Apple’s M2 chip didn’t turn a lot of heads it was unveiled at WWDC on June 6, but that was just a taste of something better. A new 3nm M2 Pro chip is rumored to be in the works, and we could see it as early as the fall.
An M2 Pro chip and an M3 chip are in the works, according to an industry publication DigiTimes† They are 3nm in size and TSMC won the contract from Samsung to produce the latest Apple silicone. DigiTimes reports that the 3nm M2 chip will be rolled out in October with updated MacBook Pros.
Apple unveiled the M2 chip at WWDC on June 6, and it was the same 5nm as the M1 chip of 2020. However, according to industry journalist Mark Gurman, a 3nm M2 Pro chip and an M2 Max chip will appear in several new Mac computers later this year.
- 14-inch M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro
- 16-inch M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro
- an M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme MacBook Pro
- a new Mac Mini Pro with an M2 Pro in it
Gurman also reported that a 3nm M2 chip will most likely appear in a mixed reality headset† He said the device will include 16GB of RAM and will run on a new operating system Apple calls realityOS.
A 3nm chip offers better performance for much less power. It means Apple could potentially reduce the overall size of its MacBooks without sacrificing power or the need for better thermals.
YouTuber Vadim Yuryev, who hosts the Max Tech channel, also has information that the M2 Pro will be 3nm. However, Yuryev believes that Apple will release a 3nm M2 only in the spring of 2023.
“A 12-month cycle literally doesn’t give Apple enough time in the supply chain to update every Mac every year.” He said in a long Tweet thread† “They won’t be able to keep up with every other model.”
An 18-month cycle allows Apple to keep things interesting and keep everyone on their toes in terms of which models will be upgraded and when. This perpetuates the YouTube/Twitter rumor cycle, which is free marketing for Apple and exciting for consumers.
13/14— Vadim Yuryev (@VadimYuryev) June 21, 2022
Yuryev believes we’ll see a 3nm M2 Pro chip sometime in early 2023, and Apple will stick with a 5nm M2 into the fall. However, the DigiTimes report says Apple has something better for 2023.
According to DigiTimes, the M3 will most likely debut in Apple’s 2023 Mac lineup. DigiTimes also said the 3nm M3 chip will arrive in iPhones at the same time. According to the report, production at the Fab 18 foundry in Taiwan has just started and won’t reach scale until later this year. In any case, do not expect an M3 chip soon.
For now, we’ll wait and see when Apple will unveil its 3nm M2 Pro chip.
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