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MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) vs Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)

MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023)1Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro M3 against Mac Studio M2 Max
FigureMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
Price£1,6993launch price£2,0994launch price
ChipM3chipM2 Maxchip
CPU8-coreCPU12-coreCPU
GPU10-coreGPU30-coreGPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base32GBunified memory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available5No battery
Released7 November 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023.13 June 20234ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2023.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The MacBook Pro M3 is £1,699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac Studio M2 Max is £2,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The MacBook Pro M3 is a laptop; the Mac Studio M2 Max is a desktop. The MacBook Pro M3 has a built-in 14.2-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac Studio M2 Max has none of them.

True to scale

MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) · 312.6 × 221.2 mm footprintMac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) · 197 × 95 mm front

A laptop and a desktop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the footprint of one and the front face 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 MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
Dimensions15.5 x 312.6 x 221.2 mm95 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight1.55 kg2.7 kg
ColoursSpace Gray, SilverSilver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jackFour 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)
Thunderbolt ports824
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.92
HDMIHDMI portHDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNot available10
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDNot available11
Touch IDYesNot available12
Touch BarNo Touch Bar.13Not available14

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
Display size14.2 inNot available15
Resolution3024 x 1964Not available15
Pixel density254 ppiNot available15
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayNot available15
Brightness600 nitsNot available15
Peak brightness (HDR)1,600 nitsNot available15
Refresh rate120 HzNot available15
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available15
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.13Not available15

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
ChipApple M3 chipApple M2 Max chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores812
Performance cores48
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores1030
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM3 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU16M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU17
Memory (base)8GB32GB
Memory (maximum)24GB96GB17
Memory options8GB, 16GB or 24GB32GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU)17
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents18Not available19
Memory bandwidth100 GB/s400 GB/s
Storage (base)512GB512GB
Storage (maximum)2TB8TB17
Storage options512GB, 1TB or 2TB512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB17
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 enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode engines

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
Battery capacity70 WhNot available5
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles20Not available5
Video playback (claimed)22 hNot available5
Wireless web (claimed)15 hNot available5
Included power adapter70 WNot available21
Fast chargingYesNot available5
Maximum continuous powerNot available22370 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
EthernetNo Ethernet port.1310Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)
External displays (base)15

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD cameraNot available23
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofersBuilt-in speaker24
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming25Not available19

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M31Mac Studio M2 Max2
Shipped withNot available26macOS Ventura27
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate28macOS 27 Golden Gate29
Model identifierMac15,330Mac14,1331
Model year20232023

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Pro M3 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. 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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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. 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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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  6. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 2 Oct 2026

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

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  8. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Pro M3: Thunderbolt 3. Mac Studio M2 Max: Thunderbolt 4.

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  9. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 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. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 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. 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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  20. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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

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  25. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  26. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, 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

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  27. 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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  28. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Pro M3. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, 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.

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.

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 (14-inch, Nov 2023)? · Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M2 Max (2023)?

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