Here's Why Apple is Unlikely to Release an M4 Ultra Chip for Macs

The new Mac Studio is available with mismatched M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options. Will there be an M4 Ultra chip in the future, though? It looks unlikely.

M4 Max and M3 Ultra
Here are three reasons why Apple might never release an M4 Ultra chip.

First, among Apple's line of Mac chips, the highest-end Ultra chips are effectively two Max chips fused together with a technology called UltraFusion. So, the M1 Ultra chip is two M1 Max chips combined, and the M2 Ultra chip is two M2 Max chips combined. However, Apple confirmed that the M4 Max chip lacks an UltraFusion connector, so that means Apple cannot simply release a doubled-up M4 Ultra chip this time around.

Second, Apple told several journalists and YouTubers that not every generation of Mac chips will have an "Ultra" chip. The timing of Apple revealing this information suggests that we might never get an M4 Ultra chip.

The third reason was shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today.

In his Power On newsletter, he said that Apple is reluctant to develop an M4 Ultra chip from scratch due to production challenges, costs, and the relatively small sales volume of its desktop computers, like the Mac Studio. So, that seems to rule out the only other way in which Apple could have released an M4 Ultra chip.

Maybe we will see UltraFusion return on the M5 Max chip, paving the way for an M5 Ultra chip?

Popular Stories

Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
Verizon New

Verizon is Down: iPhones Show 'SOS' Mode Due to Network Outage [Resolved]

Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:18 am PST by
Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms. iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage....
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
airpods pro 3 design

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 3 Firmware Update

Tuesday January 13, 2026 11:29 am PST by
Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30. Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." No other AirPods models received firmware updates today. How to install AirPods Pro...

Top Rated Comments

redmac Avatar
11 months ago

Am I crazy? I could have sworn they said a while back that m3 didn't have ultrafusion
Apple never said anything about M3’s ultrafusion status. It was the leakers and YouTubers like Max Tech who speculated about it.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kwikdeth Avatar
11 months ago
Am I crazy? I could have sworn they said a while back that m3 didn't have ultrafusion
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sippincider Avatar
11 months ago
Myself: Need to update this 27" iMac.
Apple: We don't make those anymore. Get a Studio.
Myself: (Much grumbling) Alright then, an M4 Ultra Studio would have to do.
Apple: We don't make those. Either get an M3 or wait for maybe the M5.
Myself: ?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KENESS Avatar
11 months ago

Am I crazy? I could have sworn they said a while back that m3 didn't have ultrafusion
They never said it. People said it. People were wrong.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
11 months ago
Or, they moved on from Ultrafusion to chiplets? The Max die is ginormous…

Still seems more likely M5 will bring back the Ultra and/or something else.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chucker23n1 Avatar
11 months ago

Myself: Need to update this 27" iMac.
Apple: We don't make those anymore. Get a Studio.
Myself: (Much grumbling) Alright then, an M4 Ultra Studio would have to do.
Apple: We don't make those. Either get an M3 or wait for maybe the M5.
Myself: ?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️
If you were on the 27-inch iMac before, the M4 Max Studio is plenty. Even the M4 Pro mini might be.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)