M6 MacBook Pro vs. M5 MacBook Pro: What exactly has changed?
Apple has released the 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro, which compared to the M5 model upgrades only two chips: the M6 features a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engines, with memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s, GPU graphics performance improved by up to 30%, and AI workloads improved by up to 25%. The newly added N1 wireless chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, with LLM prompt processing, Blender ray-traced rendering, and Xcode compile speeds improved by up to 1.3x. Other than that, there are no changes to appearance or features—it is a pure spec upgrade.
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Today Apple unveiled a new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip. It has the same design as before and many of the same features, so what’s actually changed? Here’s what’s new.
#1: M6 chip
Here’s a quick rundown of how the M6 chip compares to last year’s M5, per Apple:
M6 chip
12-core CPU with 2 super cores, 4 performance cores, and 6 efficiency cores
12-core GPU
Dual 16-core Neural Engine
Up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth
M5 chip
10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores
In real-world use, here are the gains Apple says to expect: “The 12-core GPU delivers up to 30 percent faster graphics and up to 25 percent faster AI workloads when compared to M5.”
Finally, here are some pro workflow examples that compare the M6 MacBook Pro to the M5:
Up to 1.3x faster time to first token performance for LLM prompt processing
Up to 1.3x faster render performance with ray tracing in Blender
Up to 1.2x faster image-processing performance in Affinity
Up to 1.3x faster project build performance when compiling code in Xcode
#2: N1 wireless chip
Apple’s N1 wireless chip that first debuted in the iPhone 17 is now included in the MacBook Pro too.
N1 gives the new MacBook Pro two main upgrades:
Wi-Fi 7 support, up from Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth 6, up from Bluetooth 5.3
Apple also says that N1 improves the performance and reliability of certain features such as AirDrop and Personal Hotspot.
M6 MacBook Pro vs M5 model: wrap-up
Surprisingly, that’s the end of the list for M6 MacBook Pro upgrades. The new model is solely a spec bump update, with two new chips and no other listed changes.
That said, the M6 MacBook Pro is still a fantastic computer for anyone who wants Apple’s latest chip with a great Liquid Retina XDR display and excellent battery life.
But if you’re interested in something more radically new, Apple’s redesigned MacBook Pro with high-end chips is expected to be unveiled tomorrow.
Are you buying an M6 MacBook Pro? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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