M2 MacBook Pro vs M3 MacBook Pro — specs, features compared

In its “Scary Fast” event on October 30, Apple rolled out its premium MacBook Pro lineup equipped with new M3 chips in its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The new M3 Pro and M3 Max are poised to deliver enhanced speed and greater performance when compared to their M2 counterparts.

It is very unusual for Apple to introduce M3 chips in the same year when both the M2 Pro and M2 Max variants of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were released in January.

Despite the short gap between M2 and M3, it offers huge performance upgrades.

M2 MacBook Pro vs M3 MacBook Pro – Specifications

M2 MacBook Pro vs M3 MacBook Pro – Performance

The M2 versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro use a few variants of the M2 Pro and M2 Max chip in their configurations.

The M2 Pro offers two CPU options: a 10-core CPU with six performance cores and four efficiency cores, and a 12-core variant with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores. M2 Max follows a similar 12-core layout.

In terms of GPUs, M2 Pro starts with a 16-core GPU and has a 19-core variant. The M2 Max starts at a 30-core GPU with a 38-core alternative.

M2 Pro provides 200GB/s of memory bandwidth, while M2 Max doubles it to 400GB/s. Both chips feature a 16-core Neural Engine for machine learning tasks and a Media Engine for hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding.

M2 Pro includes one video decode and encode engine, as well as one each of the ProRes encode and decode engines. M2 Max has one video decode engine but doubles the encode engines and ProRes versions.

Apple’s M3 chips differ from their M2 counterparts. The M3 features an 8-core CPU with an even split between performance and efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, and a Media Engine.

The M3 Pro offers an 11-core CPU with a 14-core GPU and a 12-core CPU version with 6 performance and 6 efficiency cores, accompanied by an 18-core GPU. Both variants also include the Neural Engine and Media Engine.

The M3 Max comes in two versions: one with a 14-core CPU and a 30-core GPU, and another with a 16-core CPU (12 performance and 4 efficiency cores) and a 40-core GPU. The Pro Max versions feature a 16-core Neural Engine and double the video encode and ProRes engines for the Media Engine.

Memory bandwidth for the M3 is 100GB/s, M3 Pro uses 150GB/s, and M3 Max maintains 400GB/s. The M3 chips introduce GPU dynamic caching, mesh shading support, and ray tracing, leading to a 30% boost in graphics performance over the M1.

Official benchmarks will validate Apple’s claims regarding performance improvements.

M2 MacBook Pro vs M3 MacBook Pro – Where to buy

Apple’s M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pros are currently available with closeout deals listed in the Mac Price Guide.

M3 Pro and M3 Max 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are open for preorders at B&H Photo.

Stay tuned for exclusive discounts on Apple’s new M3 Pro and M3 Max laptops leading up to Black Friday.