MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) vs MacBook Pro (14-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,2993launch price | £2,1494launch price |
| Chip | M3 Maxchip | M2 Prochip |
| CPU | 14-coreCPU | 10-coreCPU |
| GPU | 30-coreGPU | 16-coreGPU |
| Memory | 36GBunified memory, base | 16GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 1TBstorage, base | 512GBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 7 November 20235ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023. | 24 January 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023. |
| Security updates | Not available6Security updates | Not available7Security updates |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro M3 Max is £3,299 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 31 October 2023); the MacBook Pro M2 Pro is £2,149 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
True to scale
Footprints from above, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. 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
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm | 15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm |
| Weight | 1.62 kg | 1.6 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Grey |
| Ports | Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, MagSafe 3 port, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.8 | No USB-A ports.9 |
| HDMI | HDMI port | HDMI port |
| SD card slot | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID |
| Touch ID | Yes | Yes |
| Touch Bar | No Touch Bar.10 | No Touch Bar.11 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 14.2 in | 14.2 in |
| Resolution | 3024 x 1964 | 3024 x 1964 |
| Pixel density | 254 ppi | 254 ppi |
| Display type | Liquid Retina XDR display | Liquid Retina XDR display |
| Brightness | 600 nits | 500 nits |
| Peak brightness (HDR) | 1,600 nits | 1,600 nits |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Wide colour (P3) | Yes | Yes |
| Nano-texture option | No nano-texture display option.10 | No nano-texture display option.11 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M3 Max chip | Apple M2 Pro chip |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 14 | 10 |
| Performance cores | 10 | 6 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 4 |
| GPU cores | 30 | 16 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M3 Max with 14-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M3 Max with 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU | M2 Pro with 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, or M2 Pro with 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU12 |
| Memory (base) | 36GB | 16GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 128GB | 32GB12 |
| Memory options | 36GB or 96GB (14-core CPU); 48GB, 64GB or 128GB (16-core CPU) | 16GB or 32GB12 |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents13 | No, as Apple documents13 |
| Memory bandwidth | 300 GB/s | 200 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 1TB | 512GB |
| Storage (maximum) | 8TB | 8TB12 |
| Storage options | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB12 |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode enginesAV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engine |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 72.4 Wh | 70 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles14 | 1,000 cycles14 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 18 h | 18 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 12 h | 12 h |
| Included power adapter | 96 W | 67 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.10 | No Ethernet port.11 |
| External displays (base) | 4 | 2 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Speakers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers |
| Microphones | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming15 | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming |
Platform
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Max1 | MacBook Pro M2 Pro2 |
|---|---|---|
| Newest macOS | macOS 27 Golden Gate16 | macOS 27 Golden Gate17 |
| Model identifier | Mac15,6, Mac15,8, Mac15,1018 | Mac14,5, Mac14,919 |
| Model year | 2023 | 2023 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩- ↩
Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M2 Pro, 2023): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (14-inch, M2 Pro, 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Max, Nov 2023) ·
↩Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro M3 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, 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 (14-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max; 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 MacBook Pro M3 Max (14-inch, Nov 2023)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M2 Pro (14-inch, 2023)?
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.