After the huge success of the M1 chip based on ARM technology, Apple has recently announced its new second-generation M2 chip for Mac. The news was shared on June 6th, 2022, at WWDC where the company promoted the new MacBook Air and a 13-inch MacBook Pro based on M2.
In the latest event, Apple also made important announcements regarding iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16, and macOS Ventura.
M2 is an ARM-based SoC built with TSMC’s “enhanced, second-generation 5-nanometer technology”. The new chip contains 20 billion transistors – a substantial 25% increase from the previous M1 chip. Tech giant Apple claims M2 has an 18% faster CPU, a 35% more powerful GPU, and a 40% improved Neural Engine. The additional transistors improve the memory bandwidth up to 100 GB/s, a 50% improvement over M1. With a unified Memory of 24 GB, M2 can handle complex workload efficiently.
After the huge success of the M1 chip based on ARM technology, Apple has recently announced its new second-generation M2 chip for Mac. The news was shared on June 6th, 2022, at WWDC where the company promoted the new MacBook Air and a 13-inch MacBook Pro based on M2.
In the latest event, Apple also made important announcements regarding iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16, and macOS Ventura.
M2 is an ARM-based SoC built with TSMC’s “enhanced, second-generation 5-nanometer technology”. The new chip contains 20 billion transistors – a substantial 25% increase from the previous M1 chip. Tech giant Apple claims M2 has an 18% faster CPU, a 35% more powerful GPU, and a 40% improved Neural Engine. The additional transistors improve the memory bandwidth up to 100 GB/s, a 50% improvement over M1. With a unified Memory of 24 GB, M2 can handle complex workloads efficiently.
Table of contents
CPU Performance
M2 outperforms M1 even though the CPU structure and arrangement is similar. Like the M1 chip, M2 has 8 CPU cores split evenly into four high-performance and four power-efficient cores. As M2 uses second-generation 5-nanometer technology and has more transistor count, Apple claims a CPU performance boost of 18% at the same power consumption.
As compared to a 10 core chip PC, the M2 chip provides twice the performance at the same power level. Also, in comparison to a 12 core chip PC, M2 gives 90% of the peak performance of 12 core chips at one-fourth of power consumption.
GPU Performance
M2 chip comprises 8 core GPU in the base models and has an option to upgrade to 10 core versions. It’s an improvement as M1 comes with only 7 and 8 core options.
Combined with a larger cache and higher memory bandwidth, 10 core GPU gives a 25% boost at the same power level and 35% higher performance at the maximum power.
Apple claims that M2 performs 2.3x faster than the latest integrated graphics laptops at the same power level. It can compete with PC laptops’ peak performance on just 1/5th of the power level. If these claims come true, the tech giant would not only surpass its competitors but set a new challenge for them.
Neural Engine
The neural Engine was a cornerstone in A series devices. With the introduction of the M1 chip, Apple brought neural engines to the Mac. A neural engine is a specialized processing unit that deals with a variety of Machine learning tasks and helps in everything from image processing to voice recognition.
M2 has a 16-core neural engine just like M1, but with improved performance. The new M2 can handle 15.8 trillion operations per second. In comparison to M1, which can process 11 trillion operations per second, the neural engine of M2 is practically 40% faster than M1.
As M1 Pro and M1 Max operate on the same 16-core architects, M2 is faster than any M1 variant chip – except M1 Ultra (M1 Ultra operates on a 32-core Neural engine, which may be harder to beat).
Media Engine
Media engine was first added to M1 Pro and M1 Max to provide improved encoding and decoding of videos. They (including ProRes) became an attractive option for video editors due to their efficiency.
M1 doesn’t have a dedicated media engine, but some chip components help in video decoding and encoding.
M2, just like M1 Pro, has a video encode engine, video decode engine, and ProRes decode and encode engine. This gives M2 a considerable advantage over M1.
Now, the media Engine includes Higher bandwidth video decoder, which supports 8K H.264 and HEVC video formats.
Other Updated Features
Apple’s all new M2 chip comes with numerous improved features, promising an enhanced performance over its predecessor – M1.
Security
One of the most salient features of Apple devices is its state of the art security system. Apple has included “Secure Enclave” technology in all devices. The secured enclave is a dedicated secure subsystem integrated into all Apple silicon. It is isolated from the main chip to provide extra security and secures data when the application professor kernel is compromised.
Apple has integrated an updated version of the secure enclave to provide “Best-in-class” security in M2. That secure enclave promises better security and prevents user data from hacking attempts or data breaches.
Image Signal Processor
The M2 chip has an improved version of the Image Signal Processor (ISP), which enhances pictures by post-processing. M2 provides better image noise reduction, which gives high-quality photos
New Chip, New Devices
Apple has announced two new devices; MacBook Air M2 and an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro. Both devices are powered by M2, promising new technology with excellent efficiency.
MacBook Air M2
Display
With a strikingly new thin design, the new MacBook Air comes with a 13.6-inch liquid retina display which was missing in the last generation of MacBook Air. The new display supports 500 nits of peak brightness which is almost half that of the latest M1 Pro MacBooks launched by Apple last year.
With Liquid Retina, the new display now supports 1 billion colors. P3 wide color and true tone technology provide a super crisp and vivid experience with rich contrast and sharp details.
Performance and Efficiency
The New MacBook Air basic variant starts with an 8-core powerful CPU and 10-core GPU. The new chip is more advanced, offers 1.4x faster performance than MacBook Air (M1, 2020), and is 15x better than the latest Intel-powered MacBook Air.
The advanced cores are more power-efficient and provide up to 18 hours of Battery Life.
Video and Audio Experience
MacBook Air comes packed with a 1080p Facetime HD camera. Together with an upgraded three-mic array, it ensures an enhanced video calling experience.
MacBook Air comes with a high-quality four-speaker system. It supports spatial audio while playing music or video on Dolby Atmos, which enriches the audio experience.
Secure Authentication
People prioritize security a lot nowadays. Everyone wants to have top-notch security to keep their data secure. Apple has provided a fast and accurate touch ID in MacBook Air, enhancing the user’s experience.
MacBook Pro 13-inches M2
The New MacBook Pro 13-inch, available for order from June 17, is again powered by a new, powerful M2 chip.
Display
New MacBook Pro comes with a 13.3-inch Retina display with IPS technology, 500 nits of peak brightness, and the support of millions of colors. Bright LED Technology provides deep blacks and bright whites. P3 wide color delivers vibrant green and red. True Tone technology automatically adjusts the white balance to match the color temperature around us.
Performance and Efficiency
MacBook Pro, powered by an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, is 1.4x faster than the previous Macbook Pro (M1) and 6x more powerful than the quad-core intel core i7 MacBook Pro.
With a quite efficient chip, it provides a phenomenal battery life with 20 hours of video playback.
Video and Audio Experience
MacBook Pro comes with a 720p Facetime HD Camera. Apple has upgraded its mic system for better audio quality. It houses studio-quality three-mic array having a high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming.
MacBook Pro comes with high-quality stereo speakers. Like MacBook Air, It also supports spatial audio while playing music or video on Dolby Atmos for a better audio experience.
Secure Authentication
MacBook Pro has a huge upgrade over MacBook Air as Apple has included a touch bar along with a touch ID. Touch Bar can be used for various simple but useful tasks and takes the user experience to a new level.
How is M2 better than M1?
Looking at what M2 is offering, it seems inevitably better than M1. M2 is almost 18% more efficient than M1 in CPU performance. GPU performance is even better, with up to 35% gain at maximum power.
Apple’s inclusion of a Media engine in M2, which was previously lacking in M1, gave an enormous advantage over M1. The neural engine is practically 40% faster than previous M1 generation chips. Improved memory bandwidth and unified memory give M2 a substantial gain over M1.
M2 is ahead of M1, changing trends in the laptop market. A comparison of M1 and M2 strongly hints toward colossal performance gain in future launches.
