LOS ANGELES—In its deluge of updates during the lead-up to Wednesday’s “Pro and Tell” event, Apple threw the 14-inch MacBook Pro a bone, upgrading it to the M6 processor. Apple didn’t do much else to it, though. Using the same chassis and screen as before, this new MacBook Pro requires you to dig to find what’s truly changed.
Luckily, you have me to grab a shovel and figure that out for you. (Note: This machine is not to be confused with the new M5-based, touch-screen MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, which was announced as well, and comes in 14-inch and 16-inch versions.) I got to handle the laptop for a bit at Apple’s Wednesday launch event for all its new computing hardware, and sifted through the announcement and online store materials to pinpoint the 14-inch MacBook Pro’s additions, big and small.
(Credit: Joe Osborne)
Here’s my takeaway: Unless you’re using a much older pro-grade Apple laptop, you can probably put the credit card away. Here’s why.
Design and Display: The Same 14-Inch MacBook Pro on the Outside
Apple changed nothing about the MacBook Pro’s design with the M6 update, so I’ll keep this brief. It’s still a 14.2-inch laptop that weighs just 3.4 pounds and measures only 0.61 inch thick.
The laptop still comes with Apple’s Liquid Retina XDR display, a 3,024-by-1,964-pixel panel that measures 254 pixels per inch, using mini LED technology for the pixel layer. It still has the extreme dynamic range support (hence XDR) contributing to a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. And it supports up to 1,000 nits of brightness across all content types (and 1,600 nits over HDR), as well as the 120Hz refresh rate dubbed ProMotion by Apple. You can also still configure the screen with Apple’s nano-texture finish for glare reduction.
(Credit: Joe Osborne)
Above the display, you’ll find the 12MP Center Stage camera, which returns with a 1080p recording resolution and Desk View support. Finally, the port layout remains the same: three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SDXC card slot, an HDMI out, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe 3 charging port. It also still comes in the basic, professional-coded Space Black and silver color options.
(Credit: Joe Osborne)
(Credit: Joe Osborne)
Specs Check: Now More Potent on the Inside
This is where Apple focused its energy with this update: It’s all about the power. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro packs the full-fat M6 processor, with no dialed-down, lesser option like the latest M6 iMac gets in its base model. That means it’s a 12-core part both on the CPU and GPU. The CPU contains two super cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores, while the GPU runs on 12 cores total, with Neural Accelerators.
The new chip is, according to Apple, 1.3x faster than the M5 model in Blender 3D model rendering and 1.2x faster in Affinity photo editing. As for graphics, Apple’s announcement lists a 30% speed jump from M5 to M6 for the MacBook Pro. These are small-potatoes boosts for someone who might have just bought an M5 MacBook Pro, admittedly (except maybe the graphics jump).
This is the same M6 processor you’ll find in the basic Apple Mac mini, which is also fan-cooled. The M6 chip brings an updated Neural Engine coprocessor for handling local AI tasks, this time with its own core count doubled from 16 to 32. This should show a marked increase in AI processing speeds compared with previous versions of the coprocessor—a 1.9x improvement, by Apple’s measure.
The M6 processor is the first on Apple’s 2-nanometer lithography process, bringing greater transistor density while increasing overall core counts versus the outgoing M5 model. (That’s a 10-core CPU and GPU, for those keeping score.)
(Credit: Apple)
Just like the previous generation, Apple claims that the newest MacBook Pro with M6 can last for up to 24 hours on a charge. We affirmed this claim in our battery rundown test for the M5 model, and expect to achieve the same this time.
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Apple also updated the MacBook Pro’s wireless capabilities via the fresh N1 chip, bumping up the laptop to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 for the fastest internet and device connectivity you can currently enjoy.
My Early Verdict for Upgraders…
It’s tough to recommend upgrading your M5 MacBook Pro to the M6 model at this time. This is when Apple’s top-notch engineering quality and silicon development, in a sense, work against it. Apple would surely love for you to buy a new MacBook Pro every year, but at these prices, not to mention this level of performance, it just doesn’t make sense for most people.
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However, if your MacBook Pro is significantly older than this (say, running on an M3 processor or older), you might have a better reason to take the plunge. The comparisons only get better for the latest MacBook Pro the further back you go.
Wherever you land on this buying spectrum, check back for our fully tested review of the M6 MacBook Pro in the coming weeks to make an even more informed decision regarding your next big laptop purchase. You can preorder the new 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro now; regular sales begin on Nov. 6.
About Our Expert
Joe Osborne
Deputy Managing Editor, Hardware
Experience
After starting my career at PCMag as an intern 16 years ago, I’m back as one of its editors, focused on managing laptops, desktops, and components coverage. With more than 15 years of experience, I have been on staff and published in technology review publications, including PCMag (of course!), Laptop Magazine, Tom’s Guide, TechRadar, and IGN. Along the way, I’ve tested and reviewed hundreds of laptops and helped develop testing protocols. I have expertise in testing all forms of laptops and desktops using the latest tools. I’m also well-versed in video game hardware and software coverage.
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