. However, if you look past the design and need an Apple laptop that can give you sustainable performance for a long time, then the M2 MacBook Pro 2022 is worth your consideration.