In the past year and a half, Apple has replaced the Intel Core processor in nearly the entire Mac lineup with its own silicon chip. During the WWDC 2022 Keynote, Apple announced a brand new M2 chip that brings improved speed, power, and efficiency to the newest MacBook Air and the upgraded 13-inch MacBook Pro, both of which will be available next month. But before you rush to add an M2 Mac to your shopping cart, make sure to read this article.
New Apple M2 Chip Specs
While the M2 chip improves on the speed, power, and efficiency of the M1, it still doesn’t compare to the even more powerful M1 Pro or M1 Max chips announced in fall 2021 with the release of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
According to Apple, compared to the M1 chip, the M2 has an 18 percent faster CPU, a 40 percent faster Neural Engine, and up to two more cores. This second-generation M-series chip has 20 billion transistors, delivers 100 GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, and has much better graphics performance. Basically, this means it runs faster without using more battery and you can open more windows at once without it crashing. Or as Apple puts it, M2 Mac users can expect impressive battery life and a laptop that can handle editing large RAW images or playing graphics-intensive games while remaining cool and quiet. If you do decide that the M2 MacBook Air is right for you, it should work perfectly with macOS Monterey and the upcoming software update, macOS Ventura.
So should you buy a Mac with an M2 chip? Maybe. If you are shopping for a brand new MacBook Air right now, the release of the M2 chip is super exciting. However, MacBook Pro users or recent Mac buyers may want to wait for the release of an even more powerful upgrade down the line or even consider a 2021 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Images courtesy of Apple.com
