Apple is testing a new M3 chipset that features 12 CPU cores, 18 graphics cores, and 36 GB of memory, according to data that was collected by an App Store developer and later shared with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, author of the Power On newsletter. Gurman has speculated that this is the base-level version of the M3 Pro, a successor to the M2 Pro that Apple unveiled in January, featuring 10 CPU cores, 16 graphics cores, and 32 GB of memory. January also saw the launch of the M2 Max, which can be found in Apple’s new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with up to 38 graphics cores and 96 GB of unified memory.
Apple M Pro Series Comparison
M1 Pro (October 2021):
- Eight CPU cores (six high-performance cores/two power-efficient cores)
- 14 graphics cores
- 32 GB of memory
M2 Pro (January 2023):
- 10 CPU cores (six high-performance cores/four power-efficient cores)
- 16 graphics cores
- 32 GB of memory
M3 Pro (in testing):
- 12 CPU cores (six high-performance cores/six power-efficient cores)
- 18 graphics cores
- 36 GB of memory
From a Bloomberg report:
The company needs fresh ways to entice customers back to the lineup, and the M3 could help with that. Apple’s Mac business suffered a 31% sales decline last quarter, missing analysts’ already-downbeat estimates.
So what does the M3 look like? Well, at least one version in testing has 12 CPU cores, 18 graphics cores and 36 gigabytes of memory. That’s according to data collected by an App Store developer and shared with Power On. The CPU, the chip’s main processor, is made up of six high-performance cores that handle the most intensive tasks and six efficiency cores that kick in for operations that need less power.
The chip itself in this particular test is running in a future high-end MacBook Pro with the upcoming macOS 14.0 and likely is the base-level version of what will be the M3 Pro coming next year.