a test

Apple unveiled two new MacBooks at this year’s WWDC Developer Show in California: the MacBook Air with an M2 chip and exciting color options and an updated MacBook Pro 13 with the same chip, which is still available in two shades of gray.

The most exciting news is of course the new MacBook Air, while the MacBook Pro 13 was the biggest surprise. Not because she’s particularly sexy, on the contrary.

New MacBook Pro

The new MacBook Pro 13, in short, is the same as the MacBook Pro M1 only with the updated M2 chip.

That means it doesn’t have the updated 14- and 16-inch LED-backlit display, no plethora of connectivity options and yes, it still does have the Touch Bar, which we already thought Apple had done. The design is also similar to the MacBook Pro in 2016.

At the same time, the starting price is less than 6,500 NOK, but it’s hard to imagine it would cost anything close to that amount to put in more contact options.

On paper, there is no doubt that the MacBook Pro 14 is the most exciting model, but it is

Below you can see a brief comparison between MacBook Pro 13 and MacBook Pro 14.

In terms of design, there is very little new about the MacBook Pro. It looks like any other MacBook Pro 13 launched in the past five or six years, which can look a little faster with a relatively thick bezel around the screen.

Especially next to a Windows PC.

I do not like forefront

Apple has been criticized for removing the MagSafe magnetic charging socket, memory card reader, and HDMI socket on its Pro models, but last year the company responded to critics by releasing Dream Macs, the MacBook Pro 14 and 16, which just aren’t very, very, very good. Powerful, but also the port choice that users missed from the older MacBook Pro.

As mentioned above, the Pro 13 is not the same forefront Like the 14, the newcomer only has two Thunderbolt ports as well as a built-in microphone and headphone jack.

It’s similar to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro M1, but it’s actually less USB-C than the MacBook Pro with an Intel chip…

Strong, yes!

Many people who just bought an Intel MacBook will likely regret that they didn’t last a few extra weeks or months hoping for a 13-inch with Apple chips.

The M2 chip is one of the few news in this model, but it’s by no means small news.

One thing worth noting is that the M2 chip is not more powerful than the M1 Max and M1 Pro, which would be natural to believe because 2 comes after 1.

Brief summary of Apple chips:

• M1 (2020): Octa-core CPU / 7-core GPU
• M1 Pro (2021): 10-core CPU / 16-core GPU
• M1 Max (2021): 16-core CPU / 32-core GPU
• M2 (2022): Eight-core CPU / 8 and 10 GPU cores

In our tests, the M2’s CPU is about 10 percent faster than the M1 as of 2020, while the GPU is more powerful, sweeping most PC competitors off track. At least if we ignore laptops.

Apple’s investment in its own chips not only revolutionized the company’s PC hardware, but further sharpened AMD and Intel. Which benefits consumers in the form of faster machines.

Since we tested the MacBook Air M1 in 2020, many apps have also been updated to get better support with the Apple chipset. Among other things, Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Microsoft’s Office package, which we use weekly at work.

Small performance challenges with Rosetta, which allows you to run Intel applications on M-chips, have long been resolved.

In addition, support for iPhone and iPad apps has been around for a long time, so you can also use your favorite apps from your mobile phone in macOS.

By the way, you can read about it here How to check if your apps are compatible with Apple chips.

expensive to upgrade

Our model was equipped with “only” 8GB of working memory, but our experience is that it works with most things, thanks to good memory management. Personally, I wouldn’t have bought an Intel Mac or Windows laptop with less than 16GB of memory, so Apple says they’ve done something very right.

The interplay of good hardware and software also means that the MacBook Pro lasts and lasts. Apple claims up to 17 hours of battery life with surfing the web, and here it performs well. Our experience is that the battery lasts for a day and a half for work use and 15 hours plus video streaming.

It is simply impressive!

If you rely on a laptop for more resource-intensive tasks, such as photo and video editing and gaming, even if the latter isn’t what you associate with a Mac, we also recommend a 16GB run.

And here Apple pays well: 2500 kroner costs a doubling of memory from 8 to 16 GB. If you want 24 GB, which is the maximum, you will have to pay an additional 2,500 kroner.

SSD upgrade is expensive. From 256 to 512 GB, Apple charges 2500 kroner, then there is an additional 2500 kroner up to 1 TB and then 2 TB.

The price of the MacBook Pro 13 starts at 16,990 kroner. Then get a model with an M2 chip, 256GB of storage and 8GB of storage, which is also the one we tested.

great experience

After a turbulent experience with the Butterfly keyboard, Apple teamed up, and the newest Magic Keyboard in our opinion is probably the best on the market. There are a few other keyboards we’re typing on, and it’s also nice that they’re relatively quiet.

Along with the trackpad, which is a class leader in our experience, Apple offers the best keyboard and trackpad combo on the market. There is nothing new in this version, so there is no need to fiddle with anything that just works.

Perhaps the experience would have been better if the Touch Bar had been replaced by a normal functional row with physical keys, but that’s also a matter of taste. However, we’re in the group that doesn’t really see any use in Apple’s Touch Bar, which is another reason not to find it in the new MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro 14 and 16.

conclusion

The new MacBook Pro 13 is Apple for better or worse. Compared to MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Air M2, this is a bit boring and safe launch.

You’ll get the smooth, stable Mac experience you’re used to, but with a little extra zest and a totally unique battery life.

The only big news is the M2 chip — there’s no reason to upgrade if you have a newer Intel or M1 MacBook, but it’s so powerful that it’s worth every penny if you’re considering upgrading from an older model. However, we are inclined to the fact that you should choose another, newer MacBook.

Perhaps the smartest thing you can do is wait for the MacBook Air, which launches in July, which features the same chipset as the MagSafe 3 connector and launch the Touch Bar.