If you are planning to skip the M5 MacBook Pro, or you’re just plain curious about what’s coming next, here are the biggest changes rumored to be coming to Apple’s premium laptop line and when to expect them – as well as what you’ll likely have to pay.
M6 Series Chip
2nm Process
Apple is in the process of updating the current MacBook Pro lineup with M5 series chips, with the base model already refreshed and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models expected early next year. The chips are manufactured with TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P, resulting in typical year-over-year performance and power efficiency improvements compared to the M4 series of chips. However, Apple’s redesigned MacBook Pro models are expected to boast M6 chips, which could adopt a completely new packaging process.
According to one rumor, Apple’s A20 chip in next year’s iPhone 18 models will switch from the previous InFo (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging to WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module) packaging. WMCM integrates multiple chips within the same package, allowing for the development of more complex chipsets. Components such as the CPU, GPUs, DRAM, and Neural Engine would therefore be more tightly integrated. While we don’t know for sure, this could see Apple develop the M6 using the 2nm process while taking advantage of WMCM packaging to make even more powerful versions of its custom processor.
OLED Display
Goodbye, mini-LED
Several rumors have indicated that Apple is developing MacBook Pro models with OLED displays. Display analyst Ross Young in September 2024 said that Apple’s supply chain is expected to have sufficient notebook-optimized OLED display production capacity in 2026 to bring the technology to MacBook Pro. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple is readying a revamped MacBook Pro with OLED technology, citing people within Apple with knowledge of the matter. Compared to current MacBook Pro models that use mini-LED screens, the benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved power efficiency for longer battery life, and more.
Thinner, Lighter Laptop
Major Redesign
The switch to OLED displays could allow future MacBook Pro models to have a thinner design, and rumors suggest that is indeed what Apple intends. When the M4 iPad Pro was unveiled in May 2024, Apple touted it as the company’s thinnest product ever. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman subsequently called the iPad Pro the “beginning of a new class of Apple devices.” He has since reported that the new machines, code-named K114 and K116, will have “thinner and lighter frames.” Apple is apparently focusing on delivering the thinnest possible device without compromising on battery life or major new features.
Notably, the MacBook Pro got thicker and heavier with its most recent redesign in 2021. A major highlight was the reintroduction of several ports that were removed in previous iterations in favor of chassis thinness. How Apple will make its redesigned MacBook Pro thinner without removing the functionality it reintroduced fairly recently is the big question.
Punch-Hole Camera
No More Notch
If you are fed up of the notch intruding on your Mac display, here’s some good news. Apple plans to remove the notch from the redesigned MacBook Pro, according to a roadmap shared by research firm Omdia. The roadmap indicates that redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, rather than the notch we’ve become accustomed to. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has since corroborated the claim, saying that the design “leaves a display area around the sensor… similar in concept to the Dynamic Island on the iPhone.”
Such a move would mirror Apple’s iPhone evolution, since the iPhone’s notch became the current Dynamic Island starting with the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022. It’s unclear whether the MacBook Pro would include Dynamic Island functionality or simply adopt the visual design, but the change would at least address long-standing user complaints about the notch, which physically ingresses into the macOS menu bar.
5G Modem
Cellular Connectivity
Earlier this year, Apple introduced the C1, its custom-built 5G modem chip which debuted in the entry-level iPhone 16e. More recently, Apple debuted the iPhone Air equipped with a new C1X chip, which is up to 2x faster than the C1. According to Apple, the C1X is the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is considering bringing cellular connectivity to the Mac lineup for the first time. The company is said to be “investigating” the possibility of adding a second-generation C2 modem chip to a future Mac as soon as 2026. The C1 and C1X modem chips are limited to sub-6GHz 5G speeds, but the second-generation version will support faster mmWave technology, according to Gurman.
Touch Screen Display
On-Cell Touch Technology
Apple’s first OLED MacBook Pro will feature a touch screen display, according to the latest from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The claim has since been corroborated by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, noting that the touch-screen MacBook Pro will retain a full trackpad and keyboard. Additionally, Kuo believes the panel will use on-cell touch technology. On-cell touch technology integrates the touch sensors directly into the display panel’s top layer (the “cell”) rather than requiring a separate, dedicated touch layer. Kuo says that the shift “appears to reflect Apple’s long-term observation of iPad user behavior, indicating that in certain scenarios, touch controls can enhance both productivity and the overall user experience.”
Reinforced Hinge
Touch Resistance
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has developed a reinforced hinge and screen hardware to prevent the display from bouncing back or moving when touched, which the company has identified as a common drawback of existing touch PCs. Details remain scant about Apple’s approach at this time, but it could potentially combine a higher-torque hinge with a reinforced display frame to reduce flex, as well as subtle damping features to absorb vibrations from touch input.
Pricing
Premium Line
Apple’s redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are expected to see a fairly hefty price bump, reflecting the cost of newer, more advanced components. Apple currently sells the higher-end configurations starting at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and $2,499 for the 16-inch version, but the next refresh is expected to push those base prices up by several hundred dollars, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
Release Timing
Predicted Launch Period
Research firm Omdia says Apple is “highly likely” to introduce new MacBook Pros featuring OLED displays next year, while Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has said the new OLED machines are being readied for late 2026 or early 2027. Apple has yet to update the current high-end MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and that is expected to happen in early 2026. It would be unusual for Apple to introduce two MacBook Pro refreshes in the same year, but there is precedent for it: Apple updated the MacBook Pro lineup twice in 2023, first with M2 Pro/M2 Max chips in January and then with M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max chips in late October.
This article, “M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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