Apple introduces new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip

Apple said on October 27 that it will start selling a new 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M6 chip. Pre-orders open October 28 in the U.S. and 34 other countries and regions, and the laptop will arrive in stores and with customers on November 6. Prices start at $1,999, or $1,899 for education customers.

Apple says the M6 has a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU. Compared with M5, graphics are up to 30 percent faster and on-device AI workloads are up to 25 percent faster, the company claims. For users coming from an M1 MacBook Pro, Apple says graphics are up to 11 times faster and AI performance is up to 13 times faster.

For AI, the chip includes more neural accelerators in its graphics processor and a Neural Engine with 16 cores, which Apple says is up to 1.9 times faster than M5. The laptop has 16 GB of unified memory as standard and can be configured with 32 GB; memory bandwidth reaches 170 GB/s. Apple's testing shows up to 3.3 times faster image processing in Affinity and up to 2.5 times faster project builds in Xcode compared with the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1.

Battery life is up to 24 hours, which Apple says is the longest ever in a Mac. Fast charging brings a depleted battery to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a compatible USB-C adapter such as the 96 W model. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the laptop can drive up to two external displays. Ports include HDMI, MagSafe 3, a headphone jack, an SDXC card slot, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The Liquid Retina XDR display reaches 1,600 nits in HDR and has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio; a nano-texture option cuts reflections. Apple also mentions a 12 MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, three studio-quality microphones, and a six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. The enclosure uses 100 percent recycled aluminum.

It runs macOS 27 Golden Gate, which brings Apple Intelligence features to Safari, Shortcuts, and Photos, including automatic tab grouping and alerts for website changes. Shelly Goldberg, Apple's vice president of Hardware Engineering, said the new model "delivers a fantastic combination of performance, capability, and value."

The laptop comes in space black and silver. Apple Upgrade leasing starts at $38.99 per month for 36 months in the U.S., and Apple Trade In can provide credit toward a purchase.