Apple launches 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip and up to 24 hours of battery

What M6 brings to the 14-inch MacBook Pro

Apple says M6 combines a 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each core, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine and faster unified memory. The CPU and the GPU each have two more cores than before. Apple describes the CPU as having the world's fastest CPU core.

Compared with M5, the company claims the GPU delivers up to 30 percent faster graphics performance, helped by a third-generation ray-tracing engine and Dynamic Caching. On-device AI workloads such as LLM prompt processing run up to 25 percent faster, according to Apple. The Dual 16-core Neural Engine is said to be up to 1.9x faster than M5 and works with the GPU to speed up tasks like image generation, Super Resolution and AI upscaling. The Neural Engine also powers Apple Intelligence.

The machine comes with 16GB of unified memory as standard, configurable up to 32GB, and memory bandwidth of up to 170GB/s.

Performance claims against M1 and M5

Apple compares the new model with both the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 and the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5. All figures below are Apple's own claims:

• LLM prompt processing: up to 13x faster time to first token than M1, and up to 1.3x faster than M5.
• Blender ray tracing: up to 11.7x faster rendering than M1, and up to 1.3x faster than M5.
• Affinity image processing: up to 3.3x faster than M1, and up to 1.2x faster than M5.
• Xcode project builds: up to 2.5x faster than M1, and up to 1.3x faster than M5.

For users upgrading from M1 in general, Apple cites up to 11x faster graphics and up to 13x faster AI performance. The company says the chip lets users run LLMs locally while preserving user privacy, and use Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features across apps and macOS.

Display, connectivity and battery

The laptop adds Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, with support for up to two external displays. Ports include HDMI, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SDXC card slot and a headphone jack.

The Liquid Retina XDR display reaches up to 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and a nano-texture option is available to reduce reflections and glare. Other features include a 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, a three-mic array and a six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio.

Apple quotes up to 24 hours of battery life. For people coming from Intel-based Macs, that is up to 14 additional hours, and up to four more hours for those upgrading from M1. Fast charging reaches up to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a compatible higher-wattage USB-C adapter, such as the 96W Power Adapter. The enclosure is made from 100 percent recycled aluminum.

Availability and what it means for buyers

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 comes in space black and silver. Pre-orders began on October 28, and availability starts Friday, November 6. The source does not list prices. It ships alongside macOS 27.

Apple is aiming the laptop at college students, business users, creators and developers, and pitches it as a strong upgrade for owners of Intel-based Macs and M1 models. Those users also get 16GB of starting memory, an additional Thunderbolt port and a space black finish with an anodization seal for fewer fingerprints, according to Apple. Shelly Goldberg, Apple's vice president of Hardware Engineering, said the laptop "delivers a fantastic combination of performance, capability, and value."