Apple M6
- Boost/Base Clock:
- 4.7 GHz / 3.0 GHz
- Core/Thread Count:
- 12 Core / 12 Thread (6 Performance + 6 Efficiency)
- Cache:
- 18MB L2 + 4MB L1
- TDP:
- 20 Watts
- CPU Process Node:
- 2 Nanometers
- CPU Series:
- Apple Silicon, Sixth Generation
- Form Factor:
- Laptop
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Manufacturer: Apple Last updated: 2026-10-08
Apple M6 Review
The Apple M6 is a 12-core System-on-Chip (2 super, 4 performance and 6 efficiency cores) with a 12-core GPU, announced on 25 August 2026 and first sold in the Mac mini from 22 September 2026.
The M6 is Apple's first chip built on a 2nm process. It has two more CPU cores and two more GPU cores than the M5, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine and more memory bandwidth, and Apple claims the fastest single-threaded CPU performance in the world.
Apple's First 2nm Chip
Moving from 3nm to 2nm lets Apple raise both clocks and efficiency simultaneously, a genuine process-node jump rather than the enhanced-3nm refinements the M5 generation relied on.
Ray Tracing Reaches the Base Tier
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, previously reserved for Pro/Max-tier GPUs starting with the M3 generation, arrives at Apple's base tier for the first time with the M6, alongside a 50% increase in geometry rates per Apple's own figures.
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 single-core scores in the low-4,200s and multi-core scores around 17,000 reflect a real generational gain over the M5, driven by the process-node jump and two additional efficiency cores.
Performance
The two scores below rate this processor against a reference part, the Ryzen 5 9600X, which sits at 100. Everyday Performance weights the things you feel while browsing, loading and switching between apps, so it leans on single-core speed. Heavy Workload Performance weights rendering, encoding and compiling, so it rewards core count. A difference under about 5 points is not something you would notice in use. A difference of 20 points or more is a different class of chip.
Everyday Performance
158
Benchmarks
The benchmarks below are published results for specific applications. They are measured separately and do not feed the two scores above.
Puget Bench for Premiere Pro v2.0 - points (More is Better)
- Apple M5 Max149750.46 points
- Intel Core i9-14900KF129174.45 points
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D126611.82 points
- Apple M5 Pro106874.78 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K82202 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K78258 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K77118.8 points
- Apple M6 (this product)72843.55 points
Plays back and exports 4K and 8K timelines across several camera codecs, with effects and multi-stream sequences, in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Export time rewards more cores, but much of the timeline work runs on the hardware decoder and the graphics card instead of the processor. A small gap here rarely changes how the edit feels.
Puget Bench for DaVinci Resolve v2.0-2.1 - points (More is Better)
- Intel Core i9-14900KF135454.8 points
- Apple M5 Max116240.93 points
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D113372.15 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900KF93174 points
- Apple M5 Pro81178.5 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10700K81083 points
- Apple M6 (this product)60099 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900K59437 points
Grading, effects, AI tools and export in DaVinci Resolve Studio, across the codecs a colourist actually works in.
Resolve leans harder on the graphics card than on the processor, so the CPU difference here is usually smaller than the difference your GPU choice would make. Use it to rule out a bottleneck, not to pick a winner.
Measured results
Cinebench scores
| Cinebench 2024, Multi-Core Median of 2 independently published results. | 1,469 1,468 to 1,470 |
| Cinebench 2024, Single-Core Median of 3 independently published results. | 220 218 to 221 |
Measured results
Geekbench scores
| Geekbench 6, Multi-Core Median of 3 independently published results. | 21,302 21,005 to 21,383 |
| Geekbench 6, Single-Core Median of 3 independently published results. | 4,671 4,653 to 4,698 |
Our verdict
Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.
Best for
- Buyers of current entry-level Mac or iPad Pro models wanting Apple's newest base-tier chip with hardware ray tracing and improved on-device AI performance.
Not for
- Buyers needing more than 12 cores for sustained heavy multi-threaded work, look for the M6 Pro/Max/Ultra tier once available.
- Buyers needing x86 software compatibility without emulation.
Specifications
What these specs meanIdentity
| Brand | Apple |
|---|---|
| Product Line | Apple Silicon |
| Model Number | M6 |
Segment and platform
| Microarchitecture | Apple Silicon, Sixth Generation |
|---|---|
| Process Node | 2 nm |
Core configuration
| Total Cores | 12 |
|---|---|
| Performance Cores | 4 |
| Efficiency Cores | 6 |
| Total Threads | 12 |
| Form Factor | Desktop |
|---|---|
| Core/Thread Count | 12 Core / 12 Thread (2 Super + 4 Performance + 6 Efficiency) |
FAQs
What are the key specifications of the Apple M6?
The Apple M6 is a processor from Apple. Key specs: Boost/Base Clock 4.7 GHz / 3.0 GHz, Core/Thread Count 12 Core / 12 Thread (6 Performance + 6 Efficiency), Cache 18MB L2 + 4MB L1, TDP 20 Watts, CPU Process Node 2 Nanometers.
Who is the Apple M6 best suited to?
Best suited to: Buyers of current entry-level Mac or iPad Pro models wanting Apple's newest base-tier chip with hardware ray tracing and improved on-device AI performance.
What are the drawbacks of the Apple M6?
Not the best fit for: Buyers needing more than 12 cores for sustained heavy multi-threaded work, look for the M6 Pro/Max/Ultra tier once available; Buyers needing x86 software compatibility without emulation.