MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023) vs MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Max, 2023)
Quick look
| Figure | MacBook Pro M3 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,5993launch price | £3,7494launch price |
| Chip | M3 Prochip | M2 Max5chip |
| CPU | 12-coreCPU | 12-coreCPU |
| GPU | 18-coreGPU | 38-core5GPU |
| Memory | 18GBunified memory, base | 32GBunified memory, base |
| Storage | 512GBstorage, base | 1TBstorage, base |
| Battery life | Up to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed | Up to22 hrsvideo playback, claimed |
| Released | 7 November 20233ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2023. | 24 January 20236ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 17 January 2023. |
| Security updates | Not available7Security updates | Not available8Security updates |
- Price
- The MacBook Pro M3 Pro is £2,599 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro M2 Max is £3,749 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 22 January 2023).
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 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm | 16.8 x 355.7 x 248.1 mm |
| Weight | 2.14 kg | 2.16 kg |
| Colours | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Grey |
| Ports | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB‑C) ports, MagSafe 3 port, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack | Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Thunderbolt ports | 3 | 3 |
| Thunderbolt version | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| USB-A ports | No USB-A ports.9 | No USB-A ports.10 |
| 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.11 | No Touch Bar.12 |
Display
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 16.2 in | 16.2 in |
| Resolution | 3456 x 2234 | 3456 x 2234 |
| 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.11 | No nano-texture display option.12 |
Chip and memory
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M3 Pro chip | Apple M2 Max chip5 |
| Apple silicon | Yes | Yes |
| CPU cores | 12 | 12 |
| Performance cores | 6 | 8 |
| Efficiency cores | 6 | 4 |
| GPU cores | 18 | 385 |
| Neural Engine cores | 16 | 16 |
| Chip options | M3 Pro with 12-core CPU and 18-core GPU13 | M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, or M2 Max with 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU |
| Memory (base) | 18GB | 32GB |
| Memory (maximum) | 36GB13 | 96GB |
| Memory options | 18GB or 36GB13 | 32GB, 64GB or 96GB (96GB with 38-core GPU) |
| Memory upgradeable by user | No, as Apple documents14 | No, as Apple documents14 |
| Memory bandwidth | 150 GB/s | 400 GB/s |
| Storage (base) | 512GB | 1TB |
| Storage (maximum) | 4TB13 | 8TB |
| Storage options | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB13 | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginetwo video encode enginestwo ProRes encode and decode engines |
Battery and power
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 100 Wh | 100 Wh |
| Rated charge cycles | 1,000 cycles15 | 1,000 cycles15 |
| Video playback (claimed) | 22 h | 22 h |
| Wireless web (claimed) | 15 h | 15 h |
| Included power adapter | 140 W | 140 W |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | No Ethernet port.11 | No Ethernet port.12 |
| External displays (base) | 2 | 4 |
Camera and audio
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 beamforming | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming16 |
Platform
| Specification | MacBook Pro M3 Pro1 | MacBook Pro M2 Max2 |
|---|---|---|
| Newest macOS | macOS 27 Golden Gate17 | macOS 27 Golden Gate18 |
| Model identifier | Mac15,7, Mac15,9, Mac15,1119 | Mac14,6, Mac14,1020 |
| Model year | 2023 | 2023 |
Sources
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips ·
↩- ↩
Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) - Tech Specs ·
↩Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max ·
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩Security updates: no end date published.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Max, 2023): No USB-A ports.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Max, 2023): No Touch Bar. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port.
↩Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 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 (16-inch, 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) ·
↩
Not published by Apple
MacBook Pro M3 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, Nov 2023) - Tech Specs; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils new MacBook Pro featuring M3 chips, read 9 Oct 2026.
MacBook Pro M2 Max. 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 MacBook Pro M3 Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro M2 Max (16-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.