2020 MacBook Pro 16” vs. M2 MacBook Pro 16”: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between 2020 MacBook Pro 16” and M2 MacBook Pro 16” specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

2020 MacBook Pro 16” Pros

Reasons that 2020 MacBook Pro 16” is better than M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to AMD Radeon Pro 5600M 8GB HBM2 vs. integrated

About 9% lighter

The 2020 MacBook Pro 16” weighed 4.3 pounds, 9% lighter than the 4.7 pounds M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

Weight2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Pound
4.3 lbs.
4.7 lbs.
Kilogram
1.95 kg
2.13 kg

M2 MacBook Pro 16” Pros

Reasons that M2 MacBook Pro 16” is better than 2020 MacBook Pro 16”.

Significantly newer manufacturing

2023 vs. 2020

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) inside M2 MacBook Pro 16” has a 135% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-9980HK inside 2020 MacBook Pro 16”.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
14,899
2020 MacBook Pro 16” - Intel Core i9-9980HK
6,504
2020 MacBook Pro 16” - Intel Core i9-9880H
6,100
2020 MacBook Pro 16” - Intel Core i7-9750H
4,880
Supports larger memory

M2 MacBook Pro 16” supports a larger memory capacity than the 2020 MacBook Pro 16”. It supports up to 96GB versus 64GB of system memory on the 2020 MacBook Pro 16”.

Max system memory size
M2 MacBook Pro 16”
96 GB
2020 MacBook Pro 16”
64 GB

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

2020 MacBook Pro 16” Price
Late 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 (16 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 (16 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$654.00
2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$758.41
2020 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.0GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (Renewed)
2020 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.0GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$609.00
$679.00 10% OFF
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Price
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (14-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (14-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$1,449.51
$1,529.00 5% OFF
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$1,979.00
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver
By Apple
$1,999.99
$2,499.00 20% OFF

Availability

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Released20202023
Release Date
  • Announced in June 2020.
  • Available in June 2020.
  • Announced on January 17, 2023.
Available on January 24, 2023.
Pricing
  • $2,399 - Intel Core i7 | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD | Radeon 5300M 4GB
  • $2,799 - Intel Core i7 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD | Radeon 5500M 4GB
  • $2,499
    M2 Pro 12-Core CPU 19-Core GPU 16GB 512GB
  • $2,699
    M2 Pro 12-Core CPU 19-Core GPU 16GB 1TB
  • $3,299
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 30-Core GPU 32GB 1TB
  • $3,899
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 1TB
  • $4,299
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 2TB
  • $4,899
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 4TB
  • $6,099
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 8TB
  • $6,499
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 96GB 8TB
Generations

Exterior

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Dimensions
  • Height: 0.64 inch (1.62 cm)
  • Width: 14.09 inches (35.79 cm)
  • Depth: 9.68 inches (24.59 cm)
  • Height: 0.66 inch (1.68 cm)
  • Width: 14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
  • Depth: 9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
WeightStarting at 4.3 pounds (2.0 kg)
  • 4.7 pounds (2.15 kg)
    M2 Pro models.
  • 4.8 pounds (2.16 kg)
    M2 Max models.
Colors
Space Gray Silver
Space Gray Silver
Keyboard and TrackpadBacklit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 65 (U.S.) or 66 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys in an inverted‑T arrangement
  • Touch Bar
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure‑sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure‑sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
Backlit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
  • Touch ID
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Display

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Size16 Inches16.2 Inches
InfoRetina display
  • 16‑inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit display with IPS technology; 3072‑by‑1920 native resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 2048 by 1280
    • 1792 by 1120
    • 1344 by 840
    • 1152 by 720
  • 500 nits brightness
  • Wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology
  • Refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz
  • Liquid Retina XDR display
    • 16.2-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina XDR display;10 3456-by-2234 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch
  • XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range)
    • Up to 1000 nits sustained (full-screen) brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness
    • 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
    • Color
      1 billion colors Wide color (P3) True Tone technology
  • Refresh rates
    • ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz
    • Fixed refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz

Ports

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) ports with support for:
  • Charging
  • DisplayPort
  • Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s)
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)
Left (4)
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Left
Image Source: Apple
  • 1 x power port
    MagSafe 3
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Charging
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Right
Image Source: Apple
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Charging
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.1, 8K@60Hz, 4K@240Hz

Internal Specs

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Processor
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.50 GHz,
  2. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
Integrated Graphics
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
  1. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    Apple M2 Pro iGPU
    19 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  2. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    30 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
Memory
16GB 32GB 64GB
2666MHz DDR4 onboard memory
16GB 32GB 64GB 96GB
Unified Memory
Discrete Graphics
  • AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory (20 CUs)
  • AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory (24 CUs)
  • AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory (24 CUs)
New
  • AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory (40 CUs)
-
Storage
512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
SSD
512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
SSD

Connectivity

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 5.3 wireless technology

Battery

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Size100 Wh lithium‑polymer battery100 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 11 hours wireless web
  • Up to 11 hours Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
  • Up to 15 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 22 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply96W USB‑C Power Adapter140W USB‑C Power Adapter 
Charging up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with included USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable.

Software

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
OSShipped with macOS CatalinaShipped with macOS Ventura
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player

Camera & Audio

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera1080p FaceTime HD camera 
Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
Audio
  • High‑fidelity six‑speaker system with force‑cancelling woofers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Dolby Atmos playback
  • Studio‑quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for spatial audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers
  • Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max
  • Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones

Misc

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Sensors
  • Touch ID sensor
Touch ID sensor
Security
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box
  • 16‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 96W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
  • 16‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 140W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
WarrantyYour MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one‑year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.Your MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage every 12 months, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
MoreVideo Support
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
    • Up to two displays with 6016‑by‑3384 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors or
    • Up to four displays with 4096‑by‑2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
Display Supports
  • M2 Pro
    • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
    • Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, or one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI
    • One external display supported at 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display at 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI
  • M2 Max
    • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
    • Up to four external displays: Up to three external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI
    • Up to three external displays: Up to two external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display with 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI
  • Thunderbolt 4 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • HDMI digital video output
    • Support for one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz

Key Features

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”
At Glance
Released in
2020
16:10 Retina
16”
1920p 60Hz
Weight
4.3 lb
1.95 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,114
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,504
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Configurable up to
64GB
2666 MHz DDR4
AMD
Radeon Pro 5600M
8GB HBM2
Released in Early
2023
16:10 XDR
16.2”
2234p 120Hz
Weight
4.7 lb
2.13 kg
Up to
Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
12C/12T, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz
Geekbench 5
2,075
Single Core
Geekbench 5
15,305
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M2 Max iGPU
38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores
Configurable up to
96GB
LPDDR5 Memory
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Left
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Right

Comparison Summary

2020 MacBook Pro 16” vs. M2 MacBook Pro 16”

Apple has released the MacBook Pro 16”, a 16-inch machine, in 2020. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-9980HK with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB HBM2.

On the other hand, we have the 16.2-inch M2 MacBook Pro 16” was introduced by Apple about three years later in early-2023. It comes with up to 12-core Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) with a boost clock speed up to 3.70 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Apple M2 Max iGPU (38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

2020 MacBook Pro 16”1
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H1,04450.31%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H1,06651.37%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK1,11453.69%
M2 MacBook Pro 16”1
Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)1,94393.64%
2
Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)2,075100.00%
3
Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)2,075100.00%
02,075

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

2020 MacBook Pro 16”1
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H4,88031.89%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H6,10039.86%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK6,50442.50%
M2 MacBook Pro 16”1
Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)14,89997.35%
2
Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)15,305100.00%
3
Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)15,305100.00%
015,305

The 2020 MacBook Pro 16” has a 16-inch display which is quite similar size to the 16.2-inch M2 MacBook Pro 16”. In addition, The 2020 MacBook Pro 16” weighs 4.3 lbs. about 9% lighter than the 4.7 lbs. M2 MacBook Pro 16”. Moreover, measured at 14.09” x 9.68” x 0.64”, the 2020 MacBook Pro 16” is slightly more portable than the M2 MacBook Pro 16” at 14.01” x 9.77” x 0.66”.

2020 MacBook Pro 16”M2 MacBook Pro 16”

Moving over to upgradability, you can't make any upgrades on both devices. All major components including memory and storage are soldered on to the motherboard. So make sure you get the specs that work best for your current and future workload.

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