Apple just released a MacBook Pro update in March, but there’s more coming soon. Apple is expected to debut one of its biggest MacBook Pro updates ever as soon as later this year. Here’s everything we know so far … including details on a surprising recent twist.
New MacBook Pro features
OLED display
The new MacBook Pro will switch from mini-LED to OLED display technology. This will mark the first time Apple has used OLED in a Mac, having previously used it on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. This has been reported by sources including Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg.
The MacBook Pro’s rumored OLED display would offer true blacks, higher contrast, and potentially more vibrant colors compared to today’s mini-LED screens. That’s because OLED can turn individual pixels completely off, while mini-LED still relies on a backlight system.
Touchscreen
OLED isn’t the only big display change coming with the refreshed MacBook Pro, though. It will also be Apple’s first-ever touchscreen Mac.
As reported by Bloomberg, Apple is optimizing macOS to take advantage of the MacBook Pro’s touchscreen. For example, when you touch a button or a control, macOS will dynamically adjust to show you relevant touch controls. If you tap on the menu bar, controls will automatically enlarge to make it easier to navigate with your finger.
It will also support common touch interface interaction methods, like pinching and zooming, and faster scrolling.
So, it’s a lot more than Apple simply adding a touchscreen to a Mac. It’s a rethink of macOS to make touch navigation feel fluid and natural.
Dynamic Island
Currently, the MacBook Pro features a notch cutout that houses the FaceTime camera. With this year’s MacBook Pro, however, Apple will reportedly ditch the notch in favor of a hole-punch cutout for the camera.
Additionally, Apple is planning to bring the Dynamic Island to the Mac for the first time. This will likely work like the iPhone, where the Dynamic Island masks the cutout for the FaceTime camera and displays software interface elements such as Live Activities and notifications.
Thinner design
With the 2021 MacBook Pro, Apple reversed course and made it thicker than its predecessor. It also added back ports, including MagSafe, HDMI, and an SD card slot. The 2016-2020 MacBook Pro’s industrial design famously had only four USB-C ports.
This year, however, Apple is reportedly planning to make the MacBook Pro thinner once again. We don’t have any specifics on this just yet, and it’s unclear whether Apple will remove any ports to accommodate this change.
One key difference nowadays is Apple Silicon. The 2016-2020 MacBook Pro models used Intel chips that were less efficient than Apple’s own M-series chips. Apple Silicon should mean Apple can make the MacBook Pro thinner without compromising on those things.
M5
It was widely expected that the new MacBook Pro models would be powered by the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips.
In a new twist, however, it sounds like this update will actually use the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips as the current MacBook Pro models.
The decision comes as Apple is reportedly skipping higher-end chips in the forthcoming M6 generation. Instead, the M6 will be available only in its base configuration, with no M6 Pro, M6 Max, or M6 Ultra variants.
Apple is shifting its focus to the M7 generation, including the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips. These will reportedly focus on significant improvements to AI performance.
MacBook Ultra?
Finally, it wouldn’t be an Apple rumor cycle without speculation about naming.
Mark Gurman has speculated that Apple might brand these laptops as MacBook Ultra. This name would “more clearly signal their position at the top of the lineup,” he reasoned.
The latest development that the new MacBook models will use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips adds a new wrinkle to the marketing decisions Apple will have to make.
New MacBook Pro release date
One possibility is that Apple announces the new MacBook Pro models later this year, likely in October or November. It may seem weird that Apple would update the MacBook Pro twice this year, but it’s not unprecedented.
Most recently, Bloomberg reported that the revamped MacBook models are on track to “arrive between late this year and early next year.”
Wrap up
What do you think of Apple’s plans for a major MacBook Pro overhaul coming soon? Are you planning to buy a MacBook Pro? Let us know down in the comments.
My favorite Mac accessories:
Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.
