When Apple released the press release for its latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro family, it targeted battery life as an important selling point for these devices, and why would the company ignore that? After all, it claims that the larger model has the longest endurance of any portable Mac launched to date, an astonishing 22 hours.
The higher power efficiency of the M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets along with a larger battery likely enabled the 16-inch MacBook Pro to last so long.
Most tech companies like to exaggerate the battery life of their products, so we had to dig a little deeper. When we got to the homepage of the 2023 MacBook Pro lineup, we noticed that the 14-inch and 16-inch models had varying battery life, which was to be expected. Due to the size differences between them, the smaller Mac will not have the physical capacity to accommodate a larger battery, which is why, according to Apple, it can only last 18 hours of video playback.
However, for those who want the absolute best in battery life, they’ll have to compromise on the extra money and portability since they’ll have to upgrade to the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Apple states the following on the battery life of this model.
The 16-inch model has the longest battery life ever in a Mac. And both models remain just as fast whether they’re battery powered or plugged in. This efficiency is the magic of Apple silicon. So wherever inspiration strikes or whenever duty calls, work with it.”
The company says that on a single charge, the 16-inch MacBook Pro can last up to 22 hours for video playback and up to 15 hours for wireless web browsing. If you want to engage in some taxing work, such as photo or video editing, this battery life meter can drop significantly, but we’re confident users will still be able to get plenty of endurance out of this device.
Sadly, they’ll have to spend a lot of money because the 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499 with the M2 Pro, and since you need more RAM combined, and possibly an M2 Max upgrade, you’ll have to pay more of that “apple tax.”