Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Apple Unveils M6, M5 Ultra Chips Before iPhone Event
Apple made two new computer chips called M6 and M5 Ultra.
The M6 is designed for everyday users, students, developers, and businesses.
It uses a new 2-nanometer manufacturing process, which helps it become faster and more efficient.
The M6 will be used in a new Mac mini.
The M5 Ultra is much larger and is designed for demanding professional work.
It combines four processing dies so they can work together like one chip.
It will power a new Mac Studio.
Both computers can be pre-ordered, with stores scheduled to receive them on September 22.
Apple unveiled the M6 and M5 Ultra chips as a major architectural update to its silicon lineup.
The M6 is Apple’s first 2-nanometer chip and powers the new Mac mini.
The M6 has a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, dual 16-core Neural Engine, and up to 32GB of unified memory.
The M5 Ultra combines two dual-die M5 Max chips into a quad-die processor for the new Mac Studio.
M5 Ultra supports up to a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512GB of unified memory, and 1.2TB/s memory bandwidth.
- Who
- Apple unveiled the M6 and M5 Ultra chips.
- What
- The company introduced two new Apple silicon processors with upgraded CPU, GPU, AI, graphics, memory, and media capabilities.
- When
- They were unveiled ahead of an iPhone event; retail availability is scheduled for September 22.
- Where
- The M6 is used in the new Mac mini, while the M5 Ultra is used in the new Mac Studio.
- Why
- The M6 targets everyday and general computing, while the M5 Ultra is intended for demanding workloads such as 3D rendering, visual effects, scientific computing, and large on-device AI models.
- M6 manufacturing process
- First Apple chip built on a 2-nanometer process
- M6 CPU and GPU
- 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU
- M6 memory
- Up to 32GB unified memory and 170GB/s memory bandwidth
- M5 Ultra architecture
- Quad-die processor made by fusing two dual-die M5 Max chips
- M5 Ultra CPU and GPU
- Up to 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU
- M5 Ultra memory
- Up to 512GB unified memory and 1.2TB/s bandwidth
- Availability
- Both computers are available for pre-order, with retail availability from September 22