Apple refreshes 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac with M6 chip, starting at $1,999

What Apple announced

Apple has refreshed two of its computers with the M6 processor. The base 14-inch MacBook Pro replaces a model that ran the M5 chip from 2025, and the iMac replaces a model last updated in 2024 with the M4. The announcements came one day after Apple unveiled an OLED iPad mini starting at $699, according to 9to5Mac, and Apple later posted an advertisement for the laptop on its YouTube channel. Beyond the chip and wireless upgrades, the MacBook Pro keeps the design of its predecessor, with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI output, an SD card reader, a headphone jack and MagSafe charging. Both models ship with macOS 27 Golden Gate.

Chip and performance

The M6 gives the 14-inch MacBook Pro a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, two more cores of each than the M5 model it replaces. Every GPU core carries a Neural Accelerator, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine handles tasks such as image generation and photo enhancement. Apple claims graphics up to 30% faster than the M5 and AI tasks, such as running a large language model locally, up to 25% faster, while the Neural Engine is up to 1.9 times faster. Compared with the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 chip, Apple claims up to 11 times faster graphics and 13 times faster AI performance. All of these figures come from Apple's own testing, which also includes rendering a 3D scene in Blender and building an app in Xcode, each up to 1.3 times faster.

Shelly Goldberg, Apple's vice president of hardware engineering, framed the upgrade in these terms.

“With the powerful M6 chip, we're taking performance to the next level.”

Battery life reaches up to 24 hours, a runtime Apple describes as the longest it has offered on a Mac, and performance stays the same on battery power. A higher-wattage power adapter can charge the laptop to 50% in around 30 minutes.

Memory, storage and the iMac

The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts with 16GB of unified memory, with 24GB and 32GB options priced at $2,199 and $2,399. Only the 24GB and 32GB configurations reach 170GB/s of memory bandwidth, according to MacRumors reading Apple's tech specs page, while the 16GB base stays at 153GB/s, the same as the M5 model. Storage starts at 1TB, with 2TB and 4TB options.

16GB unified memory1,999

24GB unified memory2,199

32GB unified memory2,399

16GB unified memory

1999 USD

24GB unified memory

2199 USD

32GB unified memory

2399 USD

Data from the article text

The iMac comes in two versions. The top model uses the same fully enabled M6 as the MacBook Pro, while the base model has a cut-down chip with a 10-core CPU in a 2+3+5 layout and a 10-core GPU, both with Neural Accelerators and ray tracing. Both iMac models include a dual 16-core Neural Engine and the N1 networking chip, and both start with 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage. Apple does not list different bandwidth figures for the iMac, so the 16GB model is reportedly also rated at 170GB/s. A nano-texture display option is available on both the iMac and the MacBook Pro.

Prices and availability

10-core model1,499

12-core model1,699

10-core model

1499 USD

12-core model

1699 USD

Data from the article text

The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999, while the iMac starts at $1,499 for the 10-core model and $1,699 for the 12-core model. Pre-orders open on 28 October in 35 countries, and sales begin on 6 November. In Spain, El Periódico lists the laptop from 2,329 euros with the same release date. MacRumors notes that the M5 model launched at $1,599 with 512GB of storage, rose to $1,699 when Apple dropped that configuration in March, and climbed to $1,999 in June amid rising memory and storage costs. The M6 model keeps the $1,999 starting price.

Context for buyers

MacRumors says owners of the M5 model have little reason to upgrade, because the M6 adds no memory capacity, extra ports or longer battery life. The same outlet reports that a redesigned entry-level MacBook Pro with an M7 chip is planned for as early as the first half of 2027. ZDNET says Apple is likely to announce OLED touchscreen MacBooks at its 28 October "Pro and tell" event, and 9to5Mac describes the expected announcement of its first OLED MacBook Pro models with touchscreen support.