At a glance: Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M6) Review
What is it?
Apple's latest update to the 14-inch MacBook Pro doesn't change much, but it keeps the line ticking over with the new M6 chip for improved overall performance and better connectivity, all in the same familiar build.
What does it cost?
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 starts at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199, with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. You can configure it with up to 32GB of RAM and 4TB of storage, add a Nano-Texture display, or step up to the more powerful M5 Pro or M5 Max chips.
Alternatives
If you need more power or a bigger screen, there's the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M6, or the 14-inch and 16-inch models with M5 Pro or M5 Max. The 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air are better picks if you want a more portable build and can live with slightly less performance. If you want an OLED touchscreen and a thinner, lighter design, you'll need to look at the more expensive PROLED 14-inch or 16-inch models with the M5 Pro or M5 Max.
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2026, M6) scorecard
How the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2026, M6) scored in our review
Value4Design4Performance4.5Battery life4.5Overall4Group 1 DataProductValue ()Design ()Performance ()Battery life ()Overall ()Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2026, M6)444.54.54
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M6) Review: Value for money
No, this isn't the headline-grabbing new MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen and a thinner, lighter build. Alongside introducing those new models, Apple is sticking with a trend I'm a big fan of: yearly updates that ensure the entry-level MacBook Pro remains a solid proposition, with Apple's latest silicon and other top-end specs under the hood.
Apple hasn't changed much with the 2026 14-inch MacBook Pro, but it didn't need to. As the entry-level Pro, and a step up from the MacBook Air in terms of specs, it offers more ports in a familiar design that's slightly bulkier than the Air, but still plenty portable. You also get a very capable 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display with a notch at the top, a clicky-clacky keyboard with nice travel, a larger trackpad, and great sound with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support.
The big change is the M6 chip under the hood, with this model joining the still-available M5 Pro and M5 Max models. Those chips, while older, are more powerful, but don't let the M6 Pro's entry-level positioning fool you: Apple's latest silicon is no slouch, delivering excellent everyday performance with plenty of power for more intensive tasks, including photo and video editing, coding, and AI work.
I've been using the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 for the best part of a week, and it's been smooth sailing. It's handled my daily mix of productivity and creative work in apps like Slack, Safari, Google Chrome, Notes, Pages, Pixelmator Pro, and Final Cut Pro, running alongside Messages and FaceTime, effortlessly, without me needing to quit or close anything. The configuration I'm testing pairs the M6's 12-core CPU — split between two super cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores — with a 12-core GPU and Dual 16-core Neural Engine, and the base 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
Just like the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5, the new-for-2026 model with M6 starts at $1,999 / 1,999 / AU$3,199. Yes, that M5 model got a price hike earlier this year, but it’s good to see that Apple didn’t push this further, and with this price tag getting you the M6 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, it's excellent value.
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M6) Review: Design
- Same design as M5 Pro, with plenty of ports
- Excellent 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion
- Comfortable keyboard, oversized trackpad, and 12MP Center Stage camera
The M6 14-inch MacBook Pro sticks with the well-loved and well-tested design of recent Pro models. It's a little bulkier than the Air on account of its plentiful connectivity options, which include three Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, a headphone jack, and a MagSafe 3 port.
It's the same sleek design as the M5, M4, and even M3 versions that came before it. It's a design I know well, and one I use daily myself, and I appreciate that it doesn't feel too light or flimsy, but also not too heavy at just 3.4 pounds.
It keeps the same overall dimensions as last year's 14-inch Pro at 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches. You also get the same two color choices, Space Black or Silver; my review model is Silver, and it contrasts quite nicely with the darker, mirrored Apple logo on the rear — unlike the logo on the newly redesigned touchscreen MacBook Pro, though, this one doesn't light up.
Jacob Krol/Future
Jacob Krol/FutureThe M6 Pro also doesn't pack Apple's fancy new tandem OLED display, which is a stunner, with especially impressive contrast and the added benefit of not having the notch. The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display here is no slouch, though, and even with that higher-end model's arrival, this remains one of the best laptop screens on the market.
It supports refresh rates up to 120Hz thanks to ProMotion, and delivers a 3024 x 1964 resolution with vibrant colors and excellent contrast, including wonderfully inky blacks. I've found it great for photo editing in Photos or Pixelmator Pro, video editing in iMovie, CapCut, or Final Cut Pro, streaming videos, FaceTime calls, and even the more straightforward task of writing this review. I always appreciate those inky blacks as I type away.
(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)I've become used to the rectangular cutout notch centered at the top of the display, and I'm still confident that if you've never experienced it before, any initial annoyance at its presence will quickly fade. I am eyeing the pill-shaped Dynamic Island on the more expensive MacBook Pro, but it's really not a necessity.
Here, the menu bar wraps around the notch, which houses a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera that keeps you in the frame and looking sharp during video calls. It also supports Portrait mode to blur your background, and you can use the edges of the screen as a ring light in low lighting conditions.
(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)The keyboard still offers excellent travel, and a decidedly satisfying typing experience. I've written a few articles on this machine, including this review, and I still appreciate the Touch ID sensor baked into the top-right key. It's handy for unlocking your Mac, authenticating, and Apple Pay transactions. Equally, the oversized trackpad makes navigation easy, whether you're using classic point-and-click controls or gestures.
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M6) Review: Specs
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M6/M5 Pro/M5 Max) specsMacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro)
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Max)
Price
$1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199
$2,199 / £2,199 / AU$3,499
$3,599 / £1,999 / AU$5,799
CPU
M6 12-core
M5 Pro 15-core
M5 Max 18-core
GPU
12-core
16-core
32-core
RAM
16GB unified memory
24GB unified memory
36GB unified memory
Storage
1TB SSD
1TB SSD
2TB SSD
Display
14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), 120Hz
14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), 120Hz
14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), 120Hz
Ports
3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3
3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3
3x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), HDMI, SDXC card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3
Wireless
Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6, and Thread
Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6, and Thread
Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6, and Thread
Weight
3.4 lbs (1.55kg)
3.5 lbs (1.60kg)
3.6 lbs (1.62kg)
Dimensions
12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm)
12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm)
12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm)
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M6) Review: Performance
- M6 is an excellent chip
- Handles everyday multitasking, creative apps, and gaming with ease
- Apple's N1 chip brings support for latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards
Any Mac with Apple silicon really pushes the value meter, and the M6 inside the MacBook Pro is no different. But that also means that if you have an M5, M4, M3, or even an older MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, and its performance is still good enough for your needs, you likely don't need to rush to upgrade just yet.
The M6 14-inch Pro sits alongside the M5 Pro and M5 Max, and only one chip configuration is available as the entry-level option. It's a 12-core CPU — made up of two super cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores — alongside a 12-core GPU and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. While the M5 Pro and M5 Max can outperform it on the GPU front, those chips don't feature efficiency cores in the CPU or the doubled-up Neural Engine. The M6 starts with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage — the configuration I've been testing — but can be specced with up to 32GB of RAM and 4TB of storage.
So just how good is the M6 chip inside the 14-inch MacBook Pro? Well, quantitatively, it scored 4,752 in Geekbench 6's single-core test and 21,184 in multi-core. In Geekbench 7, it hit 4,027 single-core and 22,305 multi-core. Compare that to the M5-powered 14-inch MacBook Pro, which scored 4,288 and 17,926 in Geekbench 6, respectively. That's a considerable improvement of around 11% in single-core performance and 18% in multi-core. It also shows off the M6's multitasking chops and efficiency, the latter of which is mission-critical for a laptop with a battery inside — more on that below.
On the storage front, the SSD is largely unchanged. In the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, the M6 MacBook Pro clocked read speeds of 6,684.6 MB/s and write speeds of 6,501.6 MB/s. That's essentially on par with the M5 model, which managed 6,619.7 MB/s read and 6,517 MB/s write. So, no major improvement here, but not a step backwards either.
Over the past few days, I've put the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 through its paces as my daily machine. I regularly use Slack, Google Chrome, Safari — both browsers with dozens of tabs open, as I don't love closing them — Notes, Photos, Pixelmator Pro, Siri, and Music, alongside Messages and the occasional FaceTime or iPhone Mirroring session. I also put it through some video exports and project-creation work, mainly for social video at 2K or 4K, using iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and Edits. I also spent some time gaming with titles like Mini Metro, Mini Motorways, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Apple Intelligence is another area where the M6 feels right at home. Siri AI was particularly quick in my testing, especially with multimodal tasks, such as asking it about items on-screen or handling multi-step processes. Apple's Creator Studio improvements also ran smoothly, including Generative Fill in Pixelmator Pro. These are the kinds of tasks that show off the M6's Neural Engine, and I didn't have to wait around for results.
Generative Fill in Pixelmator Pro, as part of Creator Studio, is really impressive, and while it can take a beat to process, it's on a par with Photoshop's Generative Fill. Take a look at the example below, where I added a river below a photo of a Rivian R2 in a parking garage.
Jacob Krol/Future
Jacob Krol/Future
Jacob Krol/FutureWith plenty of apps open and a demanding workload running, I did occasionally hear the fans kick in, but never for sustained periods. For the most part, the MacBook Pro remained quiet, even with my usual mix of productivity and creative apps running.
The M6 doesn't quite beat the M5 Pro or M5 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro models for more intensive tasks, like larger video exports. It can certainly hold its own, but those jobs take a little longer, and the fans might kick in along the way. For everyday use and then some, though, whether that's photo or video editing, music creation, or even gaming, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 easily holds its own.