Apple’s brand new MacBook Pro M2 delivers the company’s newest homegrown processors, bringing significant CPU and GPU improvements. However, some of those improvements may be undermined by much slower SSD storage.
YouTubers delving into the new notebook have discovered that the read and write speeds of the 256GB SSD within the base-model MacBook Pro M2 are up to 50% slower than same component within the M1 predecessor.
The curious YouTubers from Max Tech and Created Tech (via MacRumours) cracked open the new MacBook Pro 13-inch and found the read speed is 50% slower and the write speed is 30% slower.
Max Tech shared the following data points:
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1/256GB) Read Speed: 2,900
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M2/256GB) Read Speed: 1,446
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1/256GB) Write Speed: 2,215
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M2/256GB) Write Speed: 1,463
The YouTubers have concluded the NAND flash configuration within the SSD on the new MacBook Pro M2 is responsible. Apparently, the new version only has one 256GB NAND flash chip, while the M1 version was equipped with a pair of 128GB chips. The ability to use the two NAND chips simultaneously allows faster speeds to be achieved, which would explain the shortcoming.
Overall, it means MacBook Pro users opting for this base model will sacrifice some SSD performance in exchange for the M2’s benefits over the M1. It might be felt when opening apps or transferring data and isn’t necessarily something we’d generally associate with a newer version of a Pro model.
The higher-end devices in the range do not appear to be affected by the same issue.
Have you grabbed one of the new MacBook Pro M2 models yet? Have you noticed a drop off in read and write speeds? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
