The first benchmark results for Apple's new M2 Ultra chip have surfaced on Geekbench 6, providing a closer look at CPU performance improvements. The high-end chip is available in the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro models launching next week.
There is currently some variance in the results, but the Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip appears to have single-core and multi-core scores of up to approximately 2,800 and 21,700, respectively. As expected, these scores confirm that the M2 Ultra chip offers up to 20% faster CPU performance compared to the M1 Ultra chip, as Apple advertised. This also means the M2 Ultra is now the fastest chip that Apple has ever released.
Geekbench 6 result for Mac Studio with M2 Ultra chip
More interestingly, the scores reveal that the new Mac Pro should have around 2× faster overall CPU performance than the fastest Intel-based Mac Pro with a 28-core Xeon W processor. This feat is even more impressive given that the new Mac Pro starts at $6,999, while the 28-core Intel-based model started at $12,999, nearly double the price. During its WWDC keynote, Apple said the new Mac Pro is up to 3× faster than the Intel-based model, but that only applies to select "real-world pro workflows like video transcoding and 3D simulation."
The primary reason to consider the Mac Pro over the Mac Studio is for the desktop tower's six available PCIe expansion slots. Otherwise, customers should consider the Mac Studio, as it can be configured with the M2 Ultra for $3,000 less than the Mac Pro. For a more detailed comparison, read our Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro Buyer's Guide.
The new Mac Studio and Mac Pro are available to order now, and will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, June 13.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker.
Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...
Intel chips have come a far way since the old intel Mac Pro and the 13900k is faster than the m2 ultra . So is ryzen 7950x. Also, the x86 workstation class chips like sapphire rapids and Genoa blow the m2 ultra away in terms of multithreading. Of course apple leads in terms of performance per watt.
I think the m2 ultra is fine in the Mac Studio but the Mac Pro, with all the extra room, is underpowered. And it’s still using pcie4 with pcie switches and lane sharing, whereas sapphire rapids and Genoa use pcie 5 and have a ton of lanes available. Much more flexible and can access more RAM.
Faster x86 chips are coming: arrow lake, zen 5, granite rapids Xeons.
Unless apple creates a workstation class chip I think apple will lead in notebook perf per watt, but when it comes to workstation and desktop, x86 will pull ahead.
But regardless of all that, competition is great for consumers. And I am glad to see apple start to embrace gaming on the Macintosh. Maybe apple has some wild ambitions in terms of GPU performance and is now laying the groundwork to introduce high performance gaming hardware…
20% is not enough of a reason for me (as a casual user) to upgrade my M1 Mac Studio Ultra to an M2 Mac Studio Ultra but I can see why businesses may well consider if if they can complete tasks 20% faster. Time is money and it won't take long to recuperate the cost of upgrading.
I have an M2 Ultra Studio with 128Gb and 2Tb SSD arriving this week. But I’m going from a late 2019 16” MBP to the Studio so the performance bump should be insane.
So we are comparing an M2 Ultra with Intel 28 Core unit from 2016, which seems unfair. These days Intel and AMD have CPUs with 56 and 64 cores with access to 4TB of RAM.
The most significant benefit of the M processors is power consumption, but workstation has fewer restrictions and needs to deliver raw power.
I would love to see a comparison with the newer CPUs from AMD and Intel.
Apple is not even in the first 100 when it comes to raw power https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
20% is not enough of a reason for me (as a casual user) to upgrade my M1 Mac Studio Ultra to an M2 Mac Studio Ultra but I can see why businesses may well consider if if they can complete tasks 20% faster. Time is money and it won't take long to recuperate the cost of upgrading.
