Apple’s M2-powered 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros could launch as soon as early next year, according to a new prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Production looks set to start in the fourth quarter of 2022, which indicates an early 2023 launch window. We’ve seen plenty of rumors and leaks about the MacBook Pro M2 14-inch and 16-inch models, but this is one of the more concrete predictions from a reliable source. But there is some bad news.
New 14" and 16" MacBook Pro with new processors will enter mass production in 4Q22. Given TSMC's guidance that the 3nm will contribute revenue starting in 1H23, processors of 14" and 16" MacBook Pro models may still adopt the 5nm advanced node.August 22, 2022
What’s the catch?
Kuo’s insight about the MacBook Pros hitting mass production comes with one glaring omission. Apple has been working on its first 3nm MacBook chips (according to rumors), which would be a dramatic reduction in transistor size, so the company could cram a whole lot more on the same-size processor.
Everyone expected the next top-level MacBook Pros to get these, but according to this analysis, they look set to miss out. The 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros “may still adopt the 5nm advanced node” — the same size as the M2 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Outlook
That’s not to say these pro systems will not be terrifyingly powerful, because of course they will and hopefully Apple will harness that performance for gaming. But it is a bummer to see they may miss out on the latest and greatest tech by only a few months.
Of course, this is the word of an analyst and there are conflicting reports that the M2 Pro and M2 Max will in fact benefit from the 3nm process, but time will tell.
