M6 MacBook Pro 14-inch Hands-On: The Non-Touch Model Is the Sensible Pick

The M6 chip has a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, so this is not a cut-down variant like the one in the iMac. Apple claims up to 30% faster graphics. One data point fits that: in Geekbench 6's Metal GPU test, the M6 Mac mini scored about 24% higher than the M5 MacBook Pro. That compares a desktop with a laptop, though, so real-device testing is still needed.

The chip is built on a 2nm process, and Apple quotes 24 hours of battery life. Such figures usually come from low-brightness video streaming, so treat them with caution, although they should comfortably cover a normal workday. Memory bandwidth rises to 170Gbps, with the top speed depending on whether you choose 24GB or 32GB of unified memory. The Apple-designed N1 chip adds Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, features previously limited to M5 Pro and M5 Max models.

Trade-offs

The design is largely unchanged. Ports remain Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe, HDMI, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and there is no Thunderbolt 5. The model weighs about 1.59kg, against roughly 1.36kg for the touch-screen version, a notable gap that comes mainly from the OLED layer needing no backlight.

There is also no M6 16-inch MacBook Pro: that size is offered only with M5 Pro or M5 Max. For pure power, a non-touch M5 Pro or M5 Max model can be the cheaper route, since the touch display adds no performance.

Who it is for

The M6 14-inch suits buyers who want a capable all-round laptop. Those wanting to save further may prefer to wait for an M6 MacBook Air. Pre-orders are open, with shipping from November 6.