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iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) vs MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)

iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports)1MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac M3 against MacBook Pro M2 Pro
FigureiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Price£1,5993launch price£2,6994launch price
ChipM3chipM2 Prochip
CPU8-coreCPU12-coreCPU
GPU10-coreGPU19-coreGPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base16GBunified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available5No batteryUp to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released7 November 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023.24 January 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available6Security updates
Price
The iMac M3 is £1,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro M2 Pro is £2,699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac M3 is an all-in-one; the MacBook Pro M2 Pro is a laptop. The MacBook Pro M2 Pro has a battery, whereas the iMac M3 has none.

True to scale

iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) · 547 × 461 mm frontMacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) · 355.7 × 248.1 mm footprint

An all-in-one and a laptop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the footprint of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Dimensions461 x 547 x 147 mm16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm
Weight4.48 kg2.15 kg
ColoursBlue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, PurpleSilver, Space Grey
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, two USB 3 ports (up to 10Gb/s), 3.5 mm headphone jack, Gigabit EthernetThree Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, MagSafe 3 port, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports723
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNot available8No USB-A ports.9
HDMINo HDMI port.10HDMI port
SD card slotNo SD card slot.10Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available11Yes
KeyboardMagic Keyboard with Touch IDBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch IDYesYes
Touch BarNot available12No Touch Bar.13

Display

Display: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Display size24 in16.2 in
Resolution4480 x 25203456 x 2234
Pixel density218 ppi254 ppi
Display type4.5K Retina displayLiquid Retina XDR display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Peak brightness (HDR)Not available141,600 nits
Refresh rateNot available8120 Hz
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.10No nano-texture display option.13

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
ChipApple M3 chipApple M2 Pro chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores812
Performance cores48
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores1019
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM3 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPUM2 Pro with 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU15
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)24GB32GB15
Memory options8GB, 16GB or 24GB16GB or 32GB15
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents17
Memory bandwidth100 GB/s200 GB/s
Storage (base)256GB512GB
Storage (maximum)2TB8TB15
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB15
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engine

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Battery capacityNot available5100 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available51,000 cycles18
Video playback (claimed)Not available522 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available515 h
Included power adapter143 W19140 W
Fast chargingNot available5Yes

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
EthernetGigabit EthernetNo Ethernet port.13
External displays (base)12

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera1080p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamformingStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate20macOS 27 Golden Gate20
Model identifierMac15,521Mac14,6, Mac14,1022
Model year20232023

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports) against Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
SpecificationiMac M31MacBook Pro M2 Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,748232,43123
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)11,6712316,64023
Geekbench 7 (Metal)48,0702382,98123

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs · Default for iMac M3 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Pro M2 Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple supercharges 24-inch iMac with new M3 chip · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. Different Thunderbolt generations. iMac M3: Thunderbolt 3. MacBook Pro M2 Pro: Thunderbolt 4.

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  8. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple supercharges 24-inch iMac with new M3 chip. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  9. MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  10. iMac (24-inch, M3, 2023, Four ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port

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  12. Doesn’t apply: the Touch Bar was only fitted to MacBook Pro

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  13. MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Doesn’t apply: Apple lists no separate HDR peak for this display

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  22. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  23. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

iMac M3. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2023, Four ports) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple supercharges 24-inch iMac with new M3 chip, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro M2 Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my iMac M3 (24-inch, 2023, Four ports)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M2 Pro (16-inch, 2023)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.