• 2 min read
Apple’s M6 may be a one-off Mac chip
Bloomberg says Apple’s M6 could arrive later this year with faster memory and a redesigned GPU—but without Pro, Max, or Ultra versions.
Image: 9to5Mac
Apple is reportedly preparing to launch its M6 chip later this year, and the biggest surprise may not be performance. According to Bloomberg, the new Apple Silicon generation is expected to bring faster memory, CPU, and graphics upgrades, but Apple may release only the base-model M6 and skip Pro, Max, and Ultra variants entirely.
The reported specs point to a meaningful jump over the current M5. Memory bandwidth is said to increase from 153 gigabytes per second on the M5 to 200 gigabytes per second on the M6, a change that should especially help on-device AI workloads. Bloomberg also says the chip will deliver faster performance across all cores, plus improvements in video encoding and decoding.
Graphics could get a lift too. The base M5 supports up to 10 GPU cores, while the M6 is reportedly moving to as many as 12 graphics cores. That should improve gaming, video rendering, and other GPU-heavy apps.
What makes the M6 unusual is Apple’s reported product strategy. Since the M1, Apple has consistently shipped higher-end Pro and Max chips, and it released Ultra versions in the M1 and M3 generations. According to Mark Gurman, that pattern will break with the M6: Apple is expected to ship only the standard chip and move most of its lineup to the M7 instead.
That decision reportedly comes down to a bigger leap planned for the next generation. The M7 is said to bring larger gains in on-device AI performance, including support for up to 240 gigabytes per second of memory bandwidth.
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As for hardware, Apple has reportedly tested the M6 in an updated base model MacBook Pro, which currently uses the M5. It is still unclear whether any other Apple devices will get the chip. With the base M7 expected in the first half of 2027, much of Apple’s lineup could end up skipping the M6 generation altogether.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via 9to5Mac
