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Apple's OLED MacBook Pro adds touch at $2,899, while the M6 model stays at $1,999
Apple's entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro keeps its 2021 chassis and gains an M6 chip at $1,999, while the new OLED touchscreen models start at $2,899. Both are out on 6 November, and reviewers say the touch feature adds less than its price suggests.
AI text based on reports by lastampa.it, The Verge, engadget and other publishers. Published . How it is made
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In brief
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 starts at $1,999 with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, with a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, up from 10 and 10 on the M5.
The 14-inch PROLED XDR model costs $900 more than the standard MacBook Pro, and the 16-inch model starts at $3,399, with up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness.
The 14-inch model weighs 3 pounds and the 16-inch model 4 pounds, down from 4.7 pounds on the previous 16-inch model, with the 14-inch's prior weight given as 3.5 or 3.7 pounds depending on the review.
Apple says the M6 is twice as fast as the M5 at AI tasks, and it puts 3D rendering at 11.7 times the M1 MacBook Pro's speed against 9.2 times for the M5.
Two models, one release date
Apple is pairing a refreshed entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip against a new laptop called the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, which Apple unveiled shortly before 5 November. Both are scheduled for release on 6 November. The M6 model was briefly announced in the same window, so reviewers tested it next to the touchscreen models. Its design is almost unchanged since the 2021 redesign, and the OLED models are expected to draw most of the attention from buyers this holiday season. The central question for buyers is whether the cheaper model still makes sense next to a much pricier alternative.
The M6 model: same chassis, faster chip
The 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro keeps a 14.2-inch mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and has no OLED panel or touch input. Its chip has a 12-core CPU made up of two super cores, four performance cores and six efficiency cores, plus a 12-core GPU and dual 16-core neural engines, up from 10 CPU and 10 GPU cores on the M5. Apple says the M6 is twice as fast as the M5 at AI tasks. Its own rendering figures show a smaller step, with 11.7 times the speed of the M1 MacBook Pro in 3D rendering against 9.2 times for the M5. The N1 networking chip adds Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while the three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, SDXC card reader, MagSafe 3 and 3.5 mm jack are unchanged. The laptop can now drive two 4K displays at up to 165Hz, up from 144Hz, and the M6 tops out at 32GB of memory at 170 GB/s, against 64GB at 307 GB/s on the M5 Pro.
- M5 MacBook Pro
- 9.2 x
- M6 MacBook Pro
- 11.7 x
Data from the article text
The PROLED XDR models: OLED, touch and less weight
The touchscreen laptop uses a tandem OLED panel, a lighter body and either the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip. The 14-inch model weighs 3 pounds, against 3.7 pounds for the standard MacBook Pro according to one review, while another review gives the earlier figure as 3.5 pounds. The 16-inch model drops from 4.7 pounds to 4 pounds. Both panels measure 14.2 and 16.3 inches, reach up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR and hold 1,000 nits of sustained full-screen brightness, with a contrast ratio of 10,000,000 to 1. Apple moved from mini-LED to OLED, which removes the separate backlight and allows a thinner display assembly, and it integrates touch sensing into the panel with custom on-cell technology. La Repubblica describes this as the first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen, and reports that John Ternus, the company's new chief executive, says the Mac remains a machine driven mainly by keyboard and trackpad.
- MacBook Pro M6 14-inch
- 1999 USD
- MacBook Pro PROLED XDR 14-inch
- 2899 USD
- MacBook Pro PROLED XDR 16-inch
- 3399 USD
Data from the article text
Price is the sticking point
The base M6 model costs $1,999 with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, the same price as the base M5 since September. It is $200 above its original launch price. The 14-inch OLED model starts at $2,899, which is $900 more than the standard MacBook Pro, and the 16-inch OLED model starts at $3,399. TechRadar puts the most heavily configured 16-inch model at $14,549. Engadget calls the M6 still compelling for anyone unwilling to pay an extra $900 for the OLED touchscreen. The Verge expects the OLED design to reach the entry model next year. TechRadar compares the 16-inch OLED model with the Asus ProArt P16 RTX Spark, which starts at $4,399.99 and comes with 64GB of memory.
What the reviews conclude about touch
Reviewers agree the touchscreen adds less than its price suggests. Engadget's verdict is that the touchscreen does not add much to the new design, and TechRadar says it would not buy an OLED model for the touch alone. TechRadar also calls the M6 model excellent value at $1,999, noting that it ran Slack, Safari, Final Cut Pro and other apps without needing to close anything. La Repubblica finds the touch input useful in daily work, despite the arm fatigue that Steve Jobs cited in 2010 when he called touchscreens on computers ergonomically terrible. The M6 model and the OLED models both reach shops on 6 November.
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Sources and context
- lastampa.itMacBook Pro M6, the test: the real difference is in artificial intelligenceMacBook Pro M6, la prova: la vera differenza è nell'intelligenza artificiale · original in Italian
- The VergeThe M6 MacBook Pro is probably the last of its kind
- engadgetMacBook Pro M6 review: A slight upgrade, but still the most accessible MacBook Pro
- engadgetMacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display review: Lighter, brighter, but the touchscreen doesn't add much
- John Ternus
- Described by La Repubblica as Apple's new chief executive, who says the Mac remains primarily a keyboard and trackpad machine
- Steve Jobs
- Apple co-founder who, according to La Repubblica, called touchscreens on computers ergonomically terrible at a 2010 event
- Organizations
- Apple Inc.
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