Review: Apple’s new MacBook Pro is powerful but pricey

The tech giant’s latest effort is a great device, if you can afford it.

Apple has released its new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in the MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Pro has everything you’d need in a laptop to work from home, on the go or even in the kind of modern start-up where there’s no computers, individual desks or privacy. But it’ll also cost you an arm and a leg, with its entry model beginning at $3199.

Apple launched two new chips last month in the MacBook Pro range, making available the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in the 14-inch and 16-inch models.

The Australian has for the past week been working on the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max chip, 96GB of Ram and 4TB of storage. This particular device retails for $7699 and is about $2400 – or 2.4 new entry-level Mac minis – less than the most powerful MacBook Pro, a 16-inch model with 8TB of storage and 96GB of RAM.

The device is unmatched in a lot of ways but that’s what you get in a device which costs as much as a small motorcycle.

The 14-inch model is available with either a 10-core or 12-core CPU, 16-core, 19-core or 30-core (M2 Max) GPU and between 16GB to 32GB of RAM and 512GB up to 8TB of storage; the 16 inch has similar specs but begins with a 12-core CPU and 19-core or 38-core (M2 Max) GPU.

For the creatives, the ports on the device are a breath of fresh air compared to other models and laptop brands.

The new MacBook Pro in action.

The MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models have a built-in SD card slot, three USB-C ports, a headphone jack and a HDMI port – relieving the need for Apple’s multiport adaptor which provides a HDMI, USB-A and USB-C port for $99.

As a work device, the battery lasted just over two days, however those using the device for intensive editing would likely get a day and a half.

Apple promises between 12 to 15 hours web browsing time and between 18 to 22 hours playback or streaming time.

The device supports Wi-Fi 6E which is twice as fast as previous models and has advanced HDMI to support 8K displays. The M2 Pro can support two external displays up to 6K resolution meanwhile the M2 Max can support up to four external displays, three at 6K resolution at 60 Hz and one at 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI.

Apple has included spatial audio in the MacBook Pro, a prominent feature of the new HomePod, which is surprisingly decent for a laptop. As always, full volume isn’t the best on the MacBook Pro, nor on any laptop at all really, but the spatial audio factor which disperses sound in different directions does heighten the experience.

Thankfully, the 14-inch and 16-inch models have arrived without the touch bar – a touchscreen bar above the keyboard which controls volume among other things – a feature that was much-criticised and made its way back onto the 13-inch model last year.

The MacBook Pro.

The 13-inch also draws short on ports, coming out of the box with two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. It’s available with the M2 chip, but not the new Pro or Max – the highlight of this model.

Withstanding the M2 Pro and M2 Max chip, there aren’t a huge amount of changes from last year’s MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models.

The verdict? It’s great, really great even. But at the price point it isn’t one for everyone, maybe just the hardcore MacBook Pro fans overdue for an upgrade.