M6 vs M4: How two years and two chip generations change Apple Silicon

Owners of M4 Macs may feel the temptation to upgrade to the M6 Mac mini, MacBook Pro, or iMac. Here's what to expect with the jump to Apple's newest silicon.


In August 2026, Apple introduced the M6 as its new entry-level chip, as well as the M6 generation itself. Brought out with the Mac mini, the M6 was framed by Apple as a way to benefit more from AI, with changes that made it an ideal chip for machine learning workloads.

The introduction took place just over two years after Apple launched its first M4 chip in the iPad Pro. The M6 is also a two-generation jump for some models, such as the Mac mini, which skipped the base M5 chip completely.


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