Compared to the MacBook Pro M1, the MacBook Pro M2 is primarily an upgrade. However, a significant component appears to be slower than its predecessor.
New MacBook Pros were launched last week, featuring Apple’s new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
40% Slower!
Apple downgraded one area, according to their tests. According to Seok Chen at Digital Phablet, the M2 MacBook Pro’s SSD is slow compared to its predecessor from 2021.
| MacBook Version | Read Speed | Write Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Pro M1 (2021) | 4,900 MB/s | 3,950 MB/s |
| Pro M2 (2023) | 2,970 MB/s | 3,150 MB/s |
The new Pro laptop gets SSD read speeds of about 2,970 MB/s and write speeds of about 3,150 MB/s in the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. Compared to the M1 Pro-equipped MacBook Pro, which achieved a reading speed of 4,900 MB/s and a writing speed of 3,950 MB/s, this performance is disappointing.
It looks like Apple copied the M2 MacBook Air’s design, as confirmed by cracking open the new laptop. The entry-level model has two 256GB chips instead of four 128GB chips because there are fewer NAND chips but more capacity.
It might make the basic 14-inch 512GB MacBook Pro more efficient, but it also slows down reading and writing.
According to the report, this shortcoming won’t be noticed by most people. It’s disappointing because these MacBooks are Pro, and they’re expensive (prices start at £2,149).