Apple is preparing the biggest MacBook Pro redesign since the 2021 model brought back MagSafe and ports, but supply chain issues may push the launch into early 2027.
Bloomberg reports the revamped MacBook Pro was originally slated for October or November this year. Industry-wide component shortages have reportedly caused delays, and the machine may not arrive until next year. When it does land, the changes will be sweeping. The MacBook Pro is switching from mini-LED to OLED display technology for the first time, a move confirmed by Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg.
OLED delivers true blacks and higher contrast by turning individual pixels completely off, a meaningful upgrade over today's backlit mini-LED panels. The display overhaul comes with another first: touchscreen support on a Mac. Bloomberg reports Apple is reengineering macOS to adapt dynamically, buttons enlarge when tapped, the menu bar expands for finger navigation, and gestures like pinch-to-zoom and faster scrolling are baked in.
Apple is also developing a reinforced hinge that stays stationary when the display is touched, reducing vibration during touch gestures, according to MacRumors.
Apple is ditching the notch. The new MacBook Pro will use a hole-punch cutout for the FaceTime camera, and the Dynamic Island is coming to the Mac for the first time, displaying Live Activities and notifications around the camera cutout similar to the iPhone. The chassis is getting thinner again. Apple reversed its thickness trend with the 2021 redesign, adding back HDMI, MagSafe, and an SD card slot after years of USB-C-only machines.
Now the company plans to slim things down again. The shift to Apple Silicon, specifically the upcoming M6 chips built on a 2nm architecture, gives Apple thermal and efficiency headroom to cut thickness without sacrificing performance.
There is also a naming question. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported last month that the new models "will likely sit above the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models, rather than replace them." Gurman suggested Apple could rebrand the machine as "MacBook Ultra" to signal its position at the top of the lineup.
If the delay holds, the launch window shifts to early 2027. Apple already updated the MacBook Pro with M5 chips in March, meaning two Pro refreshes within roughly 12 months, an unusual cadence that highlights how substantial this redesign is.
