MacBook Pro (13-inch) 2022: Is an M2 upgrade on the way?

Reports suggest a new 13-inch MacBook Pro could be the very first laptop to kick off the second generation of Apple Silicon products, as it could feature a new Apple M2 chip.

However, MacRumors claims Apple won’t give the 13-inch MacBook Pro a major design change. This means it could miss out on features such as ProMotion and Mini LED technology, and could also retain the divisive Touch Bar.

For everything you need to know about the MacBook Pro 2022, keep reading on.

Release date

Despite rumours suggesting the MacBook Pro 2022 could be unveiled during Apple’s spring showcase, the laptop failed to make an appearance.

Other reports suggest we won’t see the MacBook Pro 2022 until October or November. This is when Apple typically makes major Mac announcements, and is likely to be the launch window for the MacBook Air 2022.

Price

There have been no details on price just yet, but with the 13-inch MacBook Pro only seeing a processor refresh, we expect it to retain the same price.

The cheapest 13-inch MacBook Pro is currently available for £1299, while increasing the storage to 512GB knocks the cost up to £1499.

Specs

The MacBook Pro 2022 will reportedly become the first Mac to feature the next-gen M2 processor. This will be the successor to the Apple M1 chip, featuring more efficient architecture to boost the performance without increasing the number of CPU cores.

That said, MacRumors suggests that Apple could add an extra 2 GPU cores to the chip, taking the maximum total up to 10. This would likely improve the laptop’s performance for intense workloads such as video editing.

Aside from the new chip, the 13-inch MacBook Pro isn’t expected to have any new features, and looks set to keep the existing design. Apple will even retain the TouchBar according to reports, despite the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops ditching the feature late last year. We’re also expecting the storage options to remain the same, with 256GB as the base option.

There have been conflicting reports whether the 13-inch MacBook Pro will feature ProMotion, which allows the display to have a refresh rate beyond the standard 60Hz. As seen with the larger Pro laptops, ProMotion allows for a smoother picture when displaying fast motion.

It looks doubtful that the MacBook Pro 2022 will feature Mini LED screen technology too, despite the MacBook Air 2022 touted to receive the upgrade later on in the year.

We’ll be updating this article as soon as we hear more on the MacBook Air 2022, so make sure to bookmark this page to keep up with all of the latest news.

Trusted Take – No new design a mistake?

I am a bit disappointed to hear that Apple may not be updating the 13-inch MacBook Pro’s design, especially when reports indicate the MacBook Air will be getting a major overhaul later this year in line with the updates to the iMac we saw in 2021.

But it’s still nevertheless exciting that we could see the new M2 chip very soon. The M1 set a high benchmark, so it will be fascinating to see whether Apple will be able to make a significant generational performance uplift. Bring on the Spring showcase.

ByRyan Jones Contact via Twitter

Computing and Gaming Editor

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