Apple may launch MacBook Pro with OLED touch screen in 2026: What to expect

Apple is planning a major MacBook Pro overhaul with an OLED touchscreen, thinner design, M6 chips and possible cellular support, according to a report by 9To5Mac

Apple is reportedly preparing a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro. According to a report by 9To5Mac, Apple could launch its first OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro by the end of 2026 or early 2027. Beside the new display technology, the next generation MacBook Pro model will likely bring a new design, next-generation Apple Silicon and even connectivity options.

 

If the current timeline holds, the update would arrive around five years after Apple last redesigned the MacBook Pro lineup.

MacBook Pro redesign: What to expect

OLED display: 

 

One of the biggest changes tipped for the redesigned Apple laptop is the shift to OLED display technology. As per the report, Apple is likely to use tandem OLED panels for the MacBook Pro. Unlike single-stack OLED panels, tandem OLED uses two stacked RGB layers, which improves brightness levels while also increasing panel longevity. This is the same display technology that Apple introduced with the 2024 iPad Pro. 

 

 

The shift to OLED is expected to bring higher contrast ratios, improved colour accuracy and better HDR performance compared to the current mini-LED displays used on MacBook Pro models.

 

Alongside the move to OLED, Apple may also rethink the display cutout. The 9To5Mac report, citing Omdia, suggest that Apple could replace the current notch with a smaller hole-style cutout. 

 

Touch support:

 

Another change that could materialise with the 2026 redesign is touchscreen support. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously suggested that Apple plans to introduce touchscreen Macs, and the redesigned MacBook Pro is expected to be the first model to make that shift.

 

Thinner design:

 

Apple is also said to be working on a thinner chassis for the redesigned MacBook Pro. According to Bloomberg, the company had originally planned to introduce the thinner design earlier, but delays related to OLED display readiness pushed the timeline back.

 

While there are no concrete details on how much thinner the new MacBook Pro will be, the redesign is expected to focus on reducing bulk without compromising performance or battery life. It is not yet clear whether Apple will significantly alter the overall look of the chassis or retain a design language similar to the current generation.

 

M6 chip: 

 

Apple is expected to debut its next-generation M6 chips alongside the redesigned MacBook Pro. The M6 family is anticipated to be Apple’s first Apple Silicon lineup built on TSMC’s 2nm process, offering improvements in performance and power efficiency.

 

Reports suggest that the redesigned MacBook Pro will focus on higher-end configurations powered by the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. There is some uncertainty around whether Apple will also introduce a base 14-inch MacBook Pro with a standard M6 chip at launch, with Bloomberg indicating that the redesign may initially be limited to Pro and Max variants.

 

Cellular connectivity:

 

The redesigned MacBook Pro could also become Apple’s first Mac with built-in cellular connectivity. According to earlier reports from Bloomberg, Apple has been developing in-house modem technology with the aim of bringing cellular support to Macs as early as 2026.