Apple M6 (12-core) vs Intel Core i5-1235U
100Single-core30.7
65.8Multi-core20
100Efficiencyspec-based75.3
—iGPU50.3
42.2Platformspec-based47.7
8 spec wins — Apple M6 (12-core)2 spec wins — Intel Core i5-1235U
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M6 (12-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 77.1 to 38.1, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+69) and multi-core (+46). Intel Core i5-1235U 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: 100 vs 31
- Stronger multi-core score: 66 vs 20
- 239% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 20,676 vs 6,100
- 207% higher PassMark: 36,209 vs 11,800
- 200% higher Performance cores: 6 vs 2
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-1235U
- 100% higher Max memory: 64 GB vs 32 GB
- 33% higher Efficiency cores: 8 vs 6
General
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| 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 i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 12+20% | 10 |
| Performance cores | 6+200% | 2 |
| Efficiency cores | 6 | 8+33% |
| Threads | 12 | 12 |
| Base clock | — | 1.3 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.8 GHz+9% | 4.4 GHz |
| L3 cache | — | 12 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 12-core GPU | Intel Iris Xe (80 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,200 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5-5200 / DDR5-4800 / LPDDR4X-4267 |
| Max memory | 32 GB | 64 GB+100% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,610+131%Top 2% | 2,000Top 94% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 20,676+239%Top 15% | 6,100Top 97% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,520Top 91% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 6,200Top 99% |
| PassMark | 36,209+207%Top 30% | 11,800Top 96% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 1,175Top 74% |
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