It was kind of odd that Apple didn’t release new Macs of any kind at the end of 2022. Rumors did suggest that there were delays happening. Based on what Apple announced, I’m glad they didn’t take too long. That’s because we got new additions to its lineup of M2 Macs. These are the new Mac mini and the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro! All of them are powered by the M2 family of chips: the standard M2, and the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
New MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max Chips
Ever since the high-end MacBook Pros transitioned to Apple Silicon, pro users really raved about them! From bringing the old ports back to having great performance whether plugged or on battery, the success of these laptops further validated Apple’s move to its own chips. It didn’t surprise me that Apple basically put out the same laptops but with more power. That is thanks to the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Both are built with the second generation 5-nanometer process.
Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro get a maximum of 96GB of unified memory. That’s up from 64GB on the previous generation. These also get the latest wireless connectivity in Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The 14-inch Pro starts at P126,990 with an M2 Pro chip. This model comes with a 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, and 512GB of storage. Meanwhile, the 16-inch Pro starts at P156,990 with an M2 Pro chip. It comes with a 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, and 512GB of storage.
People from 27 countries including the US can now order these laptops starting January 17, 2023. They will be available on those countries starting January 24. Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, and Singapore will get them on February 3.
The new Mac mini: Now with M2 Pro!
While people are excited for the new MacBook Pro, I’m personally excited that we got a new Mac mini! Like the new laptops, there also isn’t much change in terms of its design. What we did get is a performance boost thanks to the M2 chip. Another new change for the Mac mini in 2023 is the addition of a new model powered by the M2 Pro chip!
You might be wondering what the differences are between the M2 Mac mini and the M2 Pro Mac mini. Besides the processor, they differ when it comes to the ports! The M2 Pro model gets two additional Thunderbolt 4 ports compared to the M2 model. That doesn’t seem to be that significant, but it matters if you need a lot of ports to connect more devices to it.
The M2 Mac mini starts at P36,990 with a 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage. If you need that extra power in a really compact form factor, then the M2 Pro Mac mini is for you. It starts at P79,990 with a 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, and 512GB of storage.
Like the new MacBook Pro, people from 27 countries including the US can now order these Mac Mini models starting January 17, 2023. They will be available on those countries starting January 24. Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, and Singapore will get them on February 3.
These new M2 Macs build on the success of what Apple achieved with the first Apple Silicon MacBooks. The timing might be off, but I’m glad we got these already. This leaves only one Mac that’s getting the Apple Silicon treatment: the Mac Pro. Here’s hoping there aren’t any more delays.
What do you think about these new M2 Macs? Sound off in the comments!
