The M6 chip is breathing new life into Apple‘s Mac lineup. After weeks of anticipation, Apple has taken the wraps off its updated 14-inch MacBook Pro and 24-inch iMac, supercharging both machines with its latest silicon for significant performance gains, enhanced on-device AI capabilities, and some long-overdue quality-of-life upgrades.

Whether you’re editing heavy video timelines from a coffee shop or managing a small business from your home office, these devices are built to punch far above their weight class. Both the iMac and the 14-inch MacBook Pro go up for preorder in the United States and other key markets on Oct. 28, ahead of their Nov. 6 retail launch. In the Philippines, we’re still waiting for local preorder and rollout dates, but here’s how the official starting prices stack up:

• iMac (M6, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU): $1,499 / ₱109,990
• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU): $1,999 / ₱144,990

A familiar design, a much faster iMac

At first glance, the new 24-inch Apple iMac looks virtually identical to its predecessor, retaining its razor-thin profile and vibrant colorways. The iMac’s last major update came in 2024, when Apple introduced the M4 chip. But under the hood, it’s an entirely different beast. The base M6 configuration now starts with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, while higher-end models boast a 12-core setup with dedicated Neural Accelerators.

You’re looking at up to 2.5 times faster performance in everyday productivity apps like Microsoft Excel compared with the M1 iMac, and up to 3.3 times faster graphics rendering in creative suites like Affinity Photo. Apple is also bringing its glare-reducing Nano-texture glass option to the iMac lineup, which is a huge win if your desk sits right next to a sunny window. Coupled with a dual 16-core Neural Engine and up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth, this colorful desktop is built to handle demanding Apple Intelligence tasks locally and securely.

Specs

• 24-inch 4.5K Retina display (with optional Nano-texture glass on 12-core models)
• Apple M6 chip (10-core or 12-core CPU, 10-core or 12-core GPU)
• Dual 16-core Neural Engine
• Up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth
• Center Stage camera with Desk View
• Studio-quality three-mic array and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio
• Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6
• Color-matched Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Magic Mouse
• Seven color options: Blue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver

Desktop-class power you can throw in a backpack

If portability and raw muscle are what you need, the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M6 is the undeniable star of the show. The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, last received a chip upgrade in 2025 with the M5. The Cupertino giant’s entry-level Pro laptop is now built around a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, paired with the same dual 16-core Neural Engine. It’s engineered to power through demanding workflows. According to Apple’s benchmarks, time-to-first-token performance for local LLM prompt processing is up to 13 times faster than on the M1 model, while ray-traced rendering in Blender is nearly 12 times as fast.

The M6 processor is designed to deliver impressive performance without sacrificing efficiency. The 2026 14-inch MacBook Pro now boasts up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, making it an even more compelling option for digital nomads who spend long hours away from an outlet. Apple has also upgraded the video-calling experience with a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View, flanked by a studio-quality three-mic array and a six-speaker spatial audio system. Add in Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support, and you have arguably the most future-ready entry-level Pro laptop in Apple’s current lineup.

Specs

• 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (ProMotion up to 120Hz, optional Nano-texture glass)
• Apple M6 chip (12-core CPU, 12-core GPU)
• Dual 16-core Neural Engine
• Up to 24 hours of battery life
• 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View
• Studio-quality three-mic array and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio
• Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3, and 3.5mm headphone jack
• Available in Space Black and Silver

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