Mac Studio gets updated with powerful M2 Max and M2 Ultra processors

Despite previous rumors that Apple would not update the Mac Studio, the company has used WWDC 2023 to unveil a new model. It had been speculated that the original Mac Studio was a stopgap while Apple worked on the Mac Pro, but this release means it will remain part of the Mac lineup.

The original Mac Studio was released in March 2022 in configurations with an M1 Max or an M1 Ultra processor. This new refresh offers M2 Max and M2 Ultra.

Speaking of the M2 Max, Apple's Jennifer Munn, Director, Engineering Program Management, said it is a "performance powerhouse."

"Developers can build new versions of apps at warp speed, with up to 25% faster performance than M1 Max," she said. "Motion Graphics designers using After Effects can render up to 50% Faster than M1 Max."

"Mac Studio with M2 Max is also four times faster than the most powerful Intel-based iMac," she continued.

Apple has announced that the newly updated Mac Studio starts at $1,999. Pre-orders start today, and shipping begins next week.

Mac Studio gains M2 Ultra

"It doubles the performance of M2 Macs," she said. "The 24-core CPU and M2 Ultra delivers 20% faster performance than M1 Ultra, and its 76-core GPU is 30% faster than M1 Ultra. Finally, the 32 core neural engine is 40% faster."

"And M2 Ultra can support and enormous 192GB of unified memory, which is 50% more than M1 Ultra," she continued, "enabling it to do things other chips just can't do."

"The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro with Apple silicon are the two most powerful Macs we've ever made," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "Mac Studio has been a breakthrough for pros everywhere, and it's at the heart of hundreds of thousands of home and pro studios across the world."

Apple says that the new Mac Studio with M2 Max renders After Effects up to 50% faster than the original Mac Studio. Apple's Xcode can build new versions of their apps with 25% faster performance, too.

With the M2 Ultra, Apple says the Mac Studio offers twice the performance of the M2 Max "and is Apple's largest and most capable system on a chip (SoC) ever."

Comparing the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra to the new Mac Studio with M2 Ultra, Apple claims that Octane 3D images render up to three times faster. In addition, colorists in DaVinci Resolve will see up to 50% faster video processing.

Mac Studio connectivity

The new Mac Studio with M2 Max "now has higher-bandwidth HDMI," says Apple, "enabling up to 8K resolution and 240Hz frame rates."

With the M2 Ultra, Mac Studio can drive up to six Pro Display XDRs. It also comes with Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.