Apple today (October 27) dropped another Mac new-product bombshell after the iPad mini: the 14-inch MacBook Pro gets the all-new M6 chip, touting a major performance leap, on-device AI, and up to 24 hours of battery life. Orders open October 29, launch November 6, and the Taiwan price starts at NT$64,900. On the same day, the iMac also gets the M6, completing the entry-level Pro lineup across desktops and laptops in one go.
MacBook Pro M6: 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, built on 2nm
The new MacBook Pro is equipped with the M6 processor, which already debuted in the Mac mini in August. The CPU has a 12-core configuration consisting of 2 super cores, 4 performance cores, and 6 efficiency cores, two more cores than the M5. Apple claims its single-threaded performance is the fastest in the world, and its multi-threaded performance is up to 1.2 times that of the M5 and 2.4 times that of the M1. The GPU has also increased from 10 cores in the M5 to 12 cores, and each core has a built-in neural network accelerator. Official figures show that the 12-core GPU delivers up to 30% faster graphics processing than the M5 and up to 25% faster AI task processing. The M6 also introduces a third-generation ray tracing engine and dynamic caching technology to optimize memory usage efficiency within the chip.
The changes to AI computing are the most significant. The M6 features dual 16-core Neural Engines, for a total of 32 cores, with peak compute up to 2x that of previous generations. Paired with the GPU’s neural accelerator, Apple claims on-device AI workload performance is up to 25% higher than M5, and the Neural Engine itself delivers up to 1.9x the performance. This compute can run large language models locally, without sending data to the cloud.
Memory bandwidth has also been increased. The standard model comes with 16GB of unified memory, configurable up to 32GB, with bandwidth up to 170GB/s, about 10% higher than the M5’s 153GB/s.
Official figures: a slight win over the M5, a big jump over the M1.
This performance comparison, as usual, is split between two audiences. For M5 users, it’s a modest upgrade: on-device AI workloads (such as LLM prompt processing) are 25% faster, the dual 16-core Neural Engine is up to 1.9x faster, Blender ray-traced rendering is 1.3x faster, Xcode project compilation is 1.3x faster, and Affinity image processing is 1.2x faster.
For M1 users, this alone is reason enough to upgrade: graphics performance up to 11x (11.7x measured in Blender ray-traced rendering), AI performance up to 13x (LLM first-token generation speed), Xcode compilation 2.5x, and Affinity image processing 3.3x.
24-hour battery life, the longest ever in a Mac
The most eye-catching number on the spec sheet is the battery. Up to 24 hours of battery life is the longest ever on a Mac, 14 hours more than switching from an Intel model and 4 hours more than upgrading from an M1. Fast charging is included too: with a 96W-class USB-C adapter, it can charge to 50% in 30 minutes. Memory starts at 16GB and can be configured up to 32GB, with 170GB/s bandwidth, 10% more than M5.
The body is unchanged, and the interface stays the same.
The exterior and interface carry over unchanged from the current design: Liquid Retina XDR display, 1600 nits peak HDR brightness, 1,000,000:1 contrast, with optional nano-texture glass; the Space finish uses an anodized sealing process to reduce fingerprints. Ports are laid out in a row: three Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, MagSafe 3, an SDXC card slot, and a headphone jack; it supports two external displays, and wireless is upgraded to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Video features a 12MP Center Stage camera (with Desk View support), a three-microphone array, and a six-speaker spatial audio system. It ships with macOS 27 (internal codename Golden Gate), and Apple Intelligence and Siri AI-related features are included.
Pricing and availability: orders open October 29.
Starting October 29 Taiwan time, customers in 35 countries and regions, including the United States, can order through the Apple Store; starting Friday, November 6, deliveries will begin and the product will go on sale at Apple retail stores and authorized resellers. Pricing From NT$64,900Education pricing starts at NT$61,900; U.S. pricing starts at US$1,999, with education pricing starting at US$1,899. There is also an Apple Upgrade leasing plan starting at US$38.99 per month (36-month term, excluding taxes and trade-in credits). You can also trade in your current device through Apple Trade In. Education pricing is available year-round to currently enrolled and newly admitted college students and educators.
Also showing: iMac M6 gets an internal overhaul at no price increase
The desktop side hasn’t been idle either. The 24-inch iMac gets the M6 as well, with the exterior and display unchanged—purely an internal overhaul: compared with the previous M4 model, the CPU is 40% faster, graphics 2x, storage speed 2x, and AI performance 5x; the CPU and GPU go from up to 10 cores to 12 cores, and the Neural Engine goes from 16 cores to dual 16 cores.
The connectivity specs are also fully upgraded: a built-in N1 wireless chip (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6; the previous generation had Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3), 2.5Gb Ethernet (wired speeds up to 2.5x), and memory bandwidth increased from 120GB/s to 170GB/s. The key point is the starting price of $1,499, exactly the same as the previous generation, bucking the recent wave of price increases and holding prices steady.
Summary
The positioning of this update is clear: the chassis stays the same, the ports stay the same, and it simply packs in a 2nm M6 and a larger battery, turning the 14-inch MacBook Pro into an “entry-level AI Pro laptop.” It has limited appeal for M5 users, but for M1 or even Intel users, 11x graphics, 13x AI, and 24-hour battery life together pack a strong punch. As for the rumored OLED display and touch redesign, the main act is still to come—the October 28 “Pro and Tell” event is the real highlight. For buying advice, here’s a simple criterion: for M1 users, this jump is one of the more noticeable ones across generations, and you won’t regret switching; for M5 users, all the official comparisons fall between 1.2x and 1.9x, so it’s more practical to wait for the redesign before deciding. If you want to get the current chassis plus the new chip first, remember to order online on October 29.
Source: KOCPC Chinese