Apple is expected to release MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips soon, but you might want to pass on them, as bigger changes are around the corner.
It has been reported that the MacBook Pro will be receiving a major redesign in late 2026 or in 2027. Six new features have been rumored so far, including an OLED display, touch capabilities, a Dynamic Island, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, a thinner design, and built-in cellular connectivity.
The exact launch timing remains to be seen. Apple has updated the MacBook Pro twice in one year in the past, with the M2 Pro and M2 Max models debuting in January 2023 and the M3 Pro and M3 Max models following in October 2023, so there is a chance that the M5 Pro and M5 Max models could debut soon and the models with OLED displays could follow later this year. However, 2027 seems like a safer bet for now.
Keep in mind that the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip is not expected to receive many of the changes listed below.
Apple last redesigned the MacBook Pro in 2021, when the M1 Pro and M1 Max models launched.
OLED Display
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and others have indicated that the two-generations-away MacBook Pro models will have OLED displays.
The current MacBook Pro models are equipped with LCD displays with mini-LED backlighting. The move to OLED technology would result in improved image quality, thanks to richer colors and higher contrast ratio with true blacks.
All of the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad Pro models that Apple sells today are already equipped with OLED displays, excluding refurbished models.
Touch Screen
Not only will the MacBook Pro be moving to OLED, but the displays will apparently have touch-screen capabilities too. This functionality would allow Mac users to use both their fingers and a keyboard and mouse/trackpad for input.
Steve Jobs said that a touch-screen Mac would cause arm fatigue, but he made that comment a long time ago, and Apple does reverse course from time to time.
Dynamic Island
Yet another display-related change on these MacBook Pro models will be a hole-punch camera, according to Gurman. As a result, he said that the MacBook Pro will no longer have a notch. Instead, he expects a Dynamic Island or something "similar."
With a Dynamic Island, the MacBook Pro would move one step closer to a truly edge-to-edge display with thin bezels. Like on the iPhone, the Dynamic Island would display things such as low battery life alerts and AirPods connection indicators in the area surrounding the hole-punch camera at the top-center part of the screen.
M6 Pro and M6 Max Chips
This one is obvious, but the two-generations-away MacBook Pro models will be powered by Apple's two-generations-away M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Notably, these chips are expected to be manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, which should result in greater year-over-year performance and efficiency gains than usual.
The current M4 Pro and M4 Max chips and the upcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are or will be built with TSMC's 3nm processes.
Thinner Design
Yet another MacBook Pro rumor shared by Gurman is a thinner design versus existing models.
The move from LCD with mini-LED backlighting to OLED would contribute to the thinner design, and there could be other changes that help to slim things down.
As of now, there has been no indication that Apple plans to once again remove ports like HDMI, MagSafe, or the SD card slot in order to achieve this thinner design, but we shall see. That was a very unpopular decision the last time it happened.
Cellular
Macs can already connect to a cellular network via the Personal Hotspot feature on a nearby iPhone or iPad, but Apple has reportedly at least considered built-in cellular connectivity for future Macs. If these plans moved forward, the MacBook Pro would likely be equipped with Apple's C1X or future C2 modem for 5G and LTE.
