Apple now sells two kinds of MacBook Pro, and only one lets you touch the screen. The touchscreen MacBook Pro pairs a tandem OLED screen Apple calls PROLED XDR with an M5 Pro or M5 Max chip, while the regular model keeps its mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR screen and now starts with the new M6 chip, Apple’s MacBook Pro page shows.
Our pick for most people is the 14-inch M6 with 24GB of memory, which Apple’s Philippine store lists at Php 157,990 (about $2,470).
The M6 is the newest chip at the lowest price
The 14-inch M6 starts at Php 144,990 (about $2,270) with 16GB and 1TB. Its 12-core CPU mixes two super cores, four performance cores and six efficiency cores, Apple’s tech specs page shows, and it’s the only chip in the lineup with Apple’s Dual 16-core Neural Engine; the M5 Pro and M5 Max have a single 16-core one.
Each memory step adds Php 13,000 (about $200): Php 157,990 for 24GB and Php 170,990 (about $2,670) for 32GB. We’d skip the 16GB model, which also gets less memory bandwidth, 153GB/s against 170GB/s.
The M6 drives two external displays from three Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40Gb/s). Apple rates it at up to 24 hours of video streaming, the most of any 14-inch model.
Php 9,000 more gets you an M5 Pro
Apple still sells the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and the mini-LED screen, from Php 179,990 (about $2,810) with 24GB and 1TB. That’s Php 9,000 (about $140) more than the 32GB M6.
The M5 Pro brings a 15-core CPU with no efficiency cores, a 16-core GPU and 307GB/s of memory bandwidth, about 1.8 times the M6’s. It also gets Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120Gb/s) and drives a third external display.
If you were about to max out the M6, we’d take the M5 Pro instead, and trade 8GB of memory for a bigger chip and faster ports.
Php 35,000 more buys the OLED and touch
With the same M5 Pro, 24GB and 1TB, the touchscreen model costs Php 214,990 (about $3,360), Apple’s Philippine store lists. The gap is Php 35,000 (about $550) on every chip and size except the 14-inch with the 18-core M5 Pro, where it’s Php 38,500 (about $600).
PROLED XDR stacks two OLED layers that light each pixel on their own, so bright highlights sit next to deep blacks without the halos of a backlit screen. It peaks at 2,000 nits for HDR and for SDR outdoors, against the mini-LED screen’s 1,600 and 1,000 nits, and covers Adobe RGB as well as P3.
Touch works in many apps right away, since macOS turns touches into clicks, Apple’s announcement says. You also get the Dynamic Island and a lighter laptop: 1.38kg for the 14-inch M5 Pro, against 1.60kg with the mini-LED screen, with the same 22-hour video streaming rating.
We’d pay the Php 35,000 for photo, print and HDR video work, or if you often work outdoors. For touch alone, it’s a lot of money to stop reaching for the trackpad.
M5 Pro or M5 Max, and how much memory
The 18-core M5 Pro, with a 20-core GPU, adds Php 21,000 (about $330) to the touchscreen 14-inch, for Php 235,990. It also swaps the 70W adapter in the box for the 96W one that fast charging needs, Apple’s PROLED tech specs page shows.
Going from 24GB to 48GB on that chip adds Php 39,000 (about $610), for Php 274,990 (about $4,300). That’s Php 1,625 per gigabyte, as on the M6.
The touchscreen 16-inch starts at Php 249,990 (about $3,910) with the 18-core M5 Pro, Php 14,000 (about $220) more than the 14-inch with the same chip. That buys a 16.3-inch screen, a 100Wh battery rated at up to 24 hours of video streaming and a 140W adapter.
On the touchscreen model, the M5 Max starts at Php 329,990 (about $5,160) with a 32-core GPU, 36GB and 2TB. It doubles the video encode and ProRes engines, drives four external displays and reaches 460GB/s, and Apple says it can run large language models with hundreds of billions of parameters on the laptop.
That 32-core M5 Max only comes with 36GB, less than an M5 Pro can take. For more, you need the 40-core M5 Max, from Php 368,990 (about $5,770) with 48GB, configurable to 128GB. With the mini-LED screen, each M5 Max costs Php 35,000 less.
We’d buy the 18-core M5 Pro with 48GB for most pro work, and save the M5 Max for 8K video, heavy 3D and big local AI models.
Nano-texture is Php 9,750 on any model
Nano-texture glass adds Php 9,750 (about $150) to every MacBook Pro, M6 included, with a polishing cloth in the box. Get it if you work by a window or outdoors; on the touchscreen model, with its 2,000-nit outdoor peak, it’s an easier skip.
M6 and touchscreen starting prices
The table below has starting prices from Apple’s Philippine store, Apple’s US store and its touchscreen MacBook Pro listing.
| Model and chip | Memory and storage | Philippines | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-inch, M6, 12-core GPU | 16GB, 1TB | Php 144,990 | $1,999 |
| 14-inch, M6, 12-core GPU | 24GB, 1TB | Php 157,990 | $2,199 |
| 14-inch, M6, 12-core GPU | 32GB, 1TB | Php 170,990 | $2,399 |
| 14-inch mini-LED, M5 Pro, 16-core GPU | 24GB, 1TB | Php 179,990 | $2,499 |
| 14-inch PROLED, M5 Pro, 16-core GPU | 24GB, 1TB | Php 214,990 | $2,899 |
| 14-inch PROLED, M5 Pro, 20-core GPU | 24GB, 1TB | Php 235,990 | $3,099 |
| 16-inch PROLED, M5 Pro, 20-core GPU | 24GB, 1TB | Php 249,990 | $3,399 |
| 14-inch PROLED, M5 Max, 32-core GPU | 36GB, 2TB | Php 329,990 | $4,499 |
| 16-inch PROLED, M5 Max, 32-core GPU | 36GB, 2TB | Php 344,990 | $4,799 |
| 14-inch PROLED, M5 Max, 40-core GPU | 48GB, 2TB | Php 368,990 | $5,099 |
| 16-inch PROLED, M5 Max, 40-core GPU | 48GB, 2TB | Php 384,990 | $5,399 |
Both lines are on pre-order in the US and other markets, and start arriving Friday, November 6th.
Our picks
- Most people: 14-inch M6 with 24GB, Php 157,990 (about $2,470).
- More cores and faster ports: 14-inch M5 Pro with the mini-LED screen, Php 179,990 (about $2,810).
- Photo, print and HDR video: touchscreen 14-inch with the 18-core M5 Pro and 48GB, Php 274,990 (about $4,300).
- Big screen: touchscreen 16-inch with M5 Pro, from Php 249,990 (about $3,910).
- 8K video, 3D and local AI: 40-core M5 Max, from Php 368,990 (about $5,770) with touch, or Php 333,990 (about $5,220) without.
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