Apple MacBook Pro 13 proves chip upgrades are exciting, when much else isn’t

The reports of the demise of the 13-inch MacBook Pro have been greatly exaggerated. There seemed to be a consensus (based on nothing but assumptions of herded sheep?) that last year’s MacBook Pro 14 would replace the 13-inch option. It hasn’t. It was always highly unlikely too. As with the turn of events, this latest generation MacBook Pro 13 now sits alongside the latest gen MacBook Air at the very top, as two Mac portables that run the latest Apple M2 processor. Perhaps, the MacBook 13 was never really ever going away, also because a gap in the price band needed to be filled. Look at it this way – the top-of-the-line default config of the MacBook Air with M2 costs ₹1,49,990. At the same time, the entry spec of the MacBook Pro 14 carries a sticker price of ₹1,94,900. At ₹1,29,900 and ₹1,49,900 for the two default configs, the MacBook Pro 13 means you don’t have the much more expensive 14-incher as the entry point into the “Pro” line-up. This is the point where we ask about the inevitable differences. After all, the price tags wouldn’t be so divergent, just because of the screen size. The MacBook Pro 13’s biggest highlight is that it hasn’t changed. At all. Prior to this, it was last updated in 2020. The 2022 edition carries forward the same design. In fact, this language has been around since 2016. The result is, it stands out (or sticks out, depending on how you see it) in the modernized MacBook line-up. Also Read: Apple suppliers to make Apple Watch and MacBook in Vietnam: Report The MacBook Pro 14, MacBook Pro 16 and subsequently the MacBook Air (2022). That means the re-adoption (in different degrees) of the MagSafe charging port, HDMI, and card slots, isn’t on the agenda for the new MacBook Pro 13. In a way, this feels like the entry-level iPad does in the family of iPads – out of sync with the rest, in terms of design and certain features. Clinging to the past, albeit a tad longer than absolutely necessary? This seems more a case of focused under-the-hood improvements, and that’s undeniably the Apple MacBook Pro 13’s strongest point. The M2 chip can now also be paired with up to 24GB RAM (that’s a new configuration option too). The Apple M2 in the MacBook Pro 13 is tuned slightly differently to the MacBook Air, simply because of the cooling mechanism that can be integrated within this chassis. But it’s an 8-core processor and a 10-core graphics foundation to work with. Far cry from the 8-core CPU and the 14-core GPU which the M1 Pro offers as the entry point into the MacBook Pro 14 line-up. That’s where you begin to appreciate the different pricing, and positioning, of the two MacBook Pros. So, what do you get for the extra money that the MacBook Pro 14 demands, compared with the MacBook Pro 13? For starters, the slightly larger 14.2-inch display, but you should probably care more about the Liquid Retina XDR (that’s mini-LED, simply put) display. The notch isn’t exactly missed. Then there’s the return of the MagSafe charger, more ports, double the base RAM (16GB instead of 8GB) and with the M1 Pro, more performance cores compared with the M2. Perhaps the M2 Pro will match that number or surpass it. The M1 Max certainly remains in an entirely different realm altogether. By keeping a fairly significant distance between the price tags, Apple has tried to distinguish between the two MacBooks. On the face of it, may seem there is an overlapping target audience, but that isn’t (and shouldn’t) be the case. For most of us, the MacBook Pro 14 will be too powerful to ever be fully utilized. And thereby too costly too. An overkill for most of us. The MacBook Pro 13 therefore sits in that sweet spot – a notch above the MacBook Air, for the performance-oriented audience. This will be able to sustain heavier workloads better, for longer, due to the differences in how the cooling works. The MacBook Air does not have active cooling due to the fan-less design. That should answer the possible question for many – should I buy the M2 powered MacBook Air or this MacBook Pro 13? Albeit, and I cannot stop going on about this, you will be sacrificing the newer and more modern (and decidedly better to look at) design. Last year’s M1 chip really reset the performance and power efficiency benchmarks (Windows laptops still haven’t caught up and are nowhere close to either). The M2 now builds on that. It isn’t something we see in Windows laptops – performance is the same whether the MacBook Pro 13 is on adapter power or battery. In a way, the MacBook Pro 13 still has more power than you’ll possibly need for most workflows. Everything is better optimized for the Apple Silicon, including web browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, which you’ll interface with regularly. And it is more than capable still of heavy video editing sessions too but has a lower ceiling. Battery life is where the MacBook Pro 13 excels, more than you may expect. To be fair, this gets very close to the claimed 20 hours stamina, on a typical workday. You can effectively get two full days in the office out of the MacBook Pro 13 without having to reach out for the charger. The MacBook Pro 14 lasts around 12 hours, with roughly the same usage. The M2’s improvements are a huge step forward, which makes it even more difficult for Intel and AMD to match. There is a sense that Apple could have done more with the MacBook Pro 13. It is taking a big step forward with the performance and efficiency combination. For most users, that’s the end of the debate. Yet, by leaving it clinging to the past with the older design and everything that comes with it (particularly when the MacBook Air has evolved too), the MacBook Pro 13 loses some of its charm. More than anything else, this will have Intel and AMD even more worried, which means the overall experience is well and truly ticked off. That should make up for the persistent familiarity elsewhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vishal Mathur is Technology Editor for Hindustan Times. When not making sense of technology, he often searches for an elusive analog space in a digital world.
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