Apple has released the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip, which sits right below the existing MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip. The M6 is a newer generation, but the M5 Pro is the higher-tier chip, and both share the same MacBook Pro design and body.
So is it worth paying $2499 for the M5 Pro model over the $1999 M6 version? What exactly does the extra $500 get you? And can a newer-generation base chip keep up with an older-generation Pro chip? Let’s find out!
Displays and Sizes
The M6 MacBook Pro is only offered in the 14-inch size, which comes with a 14.2″ screen. You can also get the M5 Pro in 14” size, but if you want the 16” laptop with 16.2” screen, you can’t get the M6 chip and have to go with the M5 Pro.
This makes the 16” MacBook Pro’s starting price around $3000, which is a full $1000 or 50% more than the 14” M6 MacBook Pro’s starting price of $2000. But the real cost of just the size upgrade alone is $300, as we’ll see later.
All models use the Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display, with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1000 nits sustained and 1600 nits peak HDR brightness, up to 1000 nits for SDR content outdoors, and ProMotion up to 120Hz. The pixel density is the same 254 PPI on both, with a 3024 x 1964 resolution on the 14″ and 3456 x 2234 on the 16″.
So the screen quality is identical no matter which chip you pick, including the option to upgrade to Nano-texture glass, which reduces glare and reflections, for an extra $150.
Chips: CPU Performance
Let’s talk about the big difference: the chip. This comparison is interesting because the M6 is a newer generation than the M5 Pro, even though it’s the entry-level chip.
On the CPU side, the M6 has 12 cores: 2 super cores, 4 performance cores, and 6 efficiency cores. The base M5 Pro, which is only available in the 14” size and costs $500 more than the M6 chip option, has a 15-core CPU with 5 super and 10 performance cores. You can opt for an upgraded M5 Pro with 18-core CPU (6 super and 12 performance cores) for another $200 more. This upgrade must be taken if you choose the 16” size, which is why there is a $500 jump from 14” M5 Pro to 16” M5 Pro; $200 is allocated for the chip upgrade, leaving $300 for the size upgrade cost.
Now since the M6 is a newer generation, it actually wins in single-core performance by 8-10%. In multi-core, though, the extra cores and the fact that there are no efficiency cores in the M5 Pro chips win out, with the base M5 Pro giving a 25-41% lead over the M6. The upgraded M5 Pro chip extends that lead to 38-49% over the M6. Compared with the base M5 Pro, the upgraded chip is about 5-10% faster.
Chips: GPU Performance
On the graphics side, the M6 has a 12-core GPU, while the M5 Pro has either 16 cores in the base model, or if you get the upgraded chip, it has 20 GPU cores, which is 25% more. The M6 GPU is also one generation newer, which means updated features like the shader core architecture and dynamic caching.
However, based on the M6 Mac mini’s Geekbench Metal scores, the M5 Pro chip with 16 GPU cores is about 40% faster. The M5 Pro with 20 GPU scores is 53% faster than the M6. And the 20 GPU M5 Pro is about 9% faster than the 16 GPU M5 Pro.
Chips: AI, Memory Bandwidth, and Media Engine
Here’s where the M6 has one surprising advantage, though: it has a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, potentially providing double the speed accelerating certain AI tasks that use it. The M5 Pro still has a single 16-core Neural Engine.
Both chips have neural accelerators built into every GPU core, though, so for things like running large language models locally, the M5 Pro’s bigger GPU and memory bandwidth should still give it the edge. It’ll really depend on the app.
Speaking of memory bandwidth, the M6 gets 153 GB/s with 16GB of memory, but bumps up to 170 GB/s if you upgrade to 24 or 32GB. The M5 Pro has 307 GB/s, about 1.8 times the faster M6 configuration and twice the base one.
Cooling & Performance
The other factor to consider with performance is cooling. The M6 MacBook Pro uses the same chassis as the previous M5 model, which only had a single fan and was known to throttle under sustained heavy load. Since the M6 has even more cores, I’d expect a similar situation if you push it hard for long periods.
The M5 Pro model has 2 active cooling fans, so it handles heat better. But the 14-inch body still can’t fully dissipate the heat the M5 Pro puts out under sustained load. So if sustained high performance matters, you’ll need to pay that extra $500 for the 16-inch model.
Ports
When it comes to ports, they are generally the same on both M6 and M5 Pro MacBook Pros, but with 1 major difference. The M6 is still limited to Thunderbolt 4 at up to 40 Gbps, while the M5 Pro gets Thunderbolt 5 at up to 120 Gbps.
External Displays
For external displays, the M6 supports up to 2 external displays at 6K/60Hz or 4K/165Hz, up from 144Hz on the M5. If you want 8K/60, 5K/120, or 4K/240, you can only use 1 display.
The M5 Pro supports up to 3 external displays at 6K/60Hz or 4K/144Hz. Or you can run 1 display at 8K/60, 5K/120, or 4K/240, plus a second at 5K/120 or 4K/200.
This is partially a result of the M6 MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt 4 ports supporting DisplayPort 1.4 speeds, whereas the M5 Pro’s Thunderbolt 5 ports support DisplayPort 2.1 speeds.
Memory and Storage
The M6 MacBook Pro starts at 16GB of memory, and can be upgraded to 24GB for $200 more, or 32GB for $400, the same $25 / GB cost that is Apple’s usual price. Remember that upgrading to 24GB or 32GB also gets you the faster 170 GB/s memory bandwidth.
The M5 Pro starts at 24GB and you can go up to 48GB for $600 more. That’s the limit if you stay with the lower-tier M5 Pro chip. But if you upgrade to the higher-tier M5 Pro, you can also go up to 64GB for $1000 more. Again all prices are a consistent $25/GB.
For storage, both M6 and M5 Pro MacBook Pros start at 1 TB and have the same upgrade options, so let’s move on.
Audio
For audio, things are again identical, but I’ll mention that as usual, the 16-inch M5 Pro will sound better thanks to its larger speakers compared to the 14” laptop.
Wireless
For networking, this used to be a big difference when it was still the M5 MacBook Pro, but not anymore. The M6 MacBook Pro now gets the N1 chip, just like the M5 Pro MacBook Pro, so both support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread.
Battery Life and Charging
For the battery, both 14″ models have a 72.4 watt-hour battery, while the 16″ M5 Pro has a 100 watt-hour battery, which is 38% larger.
The M6 is rated for 16 hours of web and 24 hours of video, while the 14″ M5 Pro drops to 14 hours of web and 22 hours of video, 8-13% less. The 16″ M5 Pro gets 17 and 24 hours, 9-21% more than the 14″ M5 Pro, and just slightly better than the M6 for web browsing.
For power adapters, the M6 and the 15-core 14″ M5 Pro come with a 70 watt adapter, though you can upgrade to a 96 watt adapter for $20 more. The 18-core 14″ M5 Pro comes with the 96 watt adapter for free, which enables fast charging, and the 16″ gets a 140 watt adapter.
Size and Weight
The physical dimensions of the 14″ don’t change based on the chip: both are 0.61 inches thick. But the weight does. The 14″ M6 weighs 3.4 lbs, while the 14″ M5 Pro weighs 3.5 lbs, or 3% more.
The 16″ M5 Pro weighs 4.7 lbs, which is 38% more than the M6 and 34% more than the 14″ M5 Pro. It’s also 0.66 inches thick, about 8% thicker.
Summary: 14″ M6 vs 14″ M5 Pro MacBook Pro
Alright, let’s summarize the pricing of each base model to see exactly what you get for your money.
If you upgrade from the $2000 14″ MacBook Pro with M6 to the $2500 14″ with M5 Pro, paying an extra $500 gets you:
- The M5 Pro chip with 3 more CPU cores, which translated to 9% slower single-core but 25-41% faster multi-core performance, 4 extra GPU cores, but that leads to 40% extra performance, and about 1.8-2x the memory bandwidth, but with only half the Neural Engine cores
- 24GB of memory instead of 16, with the option to go up to 64GB
- Beefier cooling solution for better sustained performance
- 3 Thunderbolt 5 ports at 120 Gbps instead of Thunderbolt 4 at 40 Gbps
- Support for 3 external displays instead of 2, and at higher resolutions and refresh rates when using the same number of displays
- The same size battery but with 8-13% less battery life
- And a 3% heavier machine
If we assume the memory upgrade eats up $200, that leaves $300 for the extra multi-core and graphics performance from the M5 Pro chip, better cooling for sustained load, Thunderbolt 5, and 3 external displays instead of 2.
Since it’s a newer generation, the M6 has narrowed the gap more than ever before. If you mostly do everyday tasks, web development, writing, or light photo and video editing, the M6 is the better value, is actually faster for single-core tasks, and gives you the best battery life of any 14″ MacBook Pro. But if you regularly do heavy video editing, 3D work, or anything that pushes all the cores or the GPU for long periods, or you need more than 32GB of memory or more than 2 external displays, the M5 Pro is still worth the extra money.
Summary: 14″ vs 16″ M5 Pro MacBook Pro
And if you do go with the M5 Pro, the 16″ model starts at $3000. Paying that extra $500 over the 14″ gets you:
- A 30% larger screen area
- Better cooling to improve sustained performance, which is necessary if you want to draw out the full power of the M5 Pro without thermal throttling
- The higher-tier M5 Pro chip with 3 extra CPU cores and 4 extra GPU cores, which only gives roughly 10% faster speed in benchmarks
- Better sound quality from the larger speakers
- A 38% larger battery with 9-14% more battery life
- A 140 watt power adapter instead of the 70 watt
- And an 8% thicker and 34% heavier machine
If the chip upgrade is still worth $200, that’s $300 for everything else. For those who don’t mind a heavier laptop and want the best sustained performance and screen real estate, the 16″ is the way to go. But if portability matters most, the 14″ M6 is a full 1.3 lbs lighter. And the 14” OLED MacBook Pro, which costs $100 less than the 16” non-OLED MacBook Pro, weighs 1.7 lbs less.
But honestly, if you can wait, then wait for the M7 series chips to come out, which is rumored to happen in the first half of 2027. If that happens, this M6 MacBook Pro is really just a short-lived placeholder.
