Apple M1 vs. M2 chip: What’s the difference?

The switch from Intel CPUs to Apple Silicon began in 2020 when Apple released the M1 chip. This was the beginning of the changeover. This shift has reached a new level with the introduction of the M2 chip at the June 2022 WWDC event. The M2 chip will replace the M1 engine with some more advanced specifications.

Apple claims that the M2 chip gives the new 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 and MacBook Air 2022 an advantage over the M1-powered Mac series that was released in 2020, which received a lot of attention at the time. The M1 chip, without a shadow of a doubt, possesses excellent qualities. But the M2 chip is considerably more sophisticated and sharp than its predecessor!

Despite the fact that they have some things in common, there are significant differences between them. However, in order to keep up with the rest of the lesson, you should probably review what you need to know about the M1 chip before moving on.

The M1 chip versus the M2 chip used by Apple. What makes them unique from one another? Continue reading if you want to find out more.

A numerical breakdown of Apple’s M1 and M2 models

It is impossible to do the power of the duo justice without first addressing certain numbers and specifications. The table that follows provides a summary of the key distinctions that exist between Apple’s M1 and M2 semiconductors.

The M1 chip is more expensive than the M2 chip.

The M1-powered MacBook Air from 2020 has a starting price of $999, which is considerably less expensive than the M2-powered MacBook Air from 2022, which is scheduled to be released on the market in July 2022 with a beginning price of $1,199.

However, the M1-powered MacBooks come in a few different flavors, the most expensive of which is the M1 MacBook Pro, which retails for $1,299. Even worse, the purchase of a 16-inch MacBook Pro equipped with an M1 Max CPU will result in a loss of $2,499.

Undoubtedly, the M2 generation will also have its own unique varieties, and all you can do is anticipate that the cost of the most advanced model will get dangerously close to destroying your financial flexibility. Apple includes the M2 chip in the MacBook Pro in addition to the MacBook Air and the 2022 model of the MacBook Air (2022). When it is finally made available to the public in July of 2022, the Pro version will carry an initial price tag of $1,299.

As was the case with M1 MacBooks, you may anticipate that other M2 variations will be introduced in additional MacBooks as time passes.

Comparing the M1 and M2 chips with regard to their neural engines and secure enclaves

The new M2 processor from Apple combines the power of the next-generation neural engine with the secure enclave to accumulate an efficiency that puts it to a level of performance that is forty percent more effective than that of the M1 chip. The secure enclave is the primary encrypting unit in the M series and is present in all of Apple’s System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. Even in the M2 chip, this characteristic has not been altered.

The majority of people will agree that the M1’s ability to peak at 11 trillion total operations per second (TOPs) is sufficient to accomplish complicated computing jobs. [Citation needed] The fact that the M2 chip neural engine can handle up to 15.8 trillion TOPs, on the other hand, is extremely astounding. When using an M1 and an M2-powered MacBook at the same time, it will be impossible to ignore the significant performance and speed differences between the two machines.

GPU cores comparison

According to Apple, the graphic performance of the M2 processor is higher than that of the M1 chip by 25 percent and has the potential to peak at 35 percent higher. No, not without devoting far more effort. However, that is a huge step in the right direction.

The graphics processing unit (GPU) found in the M2 chip has ten cores, which is an increase of two over the GPU found in the M1 chip. It is reasonable to assert that the GPU found in the M2 is superior to the one found in the M1. In addition, in comparison to the M1’s 2.6 teraflops, the M2 processor is capable of delivering 3.6 teraflops at a texture filter rate of 111 gigatexels per second and a transmission rate of 55 gigapixels per second. All of these things bring the M2 chip in the MacBook to the forefront of the performance race.

M1 and M2 chips are examples of CPU cores.

The M1 utilizes a configuration of 4+4 CPU cores. The M2 chip hasn’t been updated to reflect this in any way, and the instruction and data caches on both configuration patches haven’t changed either. However, the M2 chip outperforms the M1 chip’s high-performance cores because to its enhanced shared caching capacity of 16 megabytes, while the M1 chip only had 12 megabytes.

They both have outstanding CPU cores, holding an average of 8 CPU cores between them, which is higher than what the majority of CPUs are able to provide. Even a processor with only two cores should be able to handle the majority of demanding jobs.

On the other hand, whereas the M1 chip has 16 billion transistors, the M2 chip has 20 billion transistors, which gives it the ability to expand to 10 cores with greater ease. It is indisputable that the M1 core is lightning fast in its present configuration; nevertheless, the M2 performs 18 percent quicker while consuming the same amount of power; this is a significant advancement.

Unified and powerful recollection

In contrast to the M1 chip, which is only capable of providing a memory bandwidth of 68GBps, the M2 processing unit is able to read and write data at a rate of 100GBps. A memory bandwidth that is nearly fifty percent quicker than the M1’s is something that should be showcased in a device.

In spite of the fact that there are presently two distinct iterations of the M2 chip, Apple is likely to release further models in the near future, given the company’s track record of consistently releasing newer versions of its products. As soon as Apple begins releasing M2 variants, you could be looking at a form of the M2 processor that is quite similar to the M1 Ultra. And there is no doubt that this will provide a significantly larger bandwidth compared to that of the M1 Ultra, which operates at 128GBps.

Even while the M1 chip currently has a 16GB unified memory capacity that is based on LPDDR4x, which is sufficient for the majority of labor-intensive operations, the M2 chip takes this further by increasing it to 24GB on an LPDDR5 memory interface. This results in a large decrease in latency and a reduction in power consumption, both of which are typical characteristics of LPDDR5.

The M1 chip uses less power than the M2 chip.

Both the M1 and the M2 chips have enhanced performance and speed when taking into account the specifications of the GPU and the CPU as a whole; however, this does not come at the expense of increased power consumption.

In addition, the ability to achieve maximum performance with a minimum amount of power consumption is not possessed by many processing units. In many respects, the M2 chip outperforms its predecessor, the M1 chip, despite having the same power consumption rate.

The overall power consumption rate of M1 and M2 does not differ significantly from one another in any major way. Nevertheless, despite all of the advances, it is encouraging to note that the M2 chip continues the power-saving legacy of the M series.

Which of Apple’s M1 or M2 chips is the better option for you?

When deciding between an M1 chip and an M2 chip, the answer to which is better for you depends on a few different criteria. However, I feel obligated to point out that despite the fact that the M2 chip is noticeably more powerful than the M1 chip, an M1 MacBook is not completely out of the running because it is still capable of handling difficult computing responsibilities.

Apple’s MacBooks equipped with either type of chip cost approximately the same amount of money. Most significantly, before you go for either chip, you should think about your wallet. If you want to get a feel for the power that Apple Silicon can provide, I’d argue that an M1 MacBook is still the way to go. If, on the other hand, you are interested in continuing your endeavor with the more recent and advanced technology of the M2 chip, my recommendation is not to delay.

It is preferable for a system’s performance to be able to substantiate its speed, however this is not always the case. The specifications of the M1 chip have, in point of fact, served as a model for high speed and enhanced performance in subsequent chips in the M series. The M2 chip is even more advanced than the M1 chip due to the fact that it has higher capabilities.

Go any questions or comments? Please share your thoughts with me in the comments box below.