Is the new MacBook Pro worth upgrading from an M1 or M2?

MacUpdated

In Apple's testing against a 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1, the 14-inch with M6 is up to 13x faster for on-device AI and gives up to 4 more hours of battery life. For M2, Apple's pages give no direct figure. Accurate as of 30 October 2026.

Quick answer

Apple's upgrade figures compare the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 against a 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1: up to 13x faster LLM prompt processing, up to 11.7x faster Blender rendering and up to 2.5x faster Xcode builds, in Apple's own tests. Apple's upgrade picker groups M1 and M2 together, but the footnoted figures are measured against M1 only.

What does Apple say you get coming from an M1 MacBook Pro?

Apple's MacBook Pro page has an upgrade picker headed "There's never been a better time to upgrade." Choose "13-inch with M1 or M2" and it lists, for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6:

  • Up to 13x faster for on-device AI with Neural Accelerators in the GPU, against M1 in Apple's testing.
  • Apple Intelligence and Siri AI.
  • More detailed graphics and gaming with hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
  • Up to 4 more hours of battery life than M1, up to 24 hours in total, in Apple's testing.
  • The Liquid Retina XDR display with 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness.

Apple's 27 October release adds that people coming from M1 get 16GB of starting unified memory, an additional Thunderbolt port and the space black finish. It also says that, in Apple's testing, those upgrading from M1 get "up to 11x faster graphics and up to 13x faster AI performance."

What are Apple's task-by-task figures?

Apple's chart compares the 14-inch with M6 and the 14-inch with M5 against a 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1, set at 1x:

Task (app)14-inch with M614-inch with M5
LLM prompt processing, time to first token (LM Studio)13.0x10.3x
3D render with ray tracing (Blender)11.7x9.2x
AI video enhancing (Topaz Video)7.1x4.9x
Image processing (Affinity)3.3x2.8x
Track bounce (Logic Pro)2.9x1.7x
Gaming (Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate)3.2x2.5x
Project build (Xcode)2.5x2.0x

What conditions sit behind those numbers?

Apple's footnotes give the setup for every row:

  • Apple ran the tests in September 2026, using pre-production 14-inch MacBook Pro systems with M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 32GB of memory and a 4TB SSD.
  • The M5 comparison used production 14-inch systems with M5, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 32GB and 4TB.
  • The M1 baseline used production 13-inch MacBook Pro systems with M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB of memory and a 2TB SSD.
  • The LLM test used a 16K-token prompt with a 14-billion parameter model at 4-bit quantisation in LM Studio.
  • Cyberpunk 2077 was run at 1280x800 with the high preset, MetalFX set to balanced and ray tracing off.

Apple adds that "performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Pro". Apple says battery life varies by use, configuration and environmental factors.

What if you have an M2 MacBook Pro?

Apple's upgrade picker lists four starting points: 13-inch with M1 or M2, 13-inch Intel-based, 14 or 16-inch with M1 Pro or M1 Max, and 15 or 16-inch Intel-based. The 13-inch M2 shares its entry with M1, but every footnoted comparison on the page uses an M1 system. Apple doesn't publish an M2 figure there, so we don't give one.

There's no entry for the 14 or 16-inch models with M2 Pro or M2 Max, or anything later.

To compare an M2 model on specs, Apple's Mac compare page includes the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) and the 14 and 16-inch (M2 Pro or M2 Max, 2023).

What if you have an M1 Pro or M1 Max?

Choose "14- or 16-inch with M1 Pro or M1 Max" and Apple lists, for MacBook Pro with M5 Pro or M5 Max:

  • Up to 11.6x faster for on-device AI. The footnote compares a 14-inch with M5 Max (40-core GPU, 128GB) against a 14-inch with M1 Max (32-core GPU, 64GB), using an 8K-token prompt.
  • Up to 2.4x more CPU performance for compiling code, processing audio and more. The footnote compares a 16-inch with M5 Pro against a 16-inch with M1 Pro, building an open source project in Xcode.
  • Up to 2x faster storage, from 16-inch M5 Max and M1 Max systems, both with 8TB.

Apple's chart for the 14-inch with M5 Pro, against a 14-inch with M1 Pro, gives 10.9x for LLM prompt processing, 7.6x for text-to-image, 5.1x in Maxon Redshift, 4.8x in DaVinci Resolve Studio and 2.1x in Xcode. The touchscreen is only on M5 Pro and M5 Max models: see MacBook Pro M6 vs M5 Pro and M5 Max.

Will your current Mac keep getting macOS updates?

Apple's compatibility list for macOS 27 Golden Gate includes the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020), the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) and the 14 and 16-inch models from 2021 and 2023. None of Apple's pages gives an end date for those Macs. What Apple does say about update support is in how long will your Mac get security updates.

What questions should you decide by?

Apple's figures are "up to" numbers from Apple's own tests.

  1. Do you use the apps Apple tested? The biggest multipliers are for local AI models, 3D rendering and AI video work. Xcode builds show 2.5x over M1.
  2. Is memory holding you back? The 14-inch with M6 starts at 16GB and goes to 32GB. M5 Pro goes to 64GB and M5 Max to 128GB.
  3. Do you run out of battery? Apple quotes up to 4 more hours over M1, up to 24 hours in total.
  4. Do you need more ports or screens? The M6 model has three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI and an SDXC slot, and supports two external displays.
  5. Do you want Touch? That means the PROLED XDR model with M5 Pro or M5 Max, from £2,899 or $2,899.
  6. What is your current Mac worth? See Apple Trade In for a MacBook.

Don't know which Mac you have? Apple says to choose Apple menu > About This Mac.

Where Failshot fits

If you do upgrade, a new Mac is the moment to add the second layer. Your password is the first layer. Failshot is the second: second layer device security, for the moment someone sits down at your Mac and unlocks it.

While it's on, Failshot photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then, with Pro, records a 5-second video, and its window tells them the unlock was photographed. With the Mac's built-in camera, the green light comes on. With Pro, turn on alerts and Failshot emails you about an unlock you don't confirm as yours. Switching it off, or quitting it from its menu, takes Touch ID or your Failshot PIN and answer, never your Mac password.

Failshot is for macOS 14 or later. Free to download. It's free to use. Pro adds video, email alerts and the encrypted vault, and you can try Pro free for 7 days. The trial is on failshot.app, for the Mac. iPhone, Android and Windows are coming soon.

More questions

How much faster is M6 than M1?

By Apple's figures, up to 13x for LLM prompt processing, up to 11.7x for Blender rendering and up to 2.5x for Xcode builds, comparing a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 against a 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 in Apple's September 2026 tests.

How much faster is M6 than M2?

Apple doesn't say on its MacBook Pro pages. Its upgrade picker groups M1 and M2, but every footnoted comparison is against an M1 system, so there's no Apple figure for M2.

How much faster is M6 than M5?

Apple's release claims, from its own testing, up to 30 percent faster graphics and up to 25 percent faster AI workloads, against a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 32GB.

Does the new MacBook Pro have better battery life than M1?

Apple says up to 4 more hours for people coming from M1, and up to 24 hours in total on the 14-inch with M6, in its own video streaming test.

Can I trade in my M1 MacBook Pro?

Yes. Apple Trade In gives credit towards a new Mac, and values depend on the model and its condition. See Apple Trade In for a MacBook.

Sources