Apple could release a new base model 14-inch MacBook Pro, powered by an M6 chip as soon as later this year. In addition, Apple may make M6 versions of its Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Air, according to Bloomberg.
Apple plans to debut the M6 chip in late 2026, the first built on a 2-nanometer process on place of the 3-nanometer process that Apple has previously used. The 2nm process results in smaller transistors, allowing more of them to be packaged on a chip. This often beings better processor speeds and improved power efficiency.
The report says for the first time, the M6 will be a solo act, with no M6 Pro or M6 Max chips being made available. Apple is planning to hold off on these types of chip variations until the release of the M7 series in 2027.
Bloomberg claims the M6 will be the most powerful chip in its class, with increased memory bandwidth to improve graphics and on-device AI tasks.
The new chip will benefit from TSMC’s transition from InFo (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging to WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module), which more closely integrates individual chip components like the CPU, GPU, DRAM, and Neural Engine, improving communication paths between the components.
The M6 will also benefit from an updated memory architecture an upgraded Neural Engine for AI processing, and improvements to video encoding and decoding. The GPU will also get an update to optimize it for AI. Apple is reportedly testing versions of the chip with a 12-core GPU. The M5 chip has a 10-core GPU.