As you probably already know by now, the 2023 M2 MacBook Pros (both the 14- and 16-inch models) are a hardware improvement over the previous generation, while most other things about the design, chassis, and features remain unchanged.

Therefore, I’m not surprised that most reviewers consider the M1 MacBook Pro to be the better choice for the price, even though it’s now 2023, provided you can still find one in stock, for two main reasons: they’re already powerful enough for most users, and they can be more affordable than the M2 upgrade. And since the 2023 models don’t offer any flashy new features (with a few exceptions), the decision ultimately comes down to two aspects: performance and overall capabilities for the price you pay.

Nevertheless, let’s take a look at what’s changed between the 2023 and 2021 generations, discuss the potential performance gains offered by the M2 MacBook Pro models (based on Apple’s claims and actual benchmark testing and reviews), and then we’ll look at some external reviews to summarize the consensus surrounding this MacBook series. We’ll also cover the 2023 MacBook Pro 16 models in a separate article.

Design and ergonomics

The Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023 is built on the same chassis as the previous model.

That means it’s still a premium aluminum unibody design, one of the best-built and best-looking 14-inch laptops on the market (beaten only by the Razer Blade 14 and maybe the Alienware X14).

It’s also compact and portable for its size, with a small bezel around the screen, and it weighs 1.6 to 1.7 kg between the various configurations.

Since the design remains unchanged, the overall ergonomics haven’t changed at all. The screen still can’t open 180 degrees, and the front crease and corners are still sharp and aggressive on the wrist, but otherwise, the laptop offers a smooth hinge, excellent inputs, and a decent set of ports.

There are plenty of USB-C ports with full Thunderbolt support, placed on both sides, as well as a card reader, audio jack, and HDMI port, plus a MagSafe connector for charging. There’s still no full-size USB-A port, and at least one would be very useful for my use case. I know you can use a USB-C to USB-A adapter, but I’d rather not have to.

The 2023 models include an updated HDMI 2.1 port, which supports higher resolution and refresh rates than the HDMI 2.0 port on previous M1 MacBook Pro models. Some will appreciate the ability to drive 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz monitors on the 2023 MacBooks, as well as the audio improvements offered by HDMI 2.1, but for most users, the DP video output provided by the USB-C port is sufficient.

Screen, Input, and Audio

This hasn’t changed either. The display on the MacBook Pro 14 is gorgeous, with a bright, prominent miniLED panel. It’s still brighter and offers a denser array of dimming zones than the miniLEDs starting to be offered on other 14-inch laptops, like the 2023 ROG Zephyrus G14.

There’s still a notch at the top, though, which houses the camera and light sensor. It’s annoying at first, but you get used to it after a while.

Color gamut is also still not up to par with the competition in the Windows space, at around 85% DCI-P3, compared to 100% DCI-P3 on some Windows models.

I’d also look for visible light leaks on your unit, if you decide to get one. This has been reported on previous MacBook Pros, and was briefly touched on in the M2 review as well.

Some might wish there was a touchscreen on this 2023 MacBook Pro, but it’s still glossy and non-touch. I’ve seen quite a few reviews complaining about the lack of touchscreen support. It doesn’t really matter to me, although I agree that a glossy finish is more acceptable on a touchscreen than a non-touch option like this. At least the glare is somewhat mitigated here by the prominent, bright panel, compared to other glossy laptop screens.

For input, the keyboard on this latest-generation MacBook is one of the best you’ll find on any laptop, after Apple finally abandoned the dreaded butterfly switch design. So if you plan on doing a lot of typing on this laptop, whether for school or if you’re a writer, author, or blogger, you can’t go wrong with this keyboard (or the one on the MacBook Air models).

The layout is standard for a MacBook, minimalist, and without the extra function keys you’ll find on the 14-inch Windows model. This makes room for upward-firing speakers around the keyboard.

MacBook Pro 14 M2 hardware and performance

As mentioned, the 2023 M2 MacBook Pro models are largely hardware improvements over the previous 14-inch generation.

On the CPU side, the M2 Pro and M2 Max silicon offer updated performance cores and two additional performance efficiency cores with each available configuration.

For the M2 Max (12-core) chip, Apple mentions a 10-15% increase in single-core CPU performance and 15-25% in multi-core performance in benchmarks like Geekbench or Cinebench compared to the M1 Max (10-core), and these gains are also noted in existing reviews.

On the GPU side, existing reviews mostly discuss the top variant of the M2 Max (with a 38-core GPU) vs the top M1 Max (with a 32-core GPU), showing a performance increase of around 20%.