Introduced in May 2024, the M4 is built using TSMC’s second-generation 3-nanometer process and contains 28 billion transistors. It features a 10-core CPU configuration with up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores, along with a 10-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine capable of performing up to 38 trillion operations per second.
The M4 chip debuted in the seventh-generation iPad Pro and has since been integrated into various Apple devices, including the iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro. More recently, Apple updated the MacBook Air lineup to include the M4 chip, offering enhanced performance and efficiency.
In October 2024, Apple expanded the M4 lineup with the introduction of the M4 Pro and M4 Max variants. The M4 Pro offers up to a 14-core CPU and a 20-core GPU, while the M4 Max features up to a 16-core CPU and a 40-core GPU, catering to users requiring higher performance for demanding tasks.
Apple announced the Mac Studio M4 Max on March 5, 2025. The new Mac Studio featuring the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips was unveiled during a press release on this date. Apple introduced it as “the most powerful Mac ever,” with pre-orders starting immediately and availability beginning on March 12, 2025
Overall, the M4 series continues Apple’s trend of integrating high-performance, energy-efficient SoCs across its product range, enhancing both computing power and battery life in its devices.