MacBook Pro M6 Adds 12-Core Chip at $1,999 as Review Finds Only Modest Gains

Q: How does the base M6 MacBook Pro handle heavy local AI workloads compared to its flashy new touchscreen siblings?

The base 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro appears to handle heavy local AI work very well for its class, even if it is not the most attention-grabbing model in Apple’s lineup. Apple says the M6 delivers about 25 percent faster on-device AI workloads than the M5, with a dual 16-core Neural Engine, neural accelerators in the GPU, and memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s. It is specifically pitched as better at local LLM processing, image generation, AI upscaling, and Apple Intelligence tasks. In practice, that means the base M6 should be a strong machine for serious local AI workflows on a laptop, especially for users who want to run models on-device without stepping up to far pricier hardware. The reviewed system also stayed fast under heavy multitasking and creative workloads, which supports the idea that it can sustain demanding AI-adjacent use reasonably well. Its flashy touchscreen siblings, however, are aimed higher. Those newer OLED touchscreen MacBook Pros use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, offer much larger memory ceilings, and are built for heavier pro workloads overall. For large local models, long context windows, or multiple concurrent AI jobs, those premium models will have more headroom. So the tradeoff is clear: the base M6 is the practical value choice for heavy local AI work that fits within its 16GB-to-32GB unified memory ceiling, while the touchscreen models are better suited for users pushing larger or more demanding local AI workloads and willing to pay substantially more.

3 articles · Updated · Engadget · Nov 5

$1,999 buys Apple’s updated 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M6 chip, but the review says the upgrade is incremental rather than transformative.
The new M6 packs a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU and dual 16-core neural engines, with Apple touting 2x faster AI work than M5 while broader performance gains stay limited.
Benchmarks showed CPU scores of 4,458 single-core and 19,077 multi-core versus 4,310 and 18,003 for M5, while GPU performance jumped to 64,115 from 48,840.
The laptop otherwise keeps the same MiniLED 120Hz display, port lineup and chassis, with battery life reaching 9 hours 35 minutes in Engadget’s test.
That leaves the M6 model positioned as Apple’s cheapest Pro laptop, though the review says buyers weighing the $2,499 M5 Pro may be pushed toward the redesigned $2,899 PROLED version.