MacBook Pro (2023) vs Mac Mini (2023): Which Apple powerhouse should you buy? (2023)

FAQs

Will there be a new MacBook pro in 2023? ›

New 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro: Release date

It feels like we've had a long wait for the MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max to arrive, but the wait is now over. The 2023 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro started shipping on January 24, 2023. Read our review of the 16in MacBook Pro with M2 Pro.

The best Mac laptop for most people is the 13-inch MacBook Air with Apple's M1 processor. It's more than fast enough for browsing, working on documents, and making light photo and video edits, and it has an excellent high-resolution screen, a great trackpad, a totally silent fanless design, and a reasonable price.

If you want a straightforward desktop Mac for home or general computing, then the M2 Mac mini is a perfect machine at $599. The M2 chip is plenty powerful for most people and even some pros. But if you want a higher-end chip, but not the fastest chip, the entry-level M2 Pro Mac mini is a powerful machine.

If you're looking for the most powerful MacBooks with Apple's silicon, look no further than the 14-inch (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and 16-inch MacBook Pro (if you can stomach the $2,000 starting price). You can choose to outfit either with Apple's M1 Pro or M1 Max processors.

The M1 Pro and M1 Max go a mile further than the M2, including a 10-core CPU and up to 16 and 32 GPU cores, respectively. The M1 Ultra, the biggest Apple silicon chip of all, boasts a 20-core CPU with up to 64 GPU cores. However, the M1 range has lower maximum CPU clock speeds relative to the M2.

In our testing, the M2 has an 18 percent faster CPU than the M1. The new chip doesn't just mean that the new Macs can accomplish more though, they use less power doing so: Apple promises an increased CPU performance of 18 percent with the same energy consumption thanks to various optimizations.

With the number of different systems and the number of users, PCs have better backwards compatibility, that is, you can run older versions of software or operating systems on new hardware. It's certainly possible to run games on a Mac, but PCs are generally considered better for hard-core gaming.

Depending on your budget, I'd recommend a 2014 or 2015 MacBook Pro or -- if you have the budget, a 2020 or 2021 machine with Apple's renewed M1 chipset. Avoid 2016 to 2018 machines, which have had notorious keyboard reliability problems, and you won't save that much on a purchase.

The new MacBook Air M2 is here. Like the recently released MacBook Pro M2, this new notebook is the latest to feature the Apple M2 chip — making it one of the most performant and overall best laptops you can buy. Despite its steep $1,199 starting price, it's arguably worth every penny due to the value it provides.

Is M1 Mac mini good enough? ›

The M1 Mac mini isn't a perfect machine, but it's surprisingly close. For a system that's offering a price cut from past versions while introducing new hardware and balancing Apple-centric software with Rosetta 2-translated apps, it's shockingly good, and while there are some issues, they're few and far between.

The M2 chip is 1.4x faster than the ‌M1‌, with an 18 percent faster CPU, a 35 percent more powerful GPU, and a 40 percent faster Neural Engine. Geekbench benchmarks have confirmed that the M2 chip is up to 20 percent faster than the ‌M1‌ chip when it comes to multi-core performance.

Small and Compact Design. One of the major selling points of the Mac mini is its size. While it's not as small as it could be like some other PC desktops, it's still Apple's smallest desktop. Thanks to this, the Mac mini doesn't take up much space on your desk and can be tucked away easily.

An unrelated side-note here: Zuckerberg puts tape over the webcam and microphone of his MacBook. The CEO of Facebook, the company with no regard for user privacy, is worried about Apple spying on him through his Mac's webcam and microphone. And he still uses a MacBook today!

While we recommend buying a new MacBook Pro now, because the prices are likely down to the lowest they will ever be, a new rumor might make you want to hold off a little longer. According to LeaksApple Pro, the upcoming 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro's performance boost will be “worth the wait.”

Instead, the ‌M1 Max‌ is simply a more powerful variant of the ‌M1 Pro‌ that most users will not need. A maximum of 32GB of memory should be enough for many professional users, but if you need more than 32GB of memory, the ‌M1 Max‌ is the only Apple silicon chip to support this.

M1 Pro provides 60% better CPU performance than M1. Early calculations suggest that M1 pro is still 35% higher in multi-core performance. M1 Pro has 16 GPU cores and should be roughly 40% faster GPU than M2. While M2 offers more memory than M1 at 24GB, the M1 Pro is up to 32GB.

The M1 Pro 8-core has an average score of 9,933 multi-core, up from the regular M1's 7,669 score. This is a jump of 30% despite the fact both chips have the same amount of cores (eight), which means Apple's claimed performance improvements do check out even on the lower-end version of the chip.

The ‌M2‌ MacBook Pro is better suited to buyers who are upgrading from an older machine, rather than 2020's ‌M1‌ model. Spearheaded by the ‌M2‌ chip, the device's series of minor improvements offer a good overall package for these buyers, ensuring that they get a slightly more modern and capable machine.

Apple M2 chips are 1.4x faster than the M1 and 15x faster than Intel-based MacBook Air options. They also have more memory, better security, and other great Apple next-generation custom technologies.

Is MacBook Pro M2 worth it? ›

Unless you are an absolute Touch Bar fanatic, there's no reason to buy the M2 MacBook Pro. Not only is it more expensive than the two MacBook Air models, but it's also inferior in a number of different ways. I hope that Apple closes the gap between the $1299 MacBook Pro and the $1999 MacBook Pro.

Those seeking the larger display with higher clarity should most definitely go for the iMac. If you're looking for portability, then the MacBook Pro it is. Ultimately, both Retina screens are more than just decent, support the True Tone technology, and have a peak brightness of 500 nits.

Intel Mac memory

At the top of the heap is the Mac Pro, which starts at 32GB of RAM and has DIMM slots available for an upgrade up to 1.5TB (terabytes) of memory. That amount of memory isn't cheap—it's an extra $25,000 if you order the RAM from Apple. Pro Tip: OWC sells the same amount of RAM for only $10,999!

In the end, a MacBook isn't inherently better or longer lasting than a comparably configured Windows machine. It's just that the Apple and Microsoft ecosystems are vastly different, and that results in a different end user experience.

The MacBook Pro also weighs lighter than the MacBook at 4.5 pounds, whereas the latter weighs 4.7 pounds. The keyboard design is more advanced in MacBook Pro with a backlight whereas the MacBook keyboard has no backlight. The multitouch trackpad in MacBook Pro is also more advanced than in MacBook.

Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago.

Lifespan of MacBook Pro

When it comes to the MacBook Pro the consensus among industry experts is that, again, you'll achieve a lifespan of around five years, but users suggest something much longer – upwards of a seven-year lifetime.

This means that in general, you can expect at least 10 solid years of life from a Mac, barring any unforeseen hardware issues.

Is 8GB RAM enough for MacBook Air M2? ›

8GB is for: Most M2 MacBook owners

I've never seen an out of memory error message, nor do I worry about swap file usage eventually destroying my SSD. If you're concerned about either of those things, or have received the mysterious 'out of memory' message on an M1 Mac, the 8GB version isn't for you.

The most obvious reason to wait for the new MacBook Pro laptops is for the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The M2 Pro chip features a 10- or 12-core CPU with up to eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, which Apple claims delivers 20 percent greater performance over M1 Pro.

There are a couple of reasons it's worth the wait, if you can. First off, we still don't know exactly how the M2 Pro and Max will play out. They could be a significant bump in performance, and that might be something actually worth waiting for.

According to Apple's claims, an M1 Max-powered Mac Studio is up to 3.7 times faster than a Mac Pro with a 16-core Xeon processor for transcoding video, while an M1 Ultra Mac Studio is up to 5.6 times faster than a 28-core Mac Pro.

Disadvantages. M1 is still new and is undergoing a process of change constantly. But there are cons too of M1 processors that have been seen in the M1 chip. GPUs Or Multiple Screens Displays are not Supported – Gamers have consistently dealt with issues while utilizing Macs, and the M1-based are the same.

In terms of performance, the Apple M2 Max CPU scored 1,889 points in the single-core test and 14,586 points in multi-core benchmark, both of which are notably faster than the M1 Max. For example, the older chip in the Mac Studio notched up 1,755 points in the single-core test and 12,333 in the multi-core test.

The closest comparison would be AMD's Ryzen 7 6800U with RDNA 2 graphics. That processor has 12 compute units (CUs) and clocks at up to 2.2 GHz, giving it 3.4 teraflops.

The newer M2 Air is more portable for sure, it's lighter (1.26kg vs 1.6kg) and thinner (11.3mm vs 15.5mm) than the M1 Pro. It also has longer battery life for general use (email, web browsing, watching videos etc), you could probably get 2 more hours on them on light use.

A Mac Mini is usually more of an entry level Mac, but can be configured with faster processors, expanded memory and larger hard drives that will extend the life span. This makes their effective life span 3 to 5 years.

Does Mac mini use a lot of power? ›

According to Apple, the M1 in the new Mac mini idles at 6.8 W, which we have rounded to 7 W in our table. Power consumption peaks at 39 W, while heat output varies between 23.2 and 133 BTU/h.

The Mac mini is a great choice because it's the cheapest Mac you can get–and even cheaper since Apple introduced the M2 Mac mini in January 2023 and cut the price at the same time.

Bill Gates has said many times that he prefers Android over iPhone, and that apparently hasn't changed. In a recent “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit, the Microsoft co-founder revealed that he unsurprisingly hasn't made the switch to an iPhone nor does he use an iPad, Mac, or Microsoft Surface Duo.

Despite the Surface Duo being the spiritual successor to the Microsoft Courier concept, Gates opts for a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 as his mobile handset choice and uses a both a Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Studio 2 to get work done in and out of his home office.

When it comes to the digital loyalties among billionaires, many, it seems, skew Mac. In an informal survey of Forbes list of the World's Billionaires, many side with Steve Jobs and Co., citing reasons such as the sleek design and ease-of-use of Apple's products.

New 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro: Release date

It feels like we've had a long wait for the MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max to arrive, but the wait is now over. The 2023 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro started shipping on January 24, 2023. Read our review of the 16in MacBook Pro with M2 Pro.

Now, the company is adding three MacBooks to the obsolete list - the 11-inch MacBook Air (launched early in 2014), the 13-inch MacBook Air (also launched early 2014), and the 13-inch MacBook Pro (launched mid-2014). All these devices will be declared obsolete on April 30.

Since they went on sale in October 2021, stock of the 14in and 16in MacBook Pro has been constrained, most likely an effect of the global component shortages combined with shipping problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 (and Plus, Pro and Pro Max) is likely to arrive, like clockwork, in September 2023.

5nm. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that production will begin on refreshed versions of the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models in the fourth quarter of 2022, and that the updated models may not have the improved 3-nanometer chips that are in the works.

When new MacBook Pro is expected? ›

The MacBook Pro M2 Pro and M2 Max laptops were announced by Apple on the 17th of January 2023. Both models will ship on the 24th of January, with preorders already available on the Apple website.

As MacRumors highlighted, Ross Young, another analyst who has his finger on the pulse, said that Apple is reportedly planning to release a 13-inch, OLED-outfitted MacBook Air in 2024. Young also mentioned that the iPad Pro may get the OLED special, too, in new 11-inch and 13-inch iterations.

iMac Pro - Alongside the 24-inch iMac, Apple could introduce a larger 27-inch model, replacing the now-discontinued 27-inch iMac. This iMac could be released late in 2023, but Apple's plans continue to be unclear. iPad mini 7 - There is a new iPad mini in development, and it could launch in late 2023 at the earliest.

27-inch External Display

Apple is working on multiple new display options set to launch in 2023. One of these displays will be a successor to the high-end Pro Display XDR, and the other could be a followup to the Studio Display or something in between the Studio Display and Pro Display XDR.

We still recommend that unless you're creating 3D content, making videos, writing apps, or doing other tasks that push the CPU, it's unlikely that you will notice the additional performance the 2023 MacBook Pro models will bring. But if you don't need a new Mac just yet, it sounds like you'll be rewarded for the wait.

On average, your MacBook Pro is expected to last 7.2 years and a MacBook Air for 5-7 years. However, the lifespan of your MacBook depends on what tasks you use your MacBook for, how frequently it is used, and how well you care for your battery and its components.

The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models offer the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips for a high level of performance, with mini-LED displays, MagSafe fast charging, a range of ports, and more. Announced in January 2023, the MacBook Pro is brand new.

If you are wondering what the latest version of macOS is it's Ventura, also known as macOS 13. Ventura arrived on Monday, October 25, 2022, and is currently on version 13.1, which arrived on December 13, 2022.

On the other hand, if you're not too worried about running the latest software, you can probably get away with using an older MacBook for longer. For example, many people are still using MacBooks that are five or six years old without any major problems.

What MacBook models will be obsolete? ›

Now, the company is adding three MacBooks to the obsolete list - the 11-inch MacBook Air (launched early in 2014), the 13-inch MacBook Air (also launched early 2014), and the 13-inch MacBook Pro (launched mid-2014). All these devices will be declared obsolete on April 30.

Today marks the third anniversary of Apple discontinuing the 12-inch MacBook. The portable notebook was removed from Apple's online store on July 9, 2019 alongside refreshes to the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro on the same day.