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Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) vs MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)

Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)1MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)2

Quick look

Quick look: Mac Studio M2 Max against MacBook Pro M2
FigureMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
Price£2,0993launch price£1,3494launch price
ChipM2 MaxchipM2chip
CPU12-coreCPU8-coreCPU
GPU30-coreGPU10-coreGPU
Memory32GBunified memory, base8GBunified memory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available5No batteryUp to20 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released13 June 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2023.24 June 20224ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 June 2022.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available6Security updates
Price
The Mac Studio M2 Max is £2,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro M2 is £1,349 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The Mac Studio M2 Max is a desktop; the MacBook Pro M2 is a laptop. The MacBook Pro M2 has a built-in 13.3-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac Studio M2 Max has none of them.

True to scale

Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) · 197 × 95 mm frontMacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprint

A desktop 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 Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
Dimensions95 x 197 x 197 mm15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight2.7 kg1.4 kg
ColoursSilverSilver, Space Grey
PortsFour Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s), HDMI port, 10Gb Ethernet, 3.5mm headphone jack; on front (M2 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II)Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports742
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports2No USB-A ports.8
HDMIHDMI portNo HDMI port.9
SD card slotYesNo SD card slot.9
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available10No MagSafe port.8
KeyboardNot available11Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID
Touch IDNot available12Yes
Touch BarNot available13Yes

Display

Display: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
Display sizeNot available1413.3 in
ResolutionNot available142560 x 1600
Pixel densityNot available14227 ppi
Display typeNot available14Retina display
BrightnessNot available14500 nits
Wide colour (P3)Not available14Yes
Nano-texture optionNot available14No nano-texture display option.9

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
ChipApple M2 Max chipApple M2 chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores128
Performance cores84
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores3010
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU15M2 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU16
Memory (base)32GB8GB
Memory (maximum)96GB1524GB
Memory options32GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU)158GB, 16GB or 24GB
Memory upgradeable by userNot available17No, as Apple documents18
Memory bandwidth400 GB/s100 GB/s
Storage (base)512GB256GB
Storage (maximum)8TB152TB
Storage options512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB15256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engine

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
Battery capacityNot available558.2 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available51,000 cycles19
Video playback (claimed)Not available520 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available517 h
Included power adapterNot available2067 W
Maximum continuous power370 WNot available21

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6
Bluetooth5.35.0
Ethernet10Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)No Ethernet port.9
External displays (base)51

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
CameraNot available22720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker23Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
MicrophonesNot available17Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022)
SpecificationMac Studio M2 Max1MacBook Pro M22
Shipped withmacOS Ventura24Not available25
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate26macOS 27 Golden Gate26
Model identifierMac14,1327Mac14,728
Model year20232022

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M2 Max · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Pro M2 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 available to order starting Friday, June 17 · 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. Mac Studio M2 Max: Thunderbolt 4. MacBook Pro M2: Thunderbolt 3.

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  8. MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  9. MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  11. Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard

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  12. Doesn’t apply: no built-in keyboard, and Touch ID is a keyboard feature

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

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  14. Doesn’t apply: no built-in display

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  17. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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  20. Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box

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  21. Doesn’t apply: a notebook lists its power adapter, not a maximum continuous power

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  22. Doesn’t apply: no built-in camera

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  24. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  25. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 available to order starting Friday, June 17; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  27. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  28. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

Mac Studio M2 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart lists the Mac Studio M2 Max only with a 38-core GPU, not the 30-core GPU this Mac has, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro M2. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, fast charging. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 available to order starting Friday, June 17; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, 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 Mac Studio M2 Max (2023)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M2 (13-inch, 2022)?

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