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 (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...

Top Rated Comments

iMean Avatar
18 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
18 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
18 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
18 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
18 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
18 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)