M5 MacBook Models to Use New Compact Camera Module in 2025

Apple in 2025 will take on a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for future MacBook models powered by its next-generation M5 chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

New MacBook Pros Launching Tomorrow With These 4 New Features 2
Writing in his latest investor note on Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company will mass produce the CCMs in Vietnam, and provide a complete imaging system integrated into a compact form factor for the new laptops.

The primary suppliers of camera modules for MacBooks are currently LG InnoTek and Sharp. In Apple's optical component supply chain, only Sunny Optical can simultaneously supply CCM and lenses in a single package, which gives the company the advantage of vertical integration. If shipments for the MacBooks go smoothly, Kuo predicts that Sunny Optical could also become the new CCM supplier for future iPhone and iPad models.

Apple plans to update the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip as soon as late 2024, and we could perhaps see a refresh before the end of the year. The high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are also expected to see a late 2024 refresh with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

Apple is working on a thinner version of the MacBook Pro, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The ultrathin 2024 iPad Pro serves as a model for Apple's upcoming design philosophy, with the company planning to offer "the thinnest and lightest products" in each category across the tech industry.

It's not clear when a thinner MacBook Pro might come out, since no design changes are rumored for the 2024 refresh, but it's possible that 2025 could be the year that Apple debuts redesigned laptops based on its M5 chip. Apple is also rumored to be working on Face ID for the Mac, and it's likely that the MacBook Pro will be one of the first Macs to get Face ID, but there are no concrete details about when that might happen.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

iMean Avatar
12 months ago

What's the benefit of this change?
They are on a mission to make the devices so thin that they will have a zero or even negative thickness. Just imagine how cool it will be to have an invisible and untouchable and therefore unstealable device.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
startergo Avatar
12 months ago

Most people want thinner portable devices. Including me.
What most people like to see is cooler laptops without CPU throttling (opposite to thinner) and long battery life.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SpotOnT Avatar
12 months ago

Most people want thinner portable devices. Including me.
Yes, some people do. The device for them is called the MacBook Air.

Others are looking for a portable “pro solution”. Which means power, active cooling, ergonomic keyboard, versatile ports, all with a maximum battery life. The device for them is called the MacBook Pro.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MadDawg2020 Avatar
12 months ago

Most people want thinner portable devices. Including me.
Not me - as a professional who relies on these products for paying work, I would gladly accept a product slightly thicker computer with a faster un-throttled performance, more expandability and a true all day battery!

A paper thin computer is useless to me if you have to sacrifice battery life, and deal with performance hits when under all day use.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannys1 Avatar
12 months ago
It's a shame there's not a modularity to ordering Apple computers. Even just a couple of options.

For me personally, i'd be happy to have no camera on my MacBooks, i've never used one. On the very very rare occasion I do need to do a business meeting over Zoom or Teams or whatever i've got other devices that can do it anyway. The notch doesn't bother me at all, but I could easily just not have one.

I'd also like an option of the MacBook Pros to go back to 4x USB-C ports, I have no use for a HDMI port and it pains me that we've lost a Thunderbolt 4 port that can do anything for a HDMI port that can do one thing that'll never use. That could have been a configurable option.

I know it's not very "Steve Jobs" but we're well into Tim Cooks leadership now so mixing up options wouldn't be a bad thing.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lyrics23 Avatar
12 months ago
I really hope this thin and light MacBook is a modern take on the 12” MacBook. Wonderful design let down by the technology of the time.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)