Apple offers the MacBook Pro with three different chip options. It starts with the entry-level M5 chip, which you can only get in the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Apple also offers higher end M5 Pro and M5 Max chips for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, as it has since the M1 arrived in 2020.
The M5 MacBook Pro was released in October 2025. According to reports, Apple plans to upgrade the laptop to an M6 chip this fall, which isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is that Apple will reportedly skip the Pro and Max M6 variants to focus on the M7 coming later in 2027. So the M6 MacBook Pro could be the only M6 option available.
This article keeps track of the reports about the upcoming M6 MacBook Pro. Keep an eye on this article for the latest news.
M6 MacBook Pro release date: When will it launch?
• Fall 2026 expected
In a July report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the M6 MacBook Pro is expected to ship this fall. Of the five generations of the entry-level MacBook Pro, three have been released in the October/November timeframe, including the past two releases. Here are the release dates for the entry-level MacBook Pro:
- M5 MacBook Pro: October 2025
- M4 MacBook Pro: November 2024
- M3 MacBook Pro: January 2023
- M2 MacBook Pro: June 2022
- M1 MacBook Pro: November 2020
This release could be affected by the memory chip shortage that has been affecting the whole tech industry. If Apple is unable to obtain the quantity of chips it needs, Apple could be forced to move the release date back. Or, there could have a short supply of laptops available, which would result in actual delivery dates slipping.
At this point in time, we haven’t heard of any delays. The fall release of the M6 MacBook Pro seems to be on schedule, but the volatility of the chip market could cause it to change unexpectedly.
M6 MacBook Pro: Chip details
- First 2nm M-series chip
- Redesigned GPU
Apple will upgrade the MacBook Pro M5 to an M6 chip, which will be the key upgrade for this release cycle. The chip is expected to be the first M-series chip built using TSMC’s 2nm process. A smaller process allows for more transistors to be placed on the chip, which would result in faster speeds and improved power efficiency.
The M6 chip is expected to incorporate new features for improved AI processing.
Apple
The M5 chip comes with 10 CPU cores: 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores. No reports have been made about the M6 CPU core count, but Gurman reported that “performance will also improve.” Apple is also planning enhancements for the built-in video codecs.
In June, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the M6 could offer an updated memory architecture and memory bandwidth of 200 GB/s, a 31 percent increase over the M5’s 153 GB/s. Apple will also likely update the chip’s Neural Engine to help AI processing for Apple Intelligence and Siri AI. As for the RAM configurations, Apple offers the M5 with 16GB, 24GB, or 32GB of RAM. Apple isn’t expected to change this with the M6.
The M6 will also have a redesigned GPU. Gurman reported that Apple tested a version of the M6 with 12 GPU cores, which is two more than the M5.
M6 MacBook Pro: Other specifications and features
- No major changes expected
The chip upgrade to the M6 is expected to be the only major change with the back MacBook Pro release. The display, keyboard, trackpad, ports, and other features are all expected to be identical or similar to the M5 MacBook Pro.
The M6 MacBook Pro could be the last entry-level model of this particular design.
Foundry
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning an entry-level M7 MacBook Pro for 2027. This laptop will have a base M7 chip that replaces the M6, but it will also have several new features to match those introduced with the touchscreen MacBook Pro. The entry-level M7 MacBook Pro will have a new design, an OLED display, and other features, but it’s not expected to have a touchscreen.
M6 MacBook Pro: Price
- $1,999 (expected)
- Ongoing memory constraints could affect configurations
We haven’t heard any reports about the price of the entry-level M6 MacBook Pro, but we can look at recent price history to get an idea. When the M5 MacBook Pro was released in 2025, its starting price was $1,599. Apple bumped it to $1,699 when the M5 Pro and Max models arrived earlier this year and increased the starting storage to 1TB. This past June, however, Apple raised the price to $1,999 due to supply chain constraints. Those constraints aren’t going away anytime soon, and it’s likely that the higher price is now the new normal.
During Apple’s Q3 2026 financial announcement in July, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Kevan Parekh made it a point to explain that the supply chain constraints will affect production costs for months to come. ” We expect the impact from supply constraints to increase significantly sequentially,” said Parekh. “The projected supply constraints in the September quarter affect iPhone, Mac, and iPad.” Cook said, “With less flexibility in supply chain, we expect the impact from the supply constraints to increase significantly sequentially.”
With this in mind, it’s quite possible that prices could go up again with the release of the M6 MacBook Pro. It’s unlikely, but the state of the chip supply chain will influence what prices Apple will offer.
Considering that the M7 MacBook Pro won’t be far from replacing the yet-to-be-released M6 MacBook Pro, one strategy Apple could employ is to price the M6 MacBook Pro at the same $1,999 price and push any price hikes to the next generation. If that’s the case, the M6 could be a good option for anyone on the fence about upgrading.
