Apple’s M Series Chips Explained

It’s been close to four years since Apple introduced the M series chip, which revolutionized the way Apple’s notebooks operate. With the MacBook M3 Pro now available on the market–not to mention the recent announcement of the M3 Macbook Air–it promises to be “the world’s best pro laptop.”

Here’s a deeper look into why the tech giant took strides in custom-building its computer chips and how they fare against previously manufactured ones.

From Apple Newsroom

M Series 101

In 2020, Apple introduced the M-series chip, paving the way for the transition from Intel-based processors to Apple silicon processors. The M1 was the first of its kind to be designed specifically for the Mac. According to The New York Times, “Apple’s big innovation was to build the Tesla of computer chips."

While the term “chip” is usually synonymous with a computer’s CPU or processor, Apple-manufactured chips integrate several components, such as its CPU, GPU, security, and Input/Output (I/O), among others, into one. Macs and PCs have typically used separate technologies for these. This time around, they are all combined into one system-on-a-chip (SoC) to deliver greater performance and efficiency and lower battery consumption. 

How do Intel chips fare in comparison?

Before creating their chips, Apple had been using Intel’s X86 chips since 2006. Apple Silicon, on the other hand, utilizes ARM technology, which is composed of a completely different architecture than that of Intel’s chips. A distinct advantage of ARM is energy efficiency; it’s why most MacBooks promise at least 18 hours of battery life compared to older laptop models.

Having multiple cores also meant that Macs could run multiple processes at once without breaking a sweat. The base M1 chip, in particular, had eight cores: four allocated for performance, and the other four for efficiency. Performance cores were used for more demanding tasks, while the efficiency cores were dedicated to power saving. As a result, background processes wouldn’t slow down the M-series machines, because the MacBooks would always have enough power available for apps to run. 

The Silicon chips also came equipped with Unified Memory. In contrast to Random Access Memory (RAM), Unified Memory enabled multiple apps to share data faster across a Mac’s CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. Base models came with 8GB of Unified Memory, but it could be upgraded to 24GB. That way, multiple apps could run simultaneously without your Mac lagging. Because they also hold a higher amount of power, they provide a more seamless and robust multitasking experience. 

The M1 chip was used for the 2020 versions of the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini. iPad models introduced in 2021 also transitioned to the M chips, promising 60% faster performance compared to previous generations.

​​M1 vs. M2 vs. M3

As mentioned earlier, the initial M1 chip had eight cores; its later iteration, the M1 Ultra had up to 20. In comparison, Intel-chip Macs had dual-core up to 10-core CPUs. 

The M2 series, released in 2022, promised bigger and better. Compared to the M1, its CPU was 18% faster, while its GPU was 35% more powerful. It also delivered 50% more memory bandwidth compared to its predecessor. With up to 24GB of unified memory, it was able to better handle heavier work compared to the M1. 

From Apple Newsroom

Meanwhile, the M3 was designed to be a workhorse–it was specifically designed for heavier workloads, such as 3D image rendering and video editing. But what sets the M3 apart is Dynamic Caching, which allocates the specific amount of memory needed to execute tasks in real time. In other words, a MacBook with an M3 chip will take only what’s needed for you to get your work done, making your machine work more efficiently, and for a longer period.

With all these changes underway, we can expect future iterations of the Apple Silicon chips to provide even better performance, especially for those of us with heavier and more demanding everyday tasks. As the MacBook Air M3 has become available in the Apple Philippines store, it’s still a worthwhile investment if you need an upgrade from your Windows laptop or Intel-based Mac.