Apple M3 Chips Testing Begins, Specifications Revealed

According to the latest report, Apple has commenced testing its new M3 processors. The M3 chipset is said to come with a 12-core processor and an 18-core GPU. The SoC is expected to debut sometime this year.

Apple M3 Rumored Features

As Apple gears up for the launch of the new M2 Macs, Mark Gurman, in his later Power On newsletter, states that the company is also testing its M3 processors on next-gen Macs. He adds that the firm is making sure that the M3 processor is compatible with third-party applications.

Gurman claims that he received the details about the M3 chipset from developer logs showing the processor running on a yet-unannounced high-end MacBook Pro with the upcoming macOS 14.

According to the data in the developer logs, Apple has been testing an M3 processor with 12 CPU cores, 18 graphics cores, and 36GB of memory. The CPU includes six high-performance cores for intensive tasks and six efficiency cores for other tasks.

The M3 will be a decent upgrade over the M2 Pro which debuted earlier this year with 10 CPU cores, 16 graphics cores, and 32GB of memory. The M3 gets two extra efficiency cores and 4 GB of additional memory over the M2 Pro.

Apple M3 Pro, M3 Max, M3 Ultra Rumors

Meanwhile, the M3 Pro will come with 12 CPU cores, which includes six high-performance cores and six power-efficient cores. It will be accompanied by 18 graphics cores and 36GB of memory.

Gurman speculates that the M3 Max may be equipped with 14 CPU cores and over 40 graphics cores. He goes on to suggest that the M3 Ultra chip could feature 28 CPU cores and more than 80 graphics cores.

The report claims that Apple will be able to increase the core density of the upcoming M3 lineup by switching to the 3nm process, upgrading from the 5nm process. "My belief is the first Macs with M3 chips will begin arriving toward the end of the year or early next year," Gurman states.

As for the M2-powered 15-inch MacBook Air, that's set to debut this summer, claims the report. Additionally, Apple's M3 iMacs, MacBook Pros, and MacBook Airs are also in the works.

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