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 Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 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 ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...

Top Rated Comments

iMean Avatar
10 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
10 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
10 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
10 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
10 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
10 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)