Apple's next-gen M6 processor 'coming sooner than people anticipate' says insider

Apple's next-gen M6 processor could be unveiled sooner than we think, with new M5 Pro and M5 Max variants of the MacBook Pro series laptops on their way.

Apple's next-gen M6 processor 'coming sooner than people anticipate' says insider
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Gaming Editor
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TL;DR: Apple plans to launch new MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, Mac Studio, and a low-cost MacBook with an iPhone-grade processor in early 2026, while a refreshed OLED MacBook Pro is expected later that year. The next-generation M6 chip may arrive sooner than anticipated, following rapid M-series processor updates.

Apple has quite the span of new MacBook laptops and desktops to roll out this year, with new MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, a refreshed MacBook Pro with an OLED screen and touch support, a new Mac mini and Mac Studio, a new low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone-grade processor, and even a new Apple Studio Display for 2026.

Apple's next-gen M6 processor 'coming sooner than people anticipate' says insider 14
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But in a new Power On! newsletter, Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman says that the new MacBook Pros, MacBook Air, and Mac Studio systems are due out in the first half of 2026, while the revamped MacBook Pro "should be hitting" towards the end of 2026.

Gurman writes that Apple's next-generation M6 processor is "potentially coming sooner than people anticipate" and that it might not release in the coming laptops, but "still in the near future" in some configurations. He notes that Apple released its M5 processor in three devices last October, and that "it might seem soon" for an M6, there was only a 5-month gap between the M3 and M4 chips.

Gurman added: "One wrinkle: I think the M6 chip is potentially coming sooner than people anticipate. Not necessarily in these next laptops, but still in the near future in some configurations. Apple released the M5 processor in October in three devices. Though it might seem soon for an M6, there was only a five-month gap between the M3 and M4".