Apple 13-Inch MacBook Pro (2022): Who should buy and who shouldn't

MacBook Pro M2 will be available for pre-order starting June 17. Interested consumers can pre-order the new MacBook Pro from the Apple India Online Store and authorised retail stores starting 5.30 PM IST. The new MacBook Pro comes with a few upgrades over its predecessor. It also sits above the MacBook Air M2, which was recently launched at WWDC 22.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 comes with a starting price of Rs 1,29,900 for the base 8GB + 256GB storage option. For the price, users get an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Users can also expand the RAM up to 24GB. In terms of storage, you can go all the way up to 2TB.

So, should you buy the new MacBook Pro M2? Or is the MacBook Air M2 a better deal? We help you decide.

Why you should consider buying the new 13-inch MacBook Pro M2

The MacBook Pro M2 has the same M2 chip found in the MacBook Air M2. What makes the MacBook Pro a "Pro" is the cooling fan. Apple has added a cooling fan inside the MacBook Pro M2 to ensure that you get sustained peak performance for a longer time while performing resource-demanding tasks.

The M2 chip, by the way, is 18 per cent better than the M1 chip when it comes to CPU performance. In terms of GPU, the M2 takes a massive leap with up to 35 per cent more powerful performance than the M1.

Another plus point of the new MacBook Pro M2 is its longer battery life. Apple claims that users can get up to 20 hours of battery life on the 2022 MacBook Pro 13-inch. The MacBook Air M2, meanwhile, has a claimed battery life of up to 18 hours.

You also get a 13.3-inch IPS display with 500 nits of peak brightness. A 720p webcam and two USB 4 Type-C ports.

Another huge plus for the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 is the Touch Bar. It is currently the only line in the 2022 MacBook lineup to feature the tiny screen strip above the keyboard. Some might like it for its dynamic nature to provide options depending on the app or task, others might not like it and prefer the traditional functional keys.

Why you should consider the MacBook Air M2 instead

The MacBook Pro M2 is surely a powerful machine that offers great hardware for professionals to create content on the go. However, the MacBook Pro M2 has limited ports and the same design as the 2020 MacBook Pro M1.

The MacBook Air M2, on the other hand, gets an all-new flat design which is similar to the Pro model. However, you get a bigger 13.6-inch display that is equally bright at 500 nits. The MacBook Air M2 also comes with MagSafe charging support along with two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. This means that you can use both the ports for connecting an external display and maybe an external hardware without having to worry about a slot for charging.

The MacBook Air M2 starts at Rs 1,19,900. For the price, users get an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU. The Pro M2 offers an additional two GPU cores (and the fan, of course) that will be helpful if you are performing graphics-heavy tasks. Otherwise, the Air M2 is likely to offer more than enough power.

The webcam on the MacBook Air M2 is also better than the Pro M2. Apple is offering a 1080p webcam on the 2022 MacBook Air M2, whereas the more-expensive Pro gets a 720p webcam.

Should you upgrade from a MacBook Pro M1 to MacBook Pro M2?

As mentioned above, the M2 comes with 18 per cent CPU and 35 per cent GPU improvements over the M1 chip. It is also worth noting that the M2 MacBook Pro offers support for up to 24GB of RAM along with up to 2TB of internal SSD. Therefore, if you think you need that amount of power along with more RAM and storage, you might want to consider the M2 Pro. However, there is also the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro, which comes in two different screen sizes, more ports, a ProMotion display, etc. The M1 Pro and M1 Max chips are still more powerful than the M2 chip.

The maxed-out M2 MacBook Pro 13-inch with 24GB RAM and 2TB internal SSD would cost you Rs 2,49,900. Alternatively, the M1 Pro 14-inch base model with a better display, more ports, and a powerful performance unit with an 8-core CPU, 14- core GPU along with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD would cost you Rs 1,94,900.