Apple Announces New M2 Flagship Processor

Apple today unveiled its new M2 chip at its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference). After the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips, Apple is now all set to move on to a more powerful M2 chip, with big promises of performance improvements.

Like the original M1 chip, the new M2 uses Apple's custom Arm silicon and is based on a full 5nm process with 20 billion transistors, 25 percent more than the original M1. All of these transistors should boost performance, with Apple promising an 18 percent faster CPU and 35 percent faster GPU inside the M2 compared to the original M1.

That performance is apparently 1.9 times faster than the "latest 10-core PC laptop chip," according to Apple. To get better performance over the M1, Apple is using new performance and efficiency cores in the M2, along with 100 Gbps of memory bandwidth and 24 GB of unified memory, which is 50 percent more bandwidth than the M1. Apple is using four high-performance cores, with four high-efficiency cores in the M2, with a 16MB shared cache on the performance cores and a 4MB shared cache on the efficiency cores.

Apple's M2 also features a secure enclave and next-generation neural engine, and an updated media engine that supports 8K H.264 and HEVC video. In reality, this means that systems running M2 chips will be able to play multiple 4K and 8K video streams simultaneously.

The first Mac to get the M2 chip is one of Apple's most popular laptops, the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air's wedge shape has been swapped out for a slimmer profile this time around, and the M2-equipped laptop also comes with MagSafe charging. The new MacBook Air also comes with a larger 13.6-inch screen, a better camera, and promises 18-hour battery life.