Originally published at: M6 Comes to the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac - TidBITS
Two months after the M6 first appeared in the Mac mini (see “M6 and M5 Ultra Debut in Updated Mac mini and Mac Studio,” 25 August 2026), Apple has brought the chip to the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the long-ignored 24-inch iMac. Both are available for pre-order beginning on 28 October 2026, with deliveries starting 6 November 2026.
These are routine speed bump updates aimed merely at bringing these Macs into the current chip generation. This time, at least, Apple hasn’t increased prices beyond where they ended up in June (see “Apple Raises Prices for Many Products,” 26 June 2026).
14-inch MacBook Pro with M6
Naturally, the new MacBook Pro is faster. Apple claims 30% faster graphics, up to 25% faster AI workloads than the M5 model, and 1.2x to 1.3x gains in tasks like image processing in Affinity and compiling code in Xcode. Beyond the chip, the main other change is Apple’s N1 wireless chip, which adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support.
Everything else carries over, including the Liquid Retina XDR display with its nano-texture option, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3, up to 24 hours of battery life, and the space black and silver finishes.
The M6 MacBook Pro starts at $1999 with 16 GB of memory and 1 TB of storage, the same as the M5 model it replaces, at least after the June price increases.
24-inch iMac with M6
The iMac skipped the M5 entirely, so its performance gains over the two-year-old M4 model are larger. Apple says graphics and storage are both up to twice as fast. The N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support, and wired networking moves from Gigabit Ethernet to 2.5Gb Ethernet, which is standard on the model with four Thunderbolt ports and optional on the two-port model. The iMac’s industrial design, 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, camera, and seven colors remain unchanged.
The two-port iMac with M6 starts at $1499, and the four-port model starts at $1699. Both come with 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage, which is on the small side for real work but fine for a Mac used primarily with Web apps. The iMac started at $1299 when the M4 model launched in 2024, but the $1499 price is unchanged since the June increase.
Tough Sells
I’ve never been excited about the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. At $1999, it costs $700 more than the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 ($1299) and just $500 less than the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip ($2499; see “MacBook Air Gets M5, MacBook Pro Gains M5 Pro and M5 Max,” 3 March 2026). Its M6 is a generation newer than the MacBook Air’s M5, but most people won’t notice the difference, and the M6 MacBook Air is presumably on the horizon. What the extra money actually buys is everything around the chip: the Liquid Retina XDR display, HDMI and SD card ports, a third Thunderbolt port, 24 hours of battery life instead of 18, and twice the storage. Those features have value, of course, but are they worth $700? If so, you may be better off spending another $500 on the significantly more powerful M5 Pro model, which also gets you more memory.
The iMac isn’t squeezed between competing models, since it’s the only all-in-one Apple sells, but it has the same upgrade problem. No one buys an iMac for performance reasons, which is probably why Apple never bothered to release an M5 version. If you have an M4 iMac, or any Apple silicon Mac that meets your needs, the M6 iMac isn’t sufficiently improved to warrant an upgrade. If you’re replacing an Intel-based iMac or want a new iMac for other reasons, it’s a welcome update, but the M6 chip doesn’t change the purchasing calculus in any real way.
I am sad that the iMac has become such a footnote in Apple’s lineup. The 27-inch iMac with Retina display was a popular and beloved machine, and while there’s nothing really wrong with the 24-inch iMac Apple now sells, it just doesn’t generate anywhere near the same level of enthusiasm.