I told you the 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro is worth the upgrade even before the 2023 MacBook Pro reviews came out. I highlighted the M2 Pro MacBook Pro’s battery life as a solid reason to purchase the 14-inch laptop; or 16-inch model if the larger screen/battery combo fits your needs better.
Now that the reviews our out, we have the first real-life battery life tests for the M2 Pro MacBooks, and the results are spectacular.
The M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are more powerful and energy efficient than the M1 Pro and M1 Max. That’s something Apple emphasized in the press release and video presentation. The chips are faster than the previous generation, and the energy savings allow Apple to offer better battery life estimates.
The benchmarks already showed that the M2 Pro could outperform the M1 Max, which is impressive. Now that the reviews are out, we have proof that battery life is fantastic. If long-lasting battery life is a top requirement for your next laptop purchase, then the M2 Pro MacBook Pro is definitely an amazing choice. And one that has no rival from the Windows camp.
In its review, Gizmodo ran its typical battery benchmark: playing a 24-hour video continuously at 200 nits with battery saving modes and automatic brightness adjustments turned off.
The 16-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro lasted for 16 hours and 40 minutes. That’s almost twice the battery life of the M1 Max MacBook Pro (8 hours and 39 minutes). The laptop scored better than the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro (15 hours and 47 minutes). Meanwhile, the Dell XPS 13 Plus got 6 hours and 38 minutes of battery life in the same test.
Separately, Tom’s Guide ran a different battery test: continuous web surfing at 150 nits of brightness. This time, we’re looking at figures for the 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro, which lasted 14 hours and 2 minutes. The M2 Max version of the laptop did worse, at 12 hours and 51 minutes. The 14-inch M1 Pro model stayed up slightly longer at 14 hours and 8 minutes. Finally, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro lasted 18 hours and 20 minutes.
Moving on to TechRadar, we get the same good news. The M2 Pro MacBook Pro battery life is amazing. The blog’s battery life test involves looping a 1080p video until the battery dies.
The test saw the 16-inch M2 Pro laptop hit 19 hours and 39 minutes, shy of Apple’s 22 hours estimate but still outstanding. The 2021 16-inch model lasted 18 hours and 48 minutes in the same test.
The battery won’t last as long during intensive workflows. But the same goes for Windows PCs.
The overall point here still stands. The M2 Pro MacBook Pro isn’t just great for sustained performance. It’s also a laptop that can deliver excellent battery life. The new MacBook Pros could easily last a full day of work for most people. Even if they don’t, the MacBook Pros still support fast charging with a 96W/140W USB-C power adapter.
That’s why battery life alone is a great reason to upgrade your MacBook, especially if you’re coming from an Intel-based model.
