TOUCH OF CL ASS
MacBook Pro M2 13-inch
The 13-inch Pro has returned and it’s the first with Apple’s M2 chip. Is this the MacBook to buy?
SPECIFICATIONS
Display 13.3-inch 2560x1600 LED Chip Apple M2 CPU 8-core GPU 10-core Neural Engine 16 cores RAM 8GB / 16GB / 24GB Storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB Operating system MacOS Connectivity 2x Thunderbolt 3, 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 Dimensions 15.6x304.1x212.4mm Weight 1.4kg
Just two years ago the 13-inch MacBook Pro was the most exciting laptop Apple had ever launched. Things have changed a bunch, with Apple’s 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro becoming more a laptop of two halves: it’s the first to embody the company’s latest M2 processor, but it maintains the older Touch Bar-touting chassis.
Much as we all want to be excited about new kit and all the goodies that can bring, here’s the part where we flip the ‘what’s new?’ question on its head. Because, really, the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 asks a different question: what’s not new?
If you’ve seen a 13-inch MacBook Pro in the last couple of years then everything here will be familiar. The 2022 chassis is identical to the 2020 one, complete with Touch Bar – the touch-sensitive strip that replaces the F-keys above the number row. The 2022 MacBook Pro will be the Touch Bar’s last outing in Appleland, but whether you’re on board with this touch-controlled strip or not is a moot point, because you can either use it constantly or largely not at all.
It may look familiar, but inside there’s new, top quality elements
THE ZIPPIEST CHIP
Without a doubt, the headline hardware here is Apple’s new M2 chipset. While an 9% improvement in performance sounds modest, it runs like a bat out of hell on its third espresso of the day.