Apple refreshed the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max models in March 2026, but depending on your needs and interests, you might want to skip this generation because there's something better in the works.
The M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models have faster chips, but the same design that Apple has used since 2021. An updated design with new display technology and faster performance is coming in late 2026 or early 2027.
OLED Touchscreen Display
The next MacBook Pro that comes out will be the first with an OLED display, according to rumors. iPhones have used OLED for years, and Apple launched a larger-screened OLED device with the M4 iPad Pro in 2024.
OLED has benefits over the mini-LED display in current MacBook Pro models. Pixels can be lit individually for deeper blacks, brighter colors, and no bloom from surrounding pixels. There can be power savings when compared to mini-LED displays, response times are quicker, and viewing angles are better. OLED brightness can be an issue compared to LEDs, but as OLED technology has improved, so has brightness. The combination of true black and vivid color is ideal for HDR content.
Along with OLED, the next MacBook Pro is expected to have touchscreen capabilities.
Apple said repeatedly that the Mac wouldn't get a touchscreen, but Apple's position has shifted. Multiple rumors suggest that touch capabilities are coming, making the Mac more like an iPad. Touch-based controls will be available alongside traditional mouse and keyboard input options.
Design Update
Some rumors suggest the OLED MacBook Pro will be thinner, and since Apple hasn't updated the MacBook Pro design since 2021 and this is a major technology shift, some kind of design refresh is likely. Sizes will stay the same, and Apple isn't removing the keyboard or trackpad.
Instead of a notch, the OLED MacBook Pro is expected to have a Dynamic Island that takes up less screen space. The Dynamic Island will be interactive, and it will contextually expand based on the app or Mac feature in use.
2nm Chip
The OLED MacBook Pro models will be the first to use Apple's 2-nanometer chip technology that's supposed to be coming in the M6-series chips.
The change in node size is expected to bring faster speeds with reduced power consumption and higher transistor density. Performance per watt will improve, and the 2nm chips will use GAA nanosheet transistors instead of FinFET. TSMC says the new transistor technology will bring improved performance and lower power consumption.
Cellular Connectivity
There have been rumors that 5G could come to Macs, and if that's Apple's plan, it would make a lot of sense to offer it in the OLED MacBook Pro.
Ultra Branding
OLED touch displays will be limited to the highest-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models because of the cost, and Apple might even use new "Ultra" branding.
It's possible the OLED M6 model will be sold alongside the existing M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max models rather than replacing them, and if that's the case, we're likely looking at a serious price increase. Apple could also refresh the entire line with M6 chip variants, reserving the OLED display for the most expensive models.
If you don't care about OLED display technology or a touchscreen and want something lower-cost, you're probably not going to want to hold off on purchasing.
First-Generation Tech
Some of Apple's first-generation Macs can have more problems than expected, which was the case with the 2016 transition to the butterfly keyboard.
If you don't want to get AppleCare+ and are concerned about first-generation problems, the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models are a safer bet.
Launch Date
The OLED MacBook Pro could come as soon as late 2026, but it's looking more like Apple will hold it until early 2027. Apple is facing chip shortages that will require it to hold the MacBook Pro for longer to build up stock.
Apple is facing over 30 lawsuits from people who claim to have been stalked using Apple AirTags. The filings come after an AirTaglawsuit from 2022 (Hughes v. Apple) failed to get class certification.
In each filing, Apple is accused of releasing the AirTag while being aware that it could be "purchased and used by abusive, dangerous individuals, to track, coerce, control, and otherwise endanger and abuse innocent victims."
Further, the lawsuits say that Apple knew adequate safeguards were not in place when the AirTag launched in 2021, and Apple is aware that "AirTags remain a profound risk" to people like the plaintiffs. Apple reportedly received more than 40,000 stalking reports between April 2021 and April 2024, and Apple internal documents sourced from the original lawsuit show the company knew its safeguards would only "deter as opposed to prevent malicious use." The company also acknowledged that it "should have consulted domestic abuse organizations on the unwanted tracking policy before shipping."
Multiple news reports of AirTags being used for stalking are referenced, including cases that ended in murder. The lawsuits claim that AirTags "revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking."
While there are other tracking options on the market, the AirTag uses the Find My network that leverages any nearby device to relay the AirTag's location back to its owner.
Apple has put multiple anti-stalking measures in place, including cross-platform notifications that let potential stalking victims know that an unknown AirTag is following them, but the plaintiffs don't feel that Apple's protections are adequate. The lawsuit cites the 4-to-8-hour delay before a notification is received, and notes that originally, AirTags didn't send a notification to potential stalking victims until 72 hours had passed.
One of the ways an AirTag alerts users to its presence is by playing a sound, but the speaker can be removed. Sellers on sites like eBay even offer modified silent AirTags.
Each lawsuit includes the personal story of the plaintiff involved and all of whom claim to have been stalked using an AirTag. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and an order preventing Apple from engaging in the unlawful business practices alleged in the filings.
The judge overseeing the 2022 AirTag lawsuit denied class certification because of the difference in state laws and the individual nature of each stalking incident. The plaintiffs were advised to file individual lawsuits within 28 days of the class certification denial.
Apple this week stopped offering a 256GB storage option for the Mac mini worldwide. As a result, the desktop computer now has a higher starting price.
In the U.S., for example, the Mac mini now starts at $799 with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, whereas it previously started at $599 with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
While the 512GB configuration always started at $799, customers who want a new Mac mini from Apple for $599 no longer have such an option.
Mac mini models with the M4 Pro chip already had a minimum of 512GB of storage, so there are no pricing changes for those configurations.
The base Mac mini with 256GB of storage had already been unavailable to order since last week, but it has now been removed from Apple's configurator entirely. We have reached out to Apple for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
On an earnings call this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that Mac mini and Mac Studio supply is constrained, and he said it may take "several months" for Apple to achieve supply-demand balance. He said both of these Macs are "amazing platforms for AI and agentic tools," resulting in higher-than-expected demand.
These changes to Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations are occurring amid a global memory chip shortage, driven by companies building out AI server facilities. Cook said Apple is expecting "significantly higher memory costs" in the current quarter, and tight availability of RAM is likely forcing Apple to make tough business decisions.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Mac mini to use with Astropad's new Workbench app. For those unfamiliar with Astropad, it is the company behind Astropad Studio and Luna Display. Astropad Studio lets you use an iPad as a drawing tablet connected to a Mac and Luna Display turns an iPad into a secondary display for a Mac, so Workbench is a natural evolution of Astropad's existing products.
The Mac mini has become the must-have platform for local agentic AI, and Astropad Workbench is the perfect companion app. Workbench is a remote desktop app for the Mac, and Astropad built it for use with AI. Workbench uses the LIQUID engine that Astropad designed for Luna Display and Astropad Studio.
Using Workbench, you can control your AI agents remotely on an iPhone, making it ideal for people who have set up a Mac mini as a personal server for OpenClaw and other agentic AI platforms. Workbench can be used to check logs and verify agent work, restart failed tasks, or reconnect to long-running jobs. Workbench is more full-featured than options like Remote Control for Claude Code, because Anthropic's tool only provides terminal access, while Workbench offers access to your full desktop.
Workbench lets you monitor your AI agents from anywhere with no need to be tied to a desk. Astropad has native apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, so you can interface with your Mac desktop from an iPhone or iPad no matter where you are. There are even tools for quickly switching between multiple Macs connected to a Workbench account.
The app supports high-fidelity streaming with a unified virtual display for multiple monitors, low latency, voice dictation, and multiple control options, including gestures, keyboard input, mouse, and Apple Pencil. For large desktops, there's a mini-map that helps with navigation.
Setup is simple thanks to a global relay network across 11 regions, with no network configuration required. End-to-end encryption protects your data, and no display recordings are captured and saved.
Workbench requires macOS 15 or later, iPadOS 26 or later, and iOS 26 or later. It will work best on Apple silicon Macs, with limited support on Intel Macs.
Workbench is free to use for 20 minutes each day, with an unlimited paid plan available for $10 per month or $50 per year.
Astropad is giving away a 16GB Mac mini with a 512GB SSD. To enter to win, use the widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner(s) and send the prize(s). You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, following us on Threads, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
Astropad Workbench Giveaway
The contest will run from today (May 1) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 8. The winner will be chosen randomly on or shortly after May 8 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
Apple's most affordable MacBook ever appears to be a resounding hit with customers, based on comments shared by CEO Tim Cook this week.
On an earnings call on Thursday, Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo has been "off the charts" since the laptop was unveiled in March.
"We could not be happier with how things are going at the moment," he said.
Apple was very optimistic about the MacBook Neo before announcing it, but the company still "undercalled" the level of enthusiasm that the laptop would generate, according to Cook. He said that MacBook Neo demand has exceeded Apple's expectations and helped to drive a record number of first-time Mac buyers last quarter.
"We're very focused on customers new to the Mac and customers that have been holding on to their Mac a very long period of time," said Cook.
As a result of high demand, Cook added that the MacBook Neo is currently "supply constrained." For orders placed today, Apple's online store in the U.S. currently shows a 2-3 week delivery estimate for all configurations of the laptop.
Apple released the MacBook Neo on March 11, following a week of pre-orders. In the U.S., pricing starts at just $599 for the general public and an even lower $499 for college students and qualifying educational staff. Powered by a version of the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip, the laptop is available in Citrus, Blush, Indigo, and Silver finishes.
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