Apple’s huge MacBook Pro overhaul is coming soon, here’s what we know

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.

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.

M6 chips

Speaking of Apple Silicon, the new MacBook Pro models will be powered by Apple’s latest-generation M6 processors. These chips should offer a big performance boost, thanks to their new 2nm architecture. This will bring performance and efficiency improvements across the board, but the exact details remain unclear for now.

New naming?

Finally, it wouldn’t be an Apple rumor cycle without speculation about naming.

Last month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the MacBook Pro models coming later this year “will likely sit above the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models, rather than replace them.

This could mean Apple will rebrand the machine, perhaps to MacBook Ultra, Gurman suggested. This name would “more clearly signal their position at the top of the lineup,” he reasoned.

New MacBook Pro release date

Apple was originally expected to announce and release the new M6 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.

It also makes more sense if you factor in rumors that the new M6 models will coexist with the M5 MacBook Pro models announced last month.

Most recently, however, Bloomberg reported that the revamped MacBook Pro launch is slightly delayed, and possibly won’t arrive until early next year. This is reportedly due to ongoing industry-wide supply shortages affecting production.

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:

• Logitech MX Master 4 Mouse
• OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub
• Beats Pill
• Twelve South BookArc
• Satechi’s USB-C 165W GaN Charger

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