M2 MacBook Air throttles worse than M1 for 4K ProRes.

Yes, the M2 MacBook Air thermal throttles more aggressively than the M1 during sustained 4K ProRes video editing, and in long exports the M1 can actually hold a higher average performance.

The problem is the M2’s design trade-off. Apple gave it a bigger, faster chip but stuck with the same fanless chassis. The M2 runs hotter because it has more transistors and a higher peak clock, but the thermal dissipation is no better than the M1 Air. So when you’re scrubbing timelines or rendering a 10-minute 4K ProRes file, the M2 hits 108°C quickly and throttles hard, often dropping clocks below the M1’s sustained level.

Real-world tests (Max Tech, ArtIsRight) show the M1 Air staying around 2.4–2.6 GHz sustained while the M2 can dip to 1.8–2.0 GHz after