The MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is more affordable and offers great portability with its fanless design for silent operation and a long battery life, making it well-suited for general use and everyday tasks. The MacBook Pro 14 (2023), though more expensive, has a larger, higher-resolution, and faster-refresh-rate Mini LED screen, more powerful M2 Pro processor with better graphics, increased memory and storage, higher performance for 3D, machine learning, and engineering, and superior speakers and webcam but has a shorter battery life and is heavier, which might slightly diminish its portability. If your budget allows and you need higher performance for intensive tasks or content creation, the MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is a better choice, whereas for general use, with a focus on portability and passive operation, the MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is very capable. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022)
Best in class battery life
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
20.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
13.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.0/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) offers better 3D performance than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) primarily because it has a more powerful GPU which is very important for 3D tasks, and additionally, it features a higher screen refresh rate which enhances visual fluidity. Although both models have high-quality displays, the MacBook Pro 14's combination of a superior GPU and higher refresh rate makes it better suited for tasks that demand more graphical processing power, such as 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) surpasses the MacBook Pro 13 (2022) in engineering and design primarily because it has a more powerful CPU and GPU, along with double the RAM, which are very important for demanding tasks such as 3D modeling or simulation work. Furthermore, the MacBook Pro 14 features a higher-resolution Mini LED screen that offers better color accuracy and contrast, enhancing visual detail for intricate design work, although this model is slightly heavier and has a shorter battery life, impacting its portability.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.8/10
8.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
9.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.2in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) stands out with its superior screen resolution and brightness over the 2022 model, ensuring crisp text and vibrant images. When evaluating their suitability for engineering and design, both MacBooks deliver excellent color accuracy, covering a wide spectrum of Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, but the MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has an edge with a display that's more finely tuned to these standards. However, neither are optimal for 3D work due to their screens' standard refresh rates, which do not match the smoother visuals offered by laptops with higher refresh rates that are ideal for 3D applications.
Battery
20.0 Hours
13.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Cost
$1,219
$1,695
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has a price of $1,219 and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) costs $1,695.
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) or the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023)
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
116,295
Recommendations made
25,198
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.