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This is the 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Samuel Axon
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The design is just as familiar with the lid open as it is with it closed.
Samuel Axon
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Here’s the bottom. Note the tapered, smaller rubber pads – they’re smaller than what you see in newer MacBook designs.
Samuel Axon
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The Touch Bar lives on in this machine. It has a physical escape key that falls just outside the frame here, but you can see the Touch ID fingerprint reader here.
Samuel Axon
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There are only two Thunderbolt/USB ports, one of which is often occupied by the power adapter.
Samuel Axon
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The laptop has a very low profile. On this side you also see the headphone jack.
Samuel Axon
Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro is a little hard to recommend given the options in Apple’s lineup, but that doesn’t change the main takeaway: The new, second-generation M2 chip doesn’t disappoint.
While Apple calls the 13-inch MacBook Pro its “most portable Pro laptop,” there’s nothing particularly “Pro” about it. It lacks ports for power users, and it can’t touch the 14-inch MacBook Pro in performance, but it offers little to distract potential buyers from the similarly-specified and soon-to-be-launched MacBook Air redesign.
That said, the real story is that this is the first laptop Apple has released with its second-generation ARM-based processors for Macs. The M2 is an exciting sequel to the already impressive M1 and a promising harbinger of what’s to come for future Macs that deserve the Pro moniker.
Specifications:
| Specifications at a glance: 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 2560×1600 by 13.3 inches |
| OS | macOS Monterey 12.4 |
| Processor | Apple M2 |
| RAM | 16GB |
| GPU | Apple M2 |
| HDD | 1TB SSD |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt/USB 4, 3.5mm Headphone |
| Mate | 0.61 inches × 11.97 inches × 8.36 inches (1.56 cm × 30.41 cm × 21.24 cm) |
| Weight | 3 pounds (1.4 kg) |
| Guarantee | 1 year, or 3 years with AppleCare+ |
| Price as rated | $1,899 |
| Other benefits | 1080p FaceTime HD Camera |
There’s only one major difference between the 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 2020 model it replaces: It features Apple’s second-generation M2 system-on-a-chip instead of the M1. We’ll spend most of our time on this, but let’s get a few other important details out of the way.
Starting at $1,299, the laptop offers two basic storage configurations: 256GB or 512GB for an additional $200. You can upgrade further to 1TB or 2TB for a hefty price increase.
Regardless of which configuration you buy, the port selection is the same, and it’s quite limited: there are just two Thunderbolt/USB-4 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Since it lacks the new MagSafe charging port found in its 14-inch and 16-inch big siblings (and in the upcoming MacBook Air redesign), one of those will often be taken up by a connection to the power brick. .
That means this laptop usually has one port. Thunderbolt has the throughput to handle multiple devices with an external dock or adapter. Still, it seems a little odd that a laptop marketed to professionals offers less flexibility than the otherwise comparably priced and spec MacBook Air that’s on sale in a few weeks.
Like its M1-based successor, the 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro can drive only one external display (up to 6K) in addition to the built-in display. This is a potentially crushing limitation for power users and various types of professional workflows, and it’s one that seems to be shared with the upcoming MacBook Air as well.
Other key specs include a 1080p front-facing camera, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and a 13.6-inch display with a 2560×1664 resolution with a maximum brightness of 500 nits. (We tested it and confirmed roughly that brightness range.) That display compares well to the Air, but it’s far inferior in almost every way to what you get with the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
One of the few notable advantages it has over other laptops in Apple’s lineup is its promised 17 hours of battery life for wireless internet. That’s compared to 15 hours for the upcoming MacBook Air, 14 hours for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and 11 hours for the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
