The 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the new M6 chip offers a familiar experience for users looking for a reliable portable workstation, despite carrying a higher starting price tag of $2,000 for the base configuration featuring 16GB of unified memory and 1TB of storage. Following recent price hikes, this entry-level model costs $300 more than the starter M5 MacBook Pro did at launch. While it maintains the sturdy build quality, ports, and all-day battery life that users expect, it arrives alongside the existence of sleeker, lighter alternatives equipped with advanced display technology, leaving some reviewers ambivalent about whether this represents a transitional phase for Apple's laptop lineup.
Key takeaways
- The base 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro starts at $2,000, which is $300 more expensive than the previous M5 model at launch.
- The new M6 chip features a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU with built-in neural accelerators for improved graphics and AI tasks.
- Connectivity upgrades include Apple's N1 wireless chip enabling Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support.
- The laptop retains the traditional Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display and the physical camera notch rather than adopting newer OLED screens and Dynamic Islands.
Performance and Specifications
Under the hood, Apple has equipped the M6 processor with a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, ensuring that buyers of the base configuration do not receive a lower-tier chip like those found in other product lines. Each GPU core incorporates a neural accelerator designed to enhance mobile AI workloads when paired with the dual neural engine. In benchmarking tests, the M6 processor demonstrates strong capabilities, performing 22% better than an HP Omnibook Ultra with an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H chip and 18% better than a Razer Blade 16 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor in Geekbench 6 tests. Practical workloads yield similarly strong results; the M6 MacBook Pro completed a 4K to 1080p video transcode in Handbrake in 1 minute and 27 seconds, outpacing the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra which required 1 minute and 52 seconds.
Graphics performance has also seen notable improvements, with the M6 GPU running 23% faster than the previous M5 chip in tests like 3DMark Steel Nomad. While demanding games still require upscaling technologies like Apple's MetalFX, titles optimized for macOS—such as Resident Evil 4—manage close to 50 fps on high settings at 1440p resolution without upscaling. Beyond the silicon, the device introduces Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity via Apple's N1 wireless chip. However, the laptop still lacks Thunderbolt 5 support, leaving users with Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, a headphone jack, MagSafe charging, and three USB-C ports.
Display, Design, and Portability
Externally, the M6 MacBook Pro preserves the design language established in recent years, including the controversial camera notch that houses the 12-megapixel Center Stage front-facing camera. Weighing 3.5 pounds, the 14-inch base model stands slightly thicker on its feet compared to newer, lighter OLED MacBook Pro configurations that feature slimmer bezels and a Dynamic Island. The Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED screen remains a vibrant option, hitting up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness in SDR and providing accurate colors for editing tasks, even though it cannot match the deep black levels of OLED panels. Audio quality is driven by a consistent six-speaker sound stage that delivers balanced sound for both music and movies, rounding out a machine that remains a robust, if familiar, workhorse.
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