Not all of Apple’s new MacBook Pro laptops’ upgrades are related to the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Additionally, the new machines feature supercharged, faster SSDs with faster write speeds.
Reviewers ran tests using the Blackmagic disk benchmark program, recording read speeds of 5,372 MB/s and write speeds of 6,491 MB/s for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro with 2TB of storage. The read speed of a 14-inch M1 Pro unit with 1TB of storage was higher, at 5,797 MB/s, but the write speed was much slower, at 5,321 MB/s.
Benchmark data from testing by Macworld and Tom’s Guide both report the new machines offer higher write speeds, compared to the previous generation, though with slightly slower read speeds. Those read speeds are still decently fast — almost as fast, if not faster, than a PCIe Gen 4 m.2 SSD for desktop computers — so it’s probably a worthy tradeoff for what will likely result in better performance. And even if those read speeds are still somewhat slower, most users will not notice the difference in day-to-day usage.
Once you get your hands on one of the new MacBook Pro models, you can expect faster write speeds and, overall, a smoother experience — also in part thanks to the new, improved M2 silicon.
