As a digital marketer, it is important that your devices—especially your laptops and PCs—have the performance capabilities and features that you need to get your work done. Here on Blogs Nest, we review products with the intention of helping digital marketers buy the right things for their work-related tasks.

In this post, we’re going to review the MacBook Pro M2 13-inch device that was released in 2022. We will look at the specs it offers along with its main features. After reading this review, you can decide whether it is a good option for you or not.

If you’ve already read about this device and are looking to buy it, you can click on this button below to visit the page on the official Apple website.

Introduction to the MacBook Pro M2 13-inch

The MacBook Pro M2 was released in 2022. It is one of Apple’s newer devices in the Pro series. It comes with a 13” screen (13.3” true size) and a hefty set of hardware specs as well as software features.

Being a 13” laptop, the MacBook M2 Pro is a more compact and sleek version as compared to the other 14” and 16” models. As a digital marketer, having a smaller device can be great because you can carry it around wherever you want and work on the go if the need arises. The only downside of the smaller size is that the 13” laptop does not have as big of a keyboard as the other variants.

This MacBook Pro comes loaded with many of Apple’s iconic features, such as the touch bar, Touch ID, backlit keyboard, force touch trackpad, and more.

Overview of our MacBook M2 Pro review

Before we delve into the specifics, we will first give you an overview of this review. We will mention the main findings of our review, including the major pros and cons of this device.

Specifications of MacBook Pro M2

Moving on, we will look at the technical specifications and performance capabilities of this device.

Detailed review of the MacBook Pro M2 13-Inch (2022)

Now we will take a detailed look into the MacBook M2 Pro.

1. Processor

Let’s start with the processor.

As the name of the laptop indicates, it comes with an Apple M2 chip. The latest chip currently is M3, and the M4 is rumored to make its first appearance in the last quarter of 2024. (You can read our MacBook M4 review to learn more.)

That said, the M2 chip is certainly not outdated but it is also not the latest one. It has impressive performance capabilities, which we mentioned briefly in the table above. Let’s list them here again along with a brief description showing why exactly they’re good.

• 8-core CPU:The CPU of the M2 MacBook Pro comes with an impressive 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. It can provide excellent performance for single-thread and multi-thread applications. This makes it great for typical everyday use. You can expect a quick and snappy response from the laptop when opening applications, running functions like search, navigating the menus, and performing other similar tasks.
• 10-core GPU:The Apple MacBook M2 Pro has an integrated GPU with 10 cores. According to this post onRtings, the MacBook Pro’s GPU had a performance score of 47,299 points on the Geekbench 5 benchmarktest. For people who know what this benchmark is, the performance score alone can describe the ability of this GPU. However, in simple terms, we can say that the M2 MacBook Pro’s GPU is powerful enough to perform tasks like video editing, 3D CAD designing, and AI-centric development tasks.
• 16-core Neural Engine:This MacBook also comes with a 16-core Neural Engine. The Neural Engine is responsible for enhancing the performance of AI and ML (Machine Learning) related tasks.�

2. Storage

Moving on, let’s talk about the storage of the MacBook Pro M2.

There are actually four storage options that you can choose from when making your purchase. You can pick from the following:

1. 256 GB SSD
2. 512 GB SSD
3. 1 TB SSD
4. 2 TB SSD

The bigger the storage you opt for, the costlier the device will get. The base version of the device comes with 256 Gigabytes of storage.

256 GB can be enough for people who want to use their MacBook for simple everyday purposes. On the other hand, for people like editors and content creators, bigger storage is necessary so that they can store all of their files without having to resort to external hard drives.

Can you increase the storage on your MacBook Pro M2 once you purchase it?

The answer to that question is no. Once you buy a specific version of the MacBook Pro, you cannot swap out the storage drive for a bigger one. While you can use hard drives and USBs to manage your files, there is no option to increase the in-built storage.

3. Memory

Now let’s come to the memory.

As is the case with the storage, there are different RAM sizes that you can choose from when making your purchase. The base version comes with 8 GB of memory, but you can opt for a larger RAM by paying more.

The three RAM sizes available for the MacBook Pro M2 include:

• 8 GB
• 16 GB
• 24 GB

Considering the chip that this device comes with along with the smooth SSD drives, even 8 GB of RAM can be quite ample for most people. But, if you have to regularly perform RAM-extensive tasks, like considerable multi-tasking, paying more for a bigger memory can pay off. 

Can you increase the RAM on your MacBook M2 Pro once you purchase it?

The answer to this question is also no. You cannot increase the RAM on your MacBook once you buy it. The RAM is soldered in, and it cannot be taken out and replaced with a bigger one.

4. Display

The display of the MacBook Pro 13” 2022 is one of its winning features. The design of the display is simple and has the same old feel as the previous models. It does not have the notched camera (which can be found in the MacBook Air M2) and instead features straight bezels all around.

And even with the simple design, the display of this device does not fail to impress.

First of all is the crisp and clean quality. With a 2560 x 1600 resolution and Retinatechnology, the MacBook Pro M2 provides a smooth and high-quality viewing experience. The fact that this resolution is provided on a display as small as 13.3” inches makes it even better.

This MacBook Pro comes with a Wide Color (P3) gamut. It is also equipped with Apple’s True Tonetechnology.

What is the meaning of Retina display in Apple devices?

The Retina technology utilizes what is known as OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode). Thanks to this technology, the pixels on the screen are blended together in such a way that they cannot be seen and distinguished by the naked eye. The display appears very smooth and glass-like (in quality, not texture).

What is the meaning of the True Tone technology in Apple devices?

True Tone is also a special feature that Apple uses in its mobile devices and laptops. This technology basically adjusts the lighting of the display (and the LED bar, in the case of this MacBook Pro) according to the image on the screen so that it is more natural to look at.

Thanks to this technology, the viewing experience becomes more comfortable and ambient.

5. Battery

The MacBook M2 2022 13” comes with a 58.2-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery that is charged using a 67W USB-C charger. It has an impressive timing of around 21 hours when tested for normal tasks such as web surfing, video playback, etc.

If you are buying this MacBook after switching from a Windows laptop, the battery timing is perhaps the best thing that you’ll notice. Windows laptops have an impressive battery in their own regard, but 20+ hour timing is on another level.

The one negative thing about the battery-related aspects of the MacBook 13” M2 is the port. There are only two Thunderbolt USB Type-C ports on this laptop (which we will discuss in the next heading) and when one of them is used for the charger, it leaves very limited connectivity options.

6. Connectivity

Connectivity is one of the weaker areas of this laptop. Apart from Bluetooth and WiFi, the only connectivity options that you can use are the two USB Type-C slots. There are no other slots, such as the MagSafe charging port or USB Type-A, etc.

If you want to use a keyboard and mouse along with a display, you will have to use a USB Type-C hub with the MacBook. This has been a tried and tested solution for MacBooks for some time now, and it should not be a problem for you if you are coming from an older model to this newer one. However, if you are switching from a Windows laptop, the sheer lack of options can be a surprise.

7. Keyboard and trackpad

Moving on, let’s talk about the keyboard and trackpad of the MacBook Pro M2.

This MacBook comes with a backlit Magic keyboard with a 66-key configuration. It does not have the Numpad, but it does come with the four arrow keys in the standard upside-down T arrangement. The keyboard is comfortable to type on and can be used fine for most types of tasks.

The trackpad on the M2 MacBook comes with a range of different features, such as the Force Touch functions, multi-touch gestures, etc. It has quite a large size and starts right below the space bar—which is quite common in MacBook models. For many users, the close proximity of the trackpad to the keyboard can be annoying since the palm can rub against it, but there is accidental touch prevention in place to avoid misinputs.

8. Weight and dimensions

Here are the details about the weight and dimensions of the MacBook Pro 13-inch M2:

• Depth: 212.4 mm
• Height: 15.6 mm
• Width: 304.1 mm
• Weight: 1.4 kg

What is the pricing of the MacBook Pro M2 13-inch (2022)?

The price of this MacBook depends on the configuration that you purchase.

• The base variant starts at $1,299 with 256 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM
• The mid variant is priced at $1,899 with 1 TB of storage and 16 GB of RAM
• The top variant is priced at $2,499 with 2 TB of storage and 24 GB of RAM

Should you buy the Macbook Pro M2: My verdict

The MacBook Pro 13-inch 2022 is a great device, no doubt about it. From what we’ve looked at in the review above, it has great performance, great support for AI, excellent display, lightweight and compact design, and so forth.

The only problem that I found with it was the slots. There are not enough of those. And this can be a pretty big downside.

My verdict for this device is that if you have been using MacBooks for some time, and if you are aware of all the little nuances that come with them, and you also happen to have a budget of 1,200 to 2,500 USD, you should definitely buy the MacBook Pro M2.

But if you have been using Windows laptops and are looking to make a switch, I won’t recommend this MacBook. There are newer devices by companies like HP and Dell that give you similar features at a similar price tag. You can try those out—such as the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus.

If you are insistent about buying a MacBook, you can try the MacBook Air M2, which has a separate battery slot. You can use the 2 Thunderbolts for peripherals. That way, the one issue I think can cause problems is resolved.

Another suggestion that I can make here is that if you already have a good device and if you are not concerned about having too great of a performance, you can also buy an older MacBook model, just to see how they work and what they are all about. Here at Blogs Nest, I wrote a review on the MacBook 12in M7 a while back. You can check that out as well.

FAQs about MacBook M2 Pro 2022