Apple has finally introduced its second generation of Apple Silicon, M2 chip, during the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC 2022). The latest silicon from the company brings a plethora of features and sits quite comfortably between the Apple M1 and Apple M1 Pro chipset. The original M1 chipset was introduced in November 2020 and since then the company has introduced new silicons, including Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max in 2021 and M1 Ultra in 2022. Now, with the Apple M2, the company is promising to deliver some substantial improvements over its predecessor. However, how much difference is there between the Apple M2 and Apple M1? In order to answer this question, we have decided to put both the chipsets against each other to see the actual improvements being made by the Cupertino-based giant.
Also read: Apple M2 Chip with 18% Faster CPU, 35% Faster GPU Announced at WWDC 2022
Apple M2 vs Apple M1: CPU
Both the Apple silicons are based on the same fabrication process. The Apple M1 and Apple M2 are built using a 5nm fabrication process. However, it is Apple M2 that is based on the company’s second-generation 5nm technology. Moreover, the company has bumped up the transistors count from 16 billion in Apple M1 to 20 billion in M2, which it claims will provide better performance compared to Apple’s first-generation silicon.
The Apple M2 comes with an eight-core CPU with four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, similar to what we have seen in the Apple M1. However, the company claims that the cores present in the M2 are paired with a larger cache that will provide 18 per cent better-multithreaded performance than M1.
Also read: Apple Launches New MacBook Air With M2 Chip, Refresh Design, and Display Notch
Apple M2 vs Apple M1: GPU
Coming to the GPU, Apple has made some incremental improvements with the Apple M2 chipset. The latest silicon now comes with 10-core GPU, which is an improvement over Apple M1’s 8-core GPU. With this, the Apple M2 will deliver up to 25 per cent better graphics performance than the M1 at the same power level and up to 35 per cent better performance at its max power.
Apple M2 vs Apple M1: Performance
Apple M2 offers significant improvements over its predecessor. The newest chipset from the Cupertino-based giant comes with a Unified memory of up to 24GB with a bandwidth of 100Gbps. For comparison, the Apple M1 supports up to 16GB of unified memory with a bandwidth of 68.256Gbps. For those who are not aware, the Unified memory is a unique feature of Apple silicon that is accessible to the entire chip for better performance. Moreover, the company has added the LPDDR5 interface, which is an improvement over the LPDDR4X interface present in the Apple M1.
Moving on, the Apple M2 now comes with support for ProRes, all thanks updated Media Engine. The chipset also supports 8K H.264 and HEVC videos along with a support 6K external display support, which is also present in Apple M1.
The Apple M2 also features a better Neural Engine than the M1. The company has added a 16-core Neural Engine on the M2 that is capable of providing up to 15.8 trillion operations per second. For comparison, Apple M1 also has a 16-core Neural Engine, however, it can only provide 11 trillion operations per second. This simply means that the Apple M2 comes with a 40 per cent faster Neural Engine than M1.
The chipset also features a next-generation of Secure Enclave that provides an extra layer of security for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Lastly, the Apple M2 comes loaded with a new image signal processor (ISP) that delivers better image noise reduction as compared to the M1.
Apple M2 vs Apple M1: What’s the Difference?
To conclude, Apple M2 comes with some significant improvements over the Apple M1 chipset, though it is not something groundbreaking. The company has introduced a similar core architecture, though you still get better CPU performance, improved GPU, and other incremental upgrades that make it the right successor of the most popular M1 chipset. Moreover, the company is stressing on efficiency this time. Simply put, the new Apple M2 will deliver extended battery life and unparalleled performance when compared to the Intels and AMDs of the world. That being said, it is too early to predict the performance of Apple M2 and we might have to wait for some time to see the actual difference in the performance of Apple M2 and Apple M1.
What are your thoughts about the latest Apple M2 chipset? Do let us know in the comments.
