Apple’s base M6 MacBook Pro cuts video export time in early testing

Apple set November 6 as the start of U.S. deliveries and store availability for its $1,999 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6. The base laptop keeps its mini-LED display, while the separately reviewed OLED MacBook Pro models use M5 Pro or M5 Max chips.

The $1,999 configuration tested by Tom’s Hardware had a 12-core CPU, a 12-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD. The new model adds Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Apple offers up to 32GB of unified memory on the base M6 model.

In Tom’s Hardware’s HandBrake test, which converts a 4K video to 1080p, the M6 finished in 2 minutes and 50 seconds. The previous M5 model took 3 minutes and 31 seconds. That is 41 seconds, or about 19%, less time in that specific test. The M6 also scored about 11% higher in Geekbench 6 single-core testing, at 4,752 versus 4,288.

Storage performance barely moved in the same review. The M6 transferred a 25GB set of files at about 1,914 MB/s, versus about 1,917 MB/s for the M5. That result measures one file-transfer workload. Storage capacities and other workloads can produce different results.

Apple claims up to 30% faster graphics than the M5 in its own testing. The independent review recorded 53.7 frames per second for the M6 versus 47.65 for the M5 in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1800 × 1125 using the game’s Mac preset. That is one title at one setting, with limited bearing on other games or creative software.

Editorial Opinion

The HandBrake result gives frequent video exporters a concrete gain to weigh. For people who mostly move large files or already own an M5, the near-tie in the file-copy test makes the case for upgrading weaker. The base model’s value comes down to whether the work you do regularly resembles the tasks that actually got faster.

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