MacBook Pro’s next big move: OLED, touch, and no notch

Apple just shipped the first M5 MacBook Pro. Cool. But the real upgrade looks set for late 2026 or early 2027. Bloomberg says Apple is cooking a major MacBook Pro redesign with an OLED display, a touchscreen, and a new hole-punch camera. Internally, the models are K114 and K116, and they’ll run the M6 chips.

Expect slimmer. Expect lighter. Expect pricier.

What’s Actually New?

OLED screens. A first for MacBook Pro. Better contrast, deeper blacks, and more control over refresh and HDR. The current mini-LED panels step aside.
Touchscreens. Apple will keep the full keyboard and a big trackpad. Touch is an extra input, not a replacement. Reinforced hinges should keep the screen steady when you poke it.
Goodbye notch. The webcam moves to an iPhone-style hole punch. Think Dynamic Island vibes, but on a Mac. Software treatment is still a question mark.
M6 inside. The redesign aligns with Apple’s next chip family, not the M5 that just launched. Timeline points to late 2026 or early 2027.

Touch on a Mac has been a decade-long debate. Apple famously argued it didn’t make ergonomic sense. Now the market has moved. Windows laptops have nailed touch with minimal trade-offs, and creators already live between iPad and Mac. Adding touch doesn’t break the Mac. It just gives you another way to move faster. Bloomberg also flags a likely price bump of a few hundred dollars, which tracks with OLED panels and a fresh chassis.

The Near-Term Roadmap

Don’t toss your wallet at the M5 if you want the big redesign. Reports say Apple will roll out M5 Pro and M5 Max versions in early 2026 using the current body, then flip the switch to the OLED touch redesign in late 2026 or early 2027. If you need a machine now, the M5 looks like a safe workhorse. If you can wait, the M6 generation is the one to watch.

Open questions

Will macOS add UI tweaks for touch, or keep it purely optional?
How does Apple balance OLED burn-in concerns for pro workflows?
Does the hole-punch get any clever software framing, or stay invisible?
Where does this leave iPad Pro once the Mac gets touch and OLED together?

Closing

This isn’t a spec bump. It’s a course correction. OLED plus touch plus a cleaner display cutout makes the MacBook Pro feel modern again. If Apple nails the ergonomics and keeps battery life strong, the M6 MacBook Pro could be the biggest leap since the 2021 redesign.

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Eric Sandler

Chief Writer at WiFi Planet

Eric Sandler is a veteran US tech writer with over 25 years of experience covering the latest advancements in the world of technology. From groundbreaking innovations to in-depth reviews, Eric has built a reputation for delivering insightful, reliable content. His work spans across a variety of tech topics, including smartphones, gadgets, AI, and more, making him a trusted voice in the industry.