Apple M2 chip: Release date, price, specs, features, and more details

The Apple M2 processor is now here, and the wait was well worth it. Though Apple's M2 CPU has been overshadowed in recent months by the debut of the M1 Ultra during Apple's March Event, the M2's moment has come with the WWDC 2022 announcement. The Apple M2 chip is an 8-core SoC with a 4+4 core layout, consisting of four performance cores and four efficiency cores, and a TDP of 10-15 watts. Apple's second-generation silicon is built on a 5nm technology with 5 billion transistors, a memory bandwidth of 100GB/s, and up to 24GB of unified memory.

Following the success of the M1 processor, which powers Apple's MacBook Air (M1), 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1), 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021), and 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021), it's logical that people are curious about Apple's next generation of silicon. The M-series processors are also found in other Apple products such as the Apple Mac Mini (M1), 24-inch iMac (2021), Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2021), and the current iPad Air 5, indicating that the M-series chips will become increasingly important in the future.

This is a group of devices that are nearly unanimously best-in-class, so seeing what they can do with an Apple M2 chip is a fascinating proposition. The best Mac games will really stand out with the announcement of the Apple M2, which features a number of superpowered GPU cores. Developing games on the Mac has never been easier thanks to the integration of the Metal API into Unreal Engine 5. (though whether developers will actually do so remains to be seen). That advancement will undoubtedly be aided by an Apple M2 chip.

The Apple M2 is up against some serious competition, with Intel Alder Lake chips demonstrating the incredible performance potential of big.LITTLE architecture, and Intel Raptor Lake, and AMD Zen 4 are expected to be delivered later this year. So, what do we know about Apple's next silicon generation? Let's get down to the nitty-gritty of it.

Apple M2 chip announced at WWDC 2022

APPLE M2: RELEASE DATE

On June 6, 2022, the Apple M2 was unveiled at the company's WWDC 2022 event. The Apple Silicon chip will not be sold separately; the MacBook Air 2022 and a new MacBook Pro 13-inch 2022 will be the first two devices to utilize it.

APPLE M2: PRICE

The Apple M2 isn't going to sell on its own, but imagine if that was Apple's big bet for 2022? That would be an adventure. No, the Apple M2 will only be sold as part of one of its goods, so we'll be keeping an eye on the gadget price tags. Many hardware manufacturers' prices have steadily risen over the last year. Whether it's because costs have genuinely increased sufficiently to force up the pricing on finished products, or because firms are taking advantage of consumers, things are simply more expensive in 2022, especially electronic gadgets.

The MacBook Air 2022 will be the cheapest model, with pricing starting at $1,199, and the MacBook Pro 13-inch will cost $1,299. Although the M1-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch will still be offered at their original MSRP, this is more expensive than the previous generation of hardware.

APPLE M2: SPECS AND PERFORMANCE

Even though the number is higher, the Apple M2 is clearly not designed to exceed the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips (much less the M1 Ultra). MX designations will power consumer products, while the MX Pro and MX Max chips will power higher-end professional devices, and the MX Ultra will power desktop workstations like the Mac Studio and the upcoming Mac Pro (Mac Pro 2022).

The Apple M2 chip is an 8-core SoC with a 4+4 core layout, consisting of four performance cores and four efficiency cores, and a TDP of 10-15 watts. Apple's second-generation silicon is built on a 5nm technology with 5 billion transistors, a memory bandwidth of 100GB/s, and up to 24GB of unified memory. This will most likely only affect the SoC's graphics and neural processing components, which a MacBook Air or iPad Pro don't require nearly as much as a MacBook Pro, which is useful for video editing and 3D modeling.

According to Apple, the M2 has a 10-core GPU and a neural engine capable of 5.8 trillion operations per second, which is more than 40 percent greater than the M1.