CHIP COMPARISON
M6 vs M5: At a glance
See how the new M6 chip compares with the previous-generation M5.
The new M6 takes the 14-inch MacBook Pro further with more CPU and GPU cores, a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine and faster unified memory. Here's how the new chip compares with M5.
| Feature |
14-inch MacBook Pro with M6
|
14-inch MacBook Pro with M5
|
|---|---|---|
| CPU |
12-core CPU 2 additional cores |
10-core CPU |
| CPU performance |
World’s fastest CPU core Faster single- and multithreaded performance |
Previous-generation performance |
| GPU |
12-core GPU Neural Accelerators in every core |
10-core GPU Neural Accelerators |
| Graphics performance |
Up to 30% faster Than M5 |
Previous-generation performance |
| Neural Engine |
Dual 16-core Neural Engine Up to 1.9x faster than M5 |
16-core Neural Engine |
| AI performance |
Up to 25% faster On-device AI workloads |
Previous-generation performance |
| Memory bandwidth | Up to 170GB/s | Up to 153GB/s |
| Process technology | 2-nanometre process | 3-nanometre process |
| Ray tracing |
Hardware-accelerated Faster rendering and graphics |
Hardware-accelerated |
| Unified memory |
16GB standard Configurable up to 32GB |
16GB standard Configurable up to 32GB |
| Availability | Available from 6 November | Available now |
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro brings Apple’s M6 chip to its compact Pro lineup, delivering a major boost in performance, AI and connectivity. With a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, it makes everything from everyday productivity to demanding creative and professional workflows feel faster and more responsive.
Compared with M5, graphics performance is up to 30% faster, while AI workloads are up to 25% faster. And for anyone upgrading from an M1 Mac, the difference is even bigger, with up to 11x faster graphics and up to 13x faster AI performance.
M6 also brings Neural Accelerators to every GPU core and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, giving the 14-inch MacBook Pro even more capability for on-device AI. From Apple Intelligence and Siri AI to running large language models locally, there’s plenty of power to explore while keeping your data private.
Add Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, faster storage and up to 24 hours of battery life, and the new 14-inch MacBook Pro is ready for long days of work, creativity and everything in between.
Pre-orders begin Wednesday, 28 October, with availability from Friday, 6 November.
“The 14-inch MacBook Pro is the pro laptop of choice for a wide range of users — from college students, to business professionals across every industry, to multidisciplinary creators doing it all on one device. With the powerful M6 chip, we’re taking performance to the next level, with a boost in CPU speed and graphics and even more powerful capabilities for on-device AI. With its amazing battery life, remarkable Liquid Retina XDR display, and even faster connectivity, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 delivers a fantastic combination of performance, capability, and value.”
Shelly Goldberg, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 combines next-generation performance and powerful on-device AI in a portable design, empowering students, creatives, developers, and business professionals to take their workflows anywhere.
More Power for Demanding Work
M6 gives the 14-inch MacBook Pro a significant performance boost, with a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, Neural Accelerators in every GPU core, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine and faster unified memory. The result is a MacBook Pro that feels quick and responsive, whether you’re multitasking, creating or working with AI.
The 12-core CPU adds two cores compared with M5, helping everything from compiling code and working across multiple apps to more demanding creative projects feel faster. The 12-core GPU also gains two additional cores, delivering up to 30% faster graphics performance than M5. With a third-generation ray-tracing engine and Dynamic Caching, demanding tasks such as 3D modelling, photo editing and gaming get an extra boost.
M6 makes the 14-inch MacBook Pro faster than ever, thanks to a powerful 12-core CPU, advanced 12-core GPU, and Dual 16-core Neural Engine.
AI performance gets a major upgrade too. M6 delivers up to 25% faster on-device AI workloads than M5, while the Dual 16-core Neural Engine is up to 1.9x faster. Together with the GPU, it can accelerate tasks such as image generation, Super Resolution and AI upscaling, while also powering Apple Intelligence directly on the Mac.
All this performance is backed by up to 24 hours of battery life, giving the 14-inch MacBook Pro the longest battery life ever in a Mac. With 16GB of unified memory as standard, configurable to 32GB, and memory bandwidth of up to 170GB/s, it has the headroom to handle demanding apps, large projects and intensive multitasking with ease.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 helps motion designers model 3D objects, design product visualisations, and render animations with ease.
M6 performance in real-world tasks
The jump to M6 isn’t just about specifications. Here’s how the new 14-inch MacBook Pro performs across AI, creative work, 3D rendering and development:
- Up to 1.3x faster LLM prompt processing than the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5, helping AI models respond more quickly.
- Up to 1.3x faster ray-traced rendering in Blender than M5, giving 3D artists and designers more power for demanding projects.
- Up to 1.2x faster image processing in Affinity than M5, speeding up intensive creative workflows.
- Up to 1.3x faster project builds in Xcode than M5, helping developers compile and test code more quickly.
For those upgrading from a 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1, the difference is even greater, with performance up to 13x faster for LLM prompt processing, 11.7x faster for ray-traced Blender rendering, 3.3x faster for image processing in Affinity and 2.5x faster for compiling projects in Xcode.
Film editors and content creators can quickly and efficiently composite visual effects and add cinematic motion graphics in popular video editing tools on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6.
More Than Just a Performance Upgrade
M6 brings the biggest changes under the hood, but the new 14-inch MacBook Pro has plenty more to offer. From its impressive battery life and Liquid Retina XDR display to versatile connectivity and an upgraded camera, it’s designed to handle demanding days from start to finish.
Up to 24 hours of battery life: Get through a full day and beyond without reaching for the charger. Battery life is up to four hours longer for users coming from M1, while Intel-based upgraders can get up to 14 additional hours.
A display made for detail: The Liquid Retina XDR display delivers up to 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, giving photos, video and other HDR content incredible depth. A nano-texture option is also available to help reduce reflections in brighter environments.
Plenty of ways to connect: Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 provide fast, reliable wireless connectivity, while three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, MagSafe 3, an SDXC card slot and a headphone jack make it easy to build the setup you need. You can also connect up to two external displays.
Better calls, better sound: The 12MP Center Stage camera keeps you in frame during video calls and supports Desk View, while the three-mic array and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio deliver impressive audio for calls, films and music.
Fast charging when you need it: A compatible higher-wattage USB-C power adapter can take MacBook Pro to up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes, giving you a useful boost when you're short on time.
Built for the long haul: The MacBook Pro enclosure uses 100% recycled aluminium, combining the durability you'd expect from a Pro machine with Apple's ongoing focus on more responsible materials.
Works brilliantly with iPhone: With Continuity, your MacBook Pro and iPhone work seamlessly together. Share files and photos, hand off tasks and even control your iPhone from your Mac. Moving to Mac for the first time is easy too, with iPhone helping transfer settings, files, photos and more.
The brilliant Liquid Retina XDR display delivers up to 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. HDR photos and videos look more true to life with deep blacks, brilliant highlights, and vibrant colors.
Designed with the environment in mind
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 is designed with Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030 in mind. It contains 45% recycled content overall, including 100% recycled aluminium in the enclosure and 100% recycled cobalt in the battery. It also marks a first for Apple, using 100% recycled tantalum in multiple capacitors.
The new MacBook Pro is manufactured using 60% renewable electricity across its supply chain, including energy from wind and solar. It’s designed to be durable and repairable, while meeting Apple’s standards for energy efficiency and safe chemistry.
As with other Apple products, the packaging is made from 100% fibre-based materials and is designed to be recycled.