The M4 chip was introduced in a remarkable way this year, not in a Mac, but in the iPad Pro. It will probably not stop at just the iPad. The M4 processor may also be added to the Mac mini and other Apple devices later this year.
The M3 chip was unveiled in the fall of 2023 and was replaced by the M4 within half a year. A special choice by Apple. Just like the A17 Pro for iPhone 15 Pro (Max) and M3 processor, the M4 chip is designed using a 3nm manufacturing process and this is reflected in the performance of the chip. In addition, there is good news to report for Mac users, the new models may get 16GB of RAM as standard.
M4 series in brief
Together with the iPad Pro, Apple released the M4 chip. This is a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and is built with second-generation 3-nanometer technology. With this new chip, Apple silicon becomes even more energy-efficient. A 3nm process means that the transistor gate is only 3 nanometers wide, in this article we explain what is so special about it.
M4 features a new CPU with up to 10 cores, including four performance cores and now a whopping six efficiency cores. The high-end cores have improved branch prediction, larger decoding and execution engines for the performance cores, and a deeper execution engine for the efficiency cores. Additionally, both types of cores feature improved machine learning accelerators.
M4’s new 10-core GPU builds on the advanced graphics architecture of the M3 chips. It features dynamic caching, an Apple innovation that dynamically allocates local memory on the hardware in real time. This allows for greater overall utilization of the GPU, making the most demanding pro apps and games run much more smoothly.
M4 features a Neural Engine that is capable of processing an incredible 38 trillion operations per second—faster than the neural processing unit in any AI PC on the market. This makes any device with the M4 chip an unprecedentedly powerful device for AI.
Macs with M4 chip
At the time of writing, Apple has not yet added the M4 series to a Mac. For now, the chip can only be found in the iPad Pro. The expectation is that this processor will also be added to other Apple devices later this year, including the Mac mini. Below is an overview.
Already released
- 11-inch iPad Pro: M4
- 13-inch iPad Pro: M4
Expected in 2024
- 14-inch MacBook Pro: M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max
- 16-inch MacBook Pro: M4 Pro and M4 Max
- Mac mini: M4 and M4 Pro
- 24-inch iMac: M4 chip
Expected in 2025
- 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air: M4
- Mac Studio: M4 Max and M4 Ultra
- Mac Pro: M4 Ultra
Apple will most likely unveil the Mac mini and MacBook Pro with M4 in the fall of 2024. The Mac Studio and Mac Pro, according to current rumors, will not be updated until 2025. The MacBook Air will also likely make the switch to M4 in that same year.
Standard 16 GB RAM
Finally, there is good news for Mac users. According to sources to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman Apple would finally want to provide the Macs with 16 GB of RAM as standard. Until now, this has always been 8 GB for the standard models, but Apple now seems to be moving away from that.
The Cupertino company has maintained that 8GB was more than enough, but in practice that wasn’t always the case. That’s why it’s introducing the first Macs with 16GB as standard in the fall of 2024, starting with the 24-inch iMac, entry-level MacBook Pro, and Mac mini. The MacBook Air will get the same upgrade in 2025.
We may see a slight price increase. Now it is an average of €230 to upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB. The price increase will probably not be that drastic and we are betting on €100 in additional cost.