Apple's New M6 MacBook Pro Is Here But You Might Not Want One (Yet)

After releasing an OLED iPad mini on Monday, Apple announced the M6 MacBook Pro. This computer keeps the same design as the previous generation, with one main change: the M6 processor. In the past, Apple released Pro and Max variants alongside a refreshed base model, but rumors suggest it's skipping the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips to focus on the M7 generation, expected later in 2027. This doesn't mean the company won't upgrade the higher-end MacBook Pro models again in 2026, as Apple is rumored to introduce an OLED touchscreen model this Wednesday with the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

While it's unclear if the company will be able to make these processors more powerful in a redesigned Mac, the expectations are that Apple will redesign the higher-end MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen display (a first for the Mac), replace the notch with a Dynamic Island, and even add a vapor chamber to this laptop to make it thinner and lighter without compromising the thermal design of this product. Fortunately, it won't take long until we find out more about this computer, as not only is Apple expected to introduce it this Wednesday, but the company is also holding an event for the media with the other releases of this week, like the OLED iPad mini, this new MacBook Pro, the new iMac, and the upcoming OLED models.

The new base-model MacBook Pro comes with the M6 chip, the same one recently introduced in the Mac mini and iMac. The new MacBook has a 12-core CPU (two more than before), a 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each core, a dual 16-core Neural Engine, and improved unified memory. Compared to the M5 version, we're talking about 30% faster graphics performance in tasks like 3D modeling and photo editing, a 25% improvement in on-device AI workloads, and up to 1.9x faster GPU performance. Apple also touts 24 hours of battery life, 16GB of unified RAM (configurable up to 32GB), and memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s.

Other changes include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and support for up to two external displays, while keeping the HDMI port, MagSafe 3, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. This computer also supports fast charging with a 96W power adapter, getting you to 50% in 30 minutes.

Even though the company says there's never been a better time to switch to an Apple Silicon Mac, or even upgrade from the original M1 Mac, there isn't much new compared to the previous generation. Still, due to rising memory costs, the price is what changed. While a redesigned base-model MacBook Pro once cost $1,599, this new model starts at $1,999, meaning users will pay much more for the latest chip.

With a lot of anticipation regarding the OLED MacBook Pro, it's important to note that Apple hasn't used the same chip on a new generation of computers before. Earlier this year, the company introduced an M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro, which BGR reviewed. As a result, those waiting for the OLED model are likely looking for a redesigned model, allegedly thinner and lighter, rather than something even more powerful. Over the past few months, rumors suggested that Apple could delay the release of this all-new model, and now it seems the company decided to announce it, but keep the same processors already available.

The M5 Pro and M5 Max options can be up to four times faster than the M4 models, with a big performance boost and 4x faster LLM prompt processing than the M1 Pro and M1 Max models. Graphics performance is 50% better than the previous M4 Pro and M4 Max models, with up to 64GB of RAM and 307GB/s of memory bandwidth in the M5 Pro model, and up to 128GB of RAM and up to 614GB/s of memory bandwidth in the Max model.

That said, this update might only be worth it for someone with an older Mac who wants a redesign and new display technology, since anyone with the current M5 Pro or Max chips will get the same experience but at an even higher price.