Apple M4 chip: Everything we know so far
AppleApple’s next processor lineup, the M4, has officially been leaked. Here’s everything we know about it so far.
Since the launch of the M1 back in 2020, Apple’s in-house silicon processors have offered high-end performance across the company’s entire line of computers and devices.
The M3 was first released on the MacBook Pro and iMac computers in October 2023, with the MacBook Air finally getting them in March 2024.
Apple is reportedly near the end of development for its next line of processors, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman — here’s everything we know.
Remember, everything is unconfirmed right now, so until Apple reveals more about the chip officially, take this with a pinch of salt.
Apple M4 release rumors
We expect Apple to release the M4 processor in October 2024. Sources close to Bloomberg claim that the company is aiming to release the new computers in late 2024 and early 2025, which lines up with the previous M3 release times.
Gurman states there will be updated iMacs, three levels of the MacBook Pro, and a revamped Mac Mini with the M4 chip inside. These are likely to be the first to be updated with the chip, with a MacBook Air update coming several months later.
Here is the order in which Gurman expects the M4 Macs to launch:
| Model | Expected launch timeframe |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro (low-end) | Late 2024 |
| 24-inch iMac | Late 2024 |
| 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros | Late 2024 / Early 2025 |
| Mac mini (M4 and M4 Pro) | Late 2024 / Early 2025 |
| 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs | Spring 2025 |
| Mac Studio (high-end M4) | Summer 2025 |
| Mac Pro (M4 Ultra) | Fall / Winter 2025 |
Apple M4: Pricing speculation
The Apple M4 chip is likely to debut with the updated iMacs, which currently begin at $1299, while the could be the cheapest of the M4 devices to be released when it debuts. We don’t anticipate another price increase for the M4 flavors of MacBook Pro, which could be priced at $1599.
Apple M4: Rumored features
The Apple M4 processor is reportedly set to be the company’s first AI-focused processor, but that’s all that we know as of writing. The company may
If it is anything like the AI-focused Intel Core Ultra series, the M4 will have special processing capabilities to run generative AI models at the highest performance level possible.
The M4 chip line reportedly will include an entry-level version dubbed Donan, more powerful ‘Brava’ models, and a high-end model named Hidra. These are likely to be released as the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max to maintain the same naming structure they’ve done with previous versions.
Apple is considering upping the amount of RAM the chip can support, giving the higher-end Mac Pro and Mac Studio computers access to up to roughly 512GB of RAM.
