Apple's M-Series Chip Evolution: A Comprehensive Comparison

All of Apple’s processors are scattered throughout different MacBook models, and you can find older models at specific third-party retailers online, either completely new or refurbished. If you do stumble upon its older chips (which came out four years ago), you might be wondering how they compare to other options. Here, get a breakdown of the differences to consider.

M5 Series

M5: The M5 chips are the latest options from Apple, having arrived in late 2025 with the launch of the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. The base M5 still has up to a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, though there’s also a lower-tier 9-core CPU that’s available on the iPad Pro. The M5 is around 10 to 15 percent faster in CPU performance but also takes a significant step up in GPU, AI workloads, and even storage speed. Like Apple’s mobile chips, the M5 is now also available on the MacBook Air.

M5 Pro: Currently available exclusively on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, the M5 Pro comes with up to an 18-core CPU and a 20-core GPU. The base configuration starts with only a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU. As with previous generations, the “Pro” chip gets all the same benefits as those in the M5 architecture but adds more cores and improved memory bandwidth. The biggest advantage is in GPU and on-device AI performance. This time around, however, both the M5 Pro and M5 Max also debuted an update: “Fusion Architecture” is a new version of UltraFusion (which was previously used only on the Ultra chips) that combines two dies together across a superfast interconnect.

M5 Max: The M5 Max is the M5 Pro—only with more GPU power. You get the option for up to 40 GPU cores, which puts the MacBook Pro on the level of high-end gaming laptops in terms of graphics performance. Add in the neural accelerators that are now built into each GPU core, and you’ve got one of the most powerful AI laptops on the market. In terms of Apple rankings, it’s only bested in GPU performance by the M3 Ultra, which is currently available only in the Mac Studio.

M4 Series

M4: The M4 originally launched in 2024. It has a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Apple claims the M4 delivers 1.8 times faster CPU performance and 2.2 times faster GPU performance than the M1. Meanwhile, the neural engine is more than three times faster than the original and twice as fast as the M3. It also starts with 16 GB of unified memory, which helps to power Apple Intelligence (the company’s suite of artificial intelligence features) more smoothly. It’s available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2024), iMac (2024), and MacBook Air (13-inch and 15-inch, 2025).

M4 Pro: The M4 Pro has a 14-core CPU (which Apple claims is up to 1.9 times faster than the M1 Pro) and up to a 20-core GPU, with up to 64 GB of unified memory. Built on a second-generation 3-nanometer process, it also supports enhanced GPU features like mesh shading and ray tracing—the latter of which is now twice as fast as on M3 chips. You’ll find it on the 2024 MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) and Mac Mini (2024).

M4 Max: This chip has a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU with support for up to 128 GB of unified memory. Apple says the CPU is up to 2.2 times faster than the M1 Max, while the GPU is up to 1.9 times faster. As with the M4 Pro, it packs support for mesh shading and ray tracing. The M4 Max is available as an option on the 2024 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and you can also get it as an option in the current Mac Studio.

M3 Series

M3: The M3 was available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro (late 2023), 13-inch MacBook Air (2024), 15-inch MacBook Air (2024), and 24-inch iMac (2023). It packs an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU with 24 GB of unified memory. When compared with the M1, Apple claimed CPU performance was up to 35 percent faster, and GPU performance was up to 65 percent faster. The company said the CPU and GPU are both 20 percent faster than the M2. As with the M1 and M2, it was great for basic tasks like word processing, sending emails, using spreadsheets, and light gaming. With the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, you also had support for two external displays (one display with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz and another with up to 5K resolution at 60 Hz).

M3 Pro: With a 12-core CPU and an 18-core GPU, Apple claimed the M3 Pro's GPU was only up to 10 percent faster than the M2 Pro, making it a marginal upgrade from its predecessor. Compared with the M1 Pro, however, the M2 Pro was up to 40 percent faster in GPU performance and 20 percent faster in CPU performance. It was available on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2023. It was the ideal in-between for those who needed a chip that was more powerful than the M3 but wouldn't use the full power of the M3 Max.

M3 Max: This was the next step up from the M2 Max. It had a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and up to 128 GB of unified memory. According to Apple, the CPU performance was up to 80 percent faster than the M1 Max and up to 50 percent faster than the M2 Max. As for GPU performance, it was said to be up to 50 percent faster than the M1 Max and 20 percent faster than the M2 Max. The M3 Max was available on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro (late 2023).

M3 Ultra: While the M3 lineup was introduced in 2023, Apple announced an M3 Ultra in 2025. Confusingly, it remains the most powerful chip in the M-series lineup—even better than the latest M4 Max and M5. It has a CPU of up to 32 cores (with 24 performance cores) and a GPU with up to 80 cores. Apple claims it’s up to 2.5 times faster than the M1 Ultra. It also comes with 96 GB of unified memory, with the option to upgrade up to 512 GB, while SSD storage can be increased to 16 TB. This chip is currently available only on the 2025 Mac Studio.

M2 Series

M2: The M2 was an entry-level chip like the M1, with slightly more processing power. It packed an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU (two more GPU cores than its predecessor), along with support for up to 24 GB of unified memory. Apple said the second-generation chip has an 18 percent faster CPU and a GPU that’s 35 percent more powerful than its earlier version. The M2 was great for daily tasks like word processing and web browsing, but such tasks as editing multiple streams of 4K footage and 3D rendering should be reserved for the M1 Pro or M1 Max (or the next two chips). It was available in the MacBook Air (13-inch, 2022), MacBook Air (15-inch, 2022), and MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2022).

M2 Pro: The M2 Pro was the next step up from the M2. It had up to 12 cores in the CPU and up to a 19-core GPU, with up to 32 GB of unified memory. Apple claimed performance was up to 20 percent faster than with the 10-core M1 Pro and graphics were 30 percent faster. We recommended this chip for intermediate video and photo editors. It was a marginal upgrade compared with the M1 Pro, but it was the best option for those who wanted a more future-proof processor. You could find it in the MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) from early 2023 and the Mac Mini (2023).

M2 Max: The M2 Max packs up to a 12-core CPU and up to a 38-core GPU (with support for up to 96 GB of unified memory). According to Apple, graphics are 30 percent faster than on the M1 Max. The M2 Max is an excellent choice for those who work with graphics-intensive content, including graphic design, 3D modeling, and heavy-duty video footage. But as with the M2 Pro, it’s an incremental upgrade if you’re coming from an M1 Max. It’s available in the MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) that came out early in 2023 and the Mac Studio (2023).

M2 Ultra: Successor to the M1 Ultra, the M2 Ultra was available on the second-generation Mac Studio and the Mac Pro (2023). Composed of two M2 Max chips, using Apple’s UltraFusion technology, the M2 Ultra had a 24-core CPU and a GPU configurable with 60 or 76 cores. Apple claimed the CPU delivered up to 20 percent faster performance and a 30 percent faster GPU than the M1 Ultra. This was the chip to get if you were working with extremely heavy-duty content that you believed the M1 Ultra, M2 Pro, or M2 Max simply wouldn't be able to handle. You’d have known if you needed a chip this robust.

M1 Series

M1: For years, Apple continued to sell the M1 MacBook Air through Walmart for just $599, which was a killer price for this laptop. The MacBook Neo has since replaced it, using the A18 Pro iPhone chip. The M1 was the first custom silicon Apple debuted for its MacBook Air in 2020. It has an 8-core CPU and up to an 8-core GPU. Originally, there was support for up to 16 GB of unified memory (RAM) at an extra cost, but nowadays you can only purchase the 8-GB model. It was much faster than any previous Intel-powered MacBook Pro, and it was the practical choice for most people, as it was inside the most affordable MacBook Air you could buy (from third-party retailers). It packed more than enough processing power to get you through common day-to-day tasks and even light gaming. It could also handle more intense jobs, like photo editing.

M1 Pro: From there, the next step up was the M1 Pro. It had up to 10 cores in the CPU and up to a 16-core GPU, with up to 32 GB of unified memory. Apple said the performance and graphics were both twice as fast as on the M1. We found it to be considerably more capable than the base chip, making it ideal for anyone who works heavily on MacBooks for music production or photo and video editing. Only the MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) from 2021 used this chip.

M1 Max: Like the M1 Pro, the M1 Max had a 10-core CPU but a heftier 32-core GPU (with support for up to 64 GB of unified memory). Apple said it was four times faster than the M1 in terms of graphics. As proved in testing, this chip was extremely powerful and handled every heavy-duty task with ease. It was the go-to choice if you needed a computer that could handle multiple streams of 8K or 4K video footage, 3D rendering, or developing apps and running demos. You probably already knew whether you needed this much power. It was available in the MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) from 2021.