Apple's upcoming high-end MacBook and iPad models may feature the M3 Pro processor, which is set to offer significant improvements over its predecessor. The new chip is expected to have more CPU and GPU cores and more onboard memory.
According to Bloomberg, the M3 Pro may come with a 12-core CPU (six performance and six efficiency cores) and an 18-core graphics engine, making it a substantial upgrade over its predecessor. Compared to Apple's previous M2 Pro chip, that's two more efficiency cores and an extra 2 GPU cores. The upcoming chip is also expected to have an additional 4GB of onboard memory, packing 36GB in total.
While these upgrades may seem underwhelming, they are reportedly confined to Apple's “base-level” configurations. Higher-tier models may have even more impressive upgrades, such as an M3 Max with 14 CPU cores and over 40 GPU cores or an M3 Ultra with 28 CPU cores and over 80 GPU cores. These components are expected to be integrated into a single die based on a TSMC 3nm process node.
The first batch of Macs equipped with M3 chips is expected to be released either at the end of this year or at the beginning of the next one. Apple is also reportedly planning to introduce a 15-inch MacBook Air equipped with the M2 chip sometime this summer. However, the company is already developing iMacs and high-end and low-end MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models using M3 chips.
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KitGuru says: The previous Apple M-series chips have proven to be quite capable, and we expect the same from the M3 series. However, Intel and AMD are reportedly working on SoCs capable of rivalling the upcoming M3 chips, so there could be tough competition in the years ahead, although it is unlikely an Intel or AMD CPU/GPU would make its way into a Macbook or iPad at this point.