Skip to content
MacIQ

MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) vs Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)

MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023)1Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro M2 Pro against Mac Studio M1 Max
FigureMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Price£2,6993launch price£1,9994launch price
ChipM2 ProchipM1 Maxchip
CPU12-coreCPU10-coreCPU
GPU19-coreGPU24-coreGPU
Memory16GBunified memory, base32GBunified memory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base512GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available5No battery
Released24 January 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023.18 March 20224ReleasedIn select Apple Stores; orderable online from 8 March 2022.
Security updatesNot available6Security updatesNot available6Security updates
Price
The MacBook Pro M2 Pro is £2,699 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the Mac Studio M1 Max is £1,999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The MacBook Pro M2 Pro is a laptop; the Mac Studio M1 Max is a desktop. The MacBook Pro M2 Pro has a built-in 16.2-inch display, a camera and a battery, whereas the Mac Studio M1 Max has none of them.

True to scale

MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) · 355.7 × 248.1 mm footprintMac Studio (M1 Max, 2022) · 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 (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Dimensions16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm95 x 197 x 197 mm
Weight2.15 kg2.7 kg
ColoursSilver, Space GreySilver
PortsThree Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, MagSafe 3 port, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, 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 (M1 Max): two USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s), SDXC card slot (UHS-II)
Thunderbolt ports34
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.72
HDMIHDMI portHDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNot available8
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDNot available9
Touch IDYesNot available10
Touch BarNo Touch Bar.11Not available12

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Display size16.2 inNot available13
Resolution3456 x 2234Not available13
Pixel density254 ppiNot available13
Display typeLiquid Retina XDR displayNot available13
Brightness500 nitsNot available13
Peak brightness (HDR)1,600 nitsNot available13
Refresh rate120 HzNot available13
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available13
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.11Not available13

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
ChipApple M2 Pro chipApple M1 Max chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores1210
Performance cores88
Efficiency cores42
GPU cores1924
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM2 Pro with 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU14M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU, or M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU15
Memory (base)16GB32GB
Memory (maximum)32GB1464GB15
Memory options16GB or 32GB1432GB or 64GB15
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16Not available17
Memory bandwidth200 GB/s400 GB/s
Storage (base)512GB512GB
Storage (maximum)8TB148TB15
Storage options512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB14512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB15
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineHardware-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 (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Battery capacity100 WhNot available5
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles18Not available5
Video playback (claimed)22 hNot available5
Wireless web (claimed)15 hNot available5
Included power adapter140 WNot available19
Fast chargingYesNot available5
Maximum continuous powerNot available20370 W

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth5.35.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.1110Gb Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)
External displays (base)25

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD cameraNot available21
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofersBuilt-in speaker22
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamformingNot available17

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate23macOS 27 Golden Gate23
Model identifierMac14,6, Mac14,1024Mac13,125
Model year20232022

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro, 2023) against Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022)
SpecificationMacBook Pro M2 Pro1Mac Studio M1 Max2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,431262,22926
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)16,6402614,31926

Sources

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

    ↩

  2. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs · Default for Mac Studio M1 Max · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils all-new Mac Studio and Studio Display · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

    ↩

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

    ↩

  7. 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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  11. 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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  15. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  17. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils all-new Mac Studio and Studio Display; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your Mac Studio model. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  22. Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

Not published by Apple

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.

Mac Studio M1 Max. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart row for this Mac does not state its GPU core count, so no Metal score is shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — Mac Studio (2022) - Tech Specs; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils all-new Mac Studio and Studio Display; 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 M2 Pro (16-inch, 2023)? · Should I upgrade my Mac Studio M1 Max (2022)?

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