Apple M6 (12-core) vs Intel Core i3-1215U
98.1Single-core50.7
70.6Multi-core28.9
100Efficiencyspec-based75.3
—iGPU48.2
42.2Platformspec-based43.3
10 spec wins — Apple M6 (12-core)1 spec wins — Intel Core i3-1215U
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M6 (12-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 78.4 to 45.4, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+47) and multi-core (+42). Intel Core i3-1215U still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple M6 (12-core)
- Stronger single-core score: 98 vs 51
- Stronger multi-core score: 71 vs 29
- 297% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 20,676 vs 5,213
- 260% higher PassMark: 36,310 vs 10,082
- 200% higher Performance cores: 6 vs 2
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i3-1215U
- 100% higher Max memory: 64 GB vs 32 GB
General
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i3-1215U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2022 |
| Process | 2 nm+80% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 15 W |
| Max TDP | — | 55 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i3-1215U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 12+100% | 6 |
| Performance cores | 6+200% | 2 |
| Efficiency cores | 6+50% | 4 |
| Threads | 12+50% | 8 |
| Base clock | — | 1.2 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.8 GHz+9% | 4.4 GHz |
| L3 cache | — | 10 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i3-1215U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 12-core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics (64 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,100 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i3-1215U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5-5200 / DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR4X-4267 |
| Max memory | 32 GB | 64 GB+100% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i3-1215U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,610+121%Top 2% | 2,082Bottom 24% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 20,676+297%Top 11% | 5,213Bottom 10% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,512Bottom 32% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 5,182Bottom 16% |
| PassMark | 36,310+260%Top 17% | 10,082Bottom 20% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 1,067Bottom 39% |
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