Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 base model appears to have slower SSD speeds than its M1 predecessor. MacRumors reports those YouTubers Max Tech and Made technology Both tested the 256GB base model of the M2 and found that the SSD read speeds are about 50 percent slower than the M1 MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage. Write speeds are reportedly about 30 percent slower.
Testing was completed with Blackmagic’s Disk Speed ​​Test app, and Max Tech even disassembled the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro and found that Apple only uses a single NAND flash storage chip. The M1 MacBook Pro uses two 128GB NAND chips, and multiple chips can enable faster SSD speeds in parallel.
Other 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro models with larger SSD storage don’t seem to suffer from slower SSD speeds. Another YouTuber with a 512 GB M2 model ran tests and found similar speeds to the M1 version, and most reviewers were seeded with fast 1TB models and found no speed issues.
If SSD speeds are an issue for you on the base 13-inch MacBook Pro, you’ll have to pay an extra $200 for the faster 512GB model. But if you’re willing to do that, you might want to wait and see what’s inside the new MacBook Air. The base model will also be priced slightly less at $1,199, but if it has slower SSD speeds there’s an identically priced $1,499 512GB model that will presumably have the two NAND chips. Unlike the M2 MacBook Pro, the M2 MacBook Air also gets a major redesign — including new colors, a larger screen, a 1080p webcam, and MagSafe charging.
We’ve reached out to Apple to comment on the SSD changes to the MacBook Pro, and we’ll update you accordingly if we ever hear back.
