Canonical Rankings

Best Macs for this model

Qwen3.5-4B ranked across the Mac lineup at the best practical quantization, using the best available runtime evidence. Model picker is focused on current-market choices.

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29 ranked MacsUse the strongest current runtime evidence for each row.28 historical models hiddenBaselinesStatic paths cover only canonical model pages; sort and quantization stay as query state.

Rank	Mac	Score	Quant	Tok/s	Runtime	Fits	Headroom	Context	Evidence	Price	Why it ranks here
1	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256GB	909	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	250.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$7,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 250.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
2	Mac Pro M2 Ultra 192GB	845	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	186.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$6,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 186.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
3	Mac Studio M4 Max 128GB	781	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	122.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$4,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 122.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
4	MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch	781	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	122.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$5,399	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 122.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
5	MacBook Pro M4 Max 128GB 16-inch	781	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	122.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$5,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 122.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
6	Mac Studio M3 Ultra 96GB	749	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	90.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$3,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 90.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
7	Mac Studio M4 Max 64GB	717	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	58.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$2,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 58.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
8	MacBook Pro M4 Max 64GB 16-inch	717	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	58.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$4,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 58.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
9	Mac Mini M4 Pro 48GB	701	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	42.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$1,599	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 42.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
10	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 14-inch	701	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	42.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$2,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 42.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
11	Mac Studio M4 Max 48GB	701	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	42.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$2,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 42.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
12	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB 16-inch	701	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	42.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$2,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 42.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
13	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 14-inch	701	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	42.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$3,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 42.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
14	MacBook Pro M4 Max 48GB 16-inch	701	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	42.8 GB	262k	Estimated	$3,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 42.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
15	Mac Studio M4 Max 36GB	689	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	30.8 GB	216k	Estimated	$1,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 30.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
16	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 14-inch	689	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	30.8 GB	216k	Estimated	$2,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 30.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
17	MacBook Pro M4 Max 36GB 16-inch	689	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	30.8 GB	216k	Estimated	$3,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 30.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
18	Mac Mini M4 32GB	685	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	26.8 GB	188k	Estimated	$799	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 26.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
19	MacBook Air M4 32GB 13-inch	685	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	26.8 GB	188k	Estimated	$1,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 26.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
20	MacBook Air M4 32GB 15-inch	685	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	26.8 GB	188k	Estimated	$1,699	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 26.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
21	Mac Mini M4 24GB	677	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	18.8 GB	133k	Estimated	$599	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 18.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
22	MacBook Air M4 24GB 13-inch	677	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	18.8 GB	133k	Estimated	$1,299	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 18.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
23	Mac Mini M4 Pro 24GB	677	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	18.8 GB	133k	Estimated	$1,399	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 18.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
24	MacBook Air M4 24GB 15-inch	677	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	18.8 GB	133k	Estimated	$1,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 18.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
25	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 14-inch	677	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	18.8 GB	133k	Estimated	$1,999	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 18.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
26	MacBook Pro M4 Pro 24GB 16-inch	677	8bit	148.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 148.0 tok/s · MLX · Estimated	MLX	Fits	18.8 GB	133k	Estimated	$2,499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 148.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 18.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
27	Mac Mini M4 16GB	445	8bit	92.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 92.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	10.8 GB	77k	Estimated	$499	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 92.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 10.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
28	MacBook Air M4 16GB 13-inch	445	8bit	92.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 92.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	10.8 GB	77k	Estimated	$1,099	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 92.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 10.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.
29	MacBook Air M4 16GB 15-inch	445	8bit	92.0 tok/s Fastest evidence path: 8bit · 92.0 tok/s · Ollama · Estimated	Ollama	Fits	10.8 GB	77k	Estimated	$1,299	8bit is the current best practical quantization. 92.0 tok/s is estimated from nearby benchmark coverage. 10.8 GB headroom remains at this quantization.

Qwen3.5-4B Apple Silicon benchmark and best Macs

Start with the ranked Mac table above, then audit tokens per second, RAM fit, quantization, runtimes, and source links before trusting the model on your Mac.

Quantizations observed: Q4_K - Medium

2Benchmark rows

2Chip tiers covered

148.0Fastest avg tok/s (M5 Max (64 GB))

—Minimum RAM observed

Quick take

Fastest published result is 148.0 tok/s on M5 Max (64 GB) at Q4_K - Medium. Published runtimes include MLX, Ollama. Start with Rankings for the decision, then use the raw rows below to audit the evidence.

Based on 2 external benchmarks; no lab runs yet.

Published runtimes: MLX, Ollama.

Need the best Mac for this model? Use Buy Need a setup-first answer? Use Run Checking whether it fits? Use Fit Browse Macs by exact hardware Need the full audit trail? Use Bench Comparing against rented GPUs? Use AI Datacenter Index

Best Mac shortlist

These are ranked by the fastest published Qwen3.5-4B result available for each Mac's chip family. Use them as the search answer, then open the machine page before buying.

Fastest published Mac-family result

MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch maps to 148.0 tok/s from the strongest published chip-family row for Qwen3.5-4B.

Open MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch · Audit evidence

Shortlist rank 2

Mac Mini M4 16GB maps to 92.0 tok/s from the strongest published chip-family row for Qwen3.5-4B.

Open Mac Mini M4 16GB · Audit evidence

Shortlist rank 3

Mac Mini M4 24GB maps to 92.0 tok/s from the strongest published chip-family row for Qwen3.5-4B.

Open Mac Mini M4 24GB · Audit evidence

Model search answers

How fast is Qwen3.5-4B on Mac?

Qwen3.5-4B currently has a fastest published Mac result of 148.0 tok/s on M5 Max (64 GB) at Q4_K - Medium. Check the raw rows on this page before comparing that number to a different runtime, quantization, or context length.

What is the best Mac for Qwen3.5-4B?

MacBook Pro M5 Max 128GB 16-inch is the fastest published Mac-family answer for Qwen3.5-4B on this page right now, at 148.0 tok/s from its chip family. Treat that as a published benchmark starting point, not a universal buying recommendation.

Does Qwen3.5-4B fit on Apple Silicon?

Qwen3.5-4B does not yet have a published minimum-RAM fit row on this page. Use Fit before assuming it will run cleanly on a specific Mac.

Catalog record

4BTotal params

DenseActive params

262,144Context window

2026-02-27Release date

What this model is, and what Apple Silicon users are actually seeing

Official model cards tell you what the model is for and which software stacks it targets. Field reality below shows how much Apple Silicon evidence we have so far.

Official brief

Unified Vision-Language Foundation: Early fusion training on multimodal tokens achieves cross-generational parity with Qwen3 and outperforms Qwen3-VL models across reasoning, coding, agents, and visual understanding benchmarks.

Official source · Raw model card

agentscodingvisual-understanding

Runtime support mentioned

vLLMSGLangTransformersKTransformers

Official specs

Type: Causal Language Model with Vision Encoder.
Scale: 4B.
Context: 262,144 natively and extensible up to 1,010,000 tokens.
Total parameters: 4B.
Max input: 262,144 natively and extensible up to 1,010,000 tokens.

Official takeaways

Unified Vision-Language Foundation: Early fusion training on multimodal tokens achieves cross-generational parity with Qwen3 and outperforms Qwen3-VL models across reasoning, coding, agents, and visual understanding ben…
Efficient Hybrid Architecture: Gated Delta Networks combined with sparse Mixture-of-Experts deliver high-throughput inference with minimal latency and cost overhead.
Scalable RL Generalization: Reinforcement learning scaled across million-agent environments with progressively complex task distributions for robust real-world adaptability.
Global Linguistic Coverage: Expanded support to 201 languages and dialects, enabling inclusive, worldwide deployment with nuanced cultural and regional understanding.

Official model cards describe intent, capabilities, and supported stacks. They do not prove Apple Silicon speed by themselves.

Field reality on Apple Silicon

Qwen3.5-4B: 2 Apple Silicon field reports; best reported generation ~219.83 tok/s; seen on M5 MAX 64GB; via DFlash, MLX.

2Benchmark rows

2Field reports

2Practitioner signals

Sparse BenchmarksEvidence status

What practitioners keep saying

The post says DFlash uses a small draft model to generate 16 tokens in parallel, then verifies every emitted token against the target model before committing it.
For Qwen3.5-4B at 2048 generated tokens, the source reports 219.83 tok/s generation with DFlash and 89.3% acceptance.
Keep this separate from standard MLX results because the implementation is experimental and the source emphasizes methodology changes since the earlier post.

Apple Silicon field sources

r/LocalLLaMA
2026-04-13 · M5 Max 64GB · DFlash, MLX
The same M5 Max 64GB source reports a much faster Qwen3.5-4B result when using the experimental DFlash speculative-decoding path.

Runtime mentions in the field

MLX

Hardware mentioned in reports

64GB

What would improve confidence

Expand Cross Chip Benchmark Coverage
Reproduce Field Performance Signal
Upgrade To First Party Measurement

Current published coverage

Published chip coverage includes M5 Max (64 GB), M4 (16 GB). Fastest published row is 148.0 tok/s on M5 Max (64 GB) at Q4_K - Medium.

M5 Max (64 GB)M4 (16 GB)

Related Qwen3.5-4B models with published pages: Qwen3.5-27B · Qwen3.5-35B-A3B · Qwen3.5-9B · Qwen3.5-122B-A10B · Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Raw benchmark rows for Qwen3.5-4B

Rows stay below the ranking because this page is answer-first. Use them to inspect exact chips, quantizations, runtimes, and sources.

Chip	Quant	RAM req.	Context	Avg tok/s	Prompt tok/s	Runtime	Source
M5 Max (64 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	148.0 tok/s	—	MLX	ref
M4 (16 GB)	Q4_K - Medium	—	—	92.0 tok/s	—	Ollama	ref

Chips with published results for Qwen3.5-4B

M5 Max (64 GB)M4 (16 GB)

Data

benchmarks.json — full dataset · models.json — model summaries · benchmarks.csv — CSV export

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