According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, mass production of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will begin in the fourth quarter of 2022.

In a tweet, Kuo stated that the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models might still use chips made using TSMC’s most recent 5nm process given that the company’s guidance indicated that 3nm chip production revenue won’t start until 2023. Kuo suggests that the chipsets of the disputed 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models may have been produced using the 5nm fabrication process, citing TSMC guidance that the 3nm chip will begin to contribute to the chipmaker’s revenue in the first half of 2023.

He claims that the “5nm advanced node” could be used in these MacBook models. This indicates that the M2 chip powering the MacBook Pro (2022) and MacBook Air (2022) will also be found inside these new laptops. According to reports, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) may start producing its new 3nm chips for Apple by the year’s end.

It implies that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops with potent M2 Pro chipsets will take a little longer to arrive. The chipsets are anticipated to perform better and use less energy as a result of TSMC switching from the 5nm fabrication process to the 3nm process. Additionally, Apple may use the new 3nm process for its M2 Pro chipsets, making it the first company to do so.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated last month that 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops with M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets would be released between the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2023. Gurman emphasised the difficulties in the supply chain at the time, saying that “it’s difficult to predict exactly when these will hit store shelves.” When Gurman claimed that Apple was working on a total of 9 desktops and laptops with different variations of the M2 processor, including the M2 Pro and M2 Max, the first information about the release of these laptops was made public earlier this year.

According to Kuo, the M2 Pro chip may be Apple’s first 3nm chip, which appears to be at odds with a report from Taiwan’s Commercial Times.

We’ll have to wait and see which Macs use 3nm chips first, even though the situation is currently unclear. It’s evident from reports that TSMC intends to start supplying Apple with 3nm chips soon.

The 5nm-based M1 Pro and M1 Max chip options are available in the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, which were introduced in October 2021.

Apple has already updated the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with more ports, a better display, and an improved webcam, so the overall shape and features are “likely to stay roughly the same.” The new models with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets, according to Gurman, will emphasise the graphics side.