Right now, you can get $500 off the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro (opens in new tab), which begs the question: why bother with the M2 Pro MacBook Pro when you have this insanely good value for money?
Because when you compare the benchmarks, the speed differences are incredibly minor and the battery life of this previous generation system is actually better than the new laptop. It will easily keep up with any intense workload for a long time to come, and outside of the chipset inside, it shares all the same specs.
And this isn’t just the base spec of this 14-inch powerhouse, because 512GB of storage isn’t really enough for any creative pro. No, instead, this MacBook Pro comes with a 1TB SSD — enough for big projects.
To get something similar with the most current Apple silicon, you will need to spend $2,199 (opens in new tab) (to get a machine for $1,999, you’ll need to cut that storage in half). Not to say that you shouldn’t go for the latest and greatest if you can. If you can spring for that extra 200 bucks, then fill your boots! But let’s actually look at what extra you get for that additional investment.
M2 Pro is 20% faster than M1 Pro, able to transcode video 10% faster, an SSD write speed that is 15% quicker, and a battery life that is six minutes less (even though Apple promised an hour longer). If that is worth it for you, then go for it. However, these are small increases over what was already a monstrous processor in the M1 Pro, which continues to dominate a lot of the competition today.
It’s a brilliant laptop at an even better price. That’s why I believe you should forego the M2 Pro hype and make a choice that’s friendly to your wallet!
