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2024 has been a big year for Apple computing, not least for the Mac M4 Max chip, Apple’s next-generation computing chipset that will power the next generation of MacBook Pros.
The Mac M4 Max chip is expected to launch in October, and while we are waiting for secretive Apple to give us the full specs, there is plenty that we do know, including how the M4 Max chip will build on the M4 base chip’s capabilities to bring new on-device artificial intelligence processing capabilities to the top-of-the-line MacBooks.
Join us as we examine everything we know about the M4 Max chip so far. This includes the latest Mac M4 Max chip release date, features, specs, rumors, and more.
What is the Mac M4 Max Chip?
Back in May, Apple announced the release of the M4 chip, a system-on-chip (SoC) for the iPad Pro featuring a new display engine to power the device’s Ultra Retina XDR display, a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, and a Neural engine capable of 38 trillion operations per second.
The Apple Mac M4 Max chip is expected to offer all of these capabilities and more. In the previous generation, the M3 Max performed twice as fast as the base M3 chip, so there is the potential that we will see a similar performance boost with the M4 Max chip.
Likewise, given that the M3 Max line offered a 14-core or 16-core CPU and 30-core or 40-core GPU options, we can likely expect the M4 Max chip to have extra CPU and GPU improvements.
When considering that the base M4 chip features a 25% improved multi-core performance over the base M3 line — we may be looking at a beast.
We also know that the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips will be featured as out-of-the-box hardware for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. Early Mac M4 Max chip rumors suggest that some models are already being mass-produced with 16GB of RAM included as a base.
Mac M4 Max Chip Release Date
Expected Release Date: October 2024
The Mac M4 Max chip’s release date will most likely be October, at least according to Bloomberg Correspondent Mark Gurman, who expects new Macs to be announced in October.
Sticking to the usual pattern, I don’t expect new Macs to be announced until October. I do expect the Mac mini to be the most notable M4 Mac this year, but there are also new MacBook Pros. The updated MacBook Air isn’t coming until spring, with pro Mac desktops coming later.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) August 24, 2024
That being said, the launch could be delayed until November — we have yet to hear a word from Apple. So, while we expect the new Macs (and new chips) to drop long before the Holiday season, don’t prepare your credit card just yet.
Mac M4 Max Chip Features & Specs
At the time of writing, Apple has released little information about the M4 Max specs. For now, all we have to go on are the basic specs of the base M4 chip, and what history teaches us. But we can expect:
- New Processor
- Neural Engine
- New Display Engine
- New CPU and GPU Cores
New Processor
Arguably the most notable feature of the M4 Max Chip will be its new and improved processor, offering potentially twice the speed of the M4 base chip.
This will not only provide more bandwidth for on-device processing but also improve performance across the board compared to the M4 Pro.
Neural Engine
One of the biggest appeals of the base M4 chips is that they will introduce Apple’s fastest Neural Engine ever, which can perform 38 trillion operations per second. Apple claims that this is the fastest neural processing unit of any AI PC released, and we can only assume that the M4 Max will look to enhance this further.
Another addition to the M4 line is a new display engine that so far has been used to power the Ultra Retina XDR in the iPad Pro. In this sense, we can expect the M4 Max to offer sharper images and color than the previous generation.
CPU and GPU Cores
Currently, the base Mac M4 chips start with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, and we can expect the Pro and Max chips to offer more.
Given that the previous generation M3 Max chips were available with a 14-core or 16-core CPU, or 30-core or 40-core GPU, it is likely that the M4 Max chip will offer more CPU and GPU cores than the base M4 models.
Mac M4 Max vs Mac M4: Specs Comparison
| Specs | M4 Max Chip (Expected) | Mac M4 Chip (Base) |
| Neural Engine | 16-core neural engine (38 trillion operations per second) or above | 16-core neural engine (38 trillion operations per second) |
| CPU | 14 core CPU or 16 core CPU | 10 core CPU |
| GPU | 30-core GPU or 40-core GPU | 10-core GPU |
Please note these specs are just projections based on what we’ve seen in terms of the M4’s current specs, and the differences between the Base and Max models in the previous generation.
Mac M4 Max Chip Price
Expected: $3,500 for 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Max
Currently, Apple hasn’t confirmed the Mac M4 Max chip price, nor the price of the new MacBook Pro models.
That said, the base model of the MacBook Pro can expect a base price of $1,599 or more, as the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 starts at $1,599.
When considering that a 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max starts at $3,499 to $3,999, you can likely expect to pay around $3,500 or up to buy an M4 Max MacBook.
The Bottom Line
Based on what we know so far, the Mac M4 chip appears to be an incremental upgrade to Apple’s product portfolio — but users who need that raw power will be grateful for it.
In any case, there should be a noticeable difference in performance between the M4 line and the previous M3 generation, whether you invest in the base M4 chip or the Pro or Max variations.
