Apple and its supply chain could be working at full speed to introduce the new OLED MacBook Pro later this year. With this laptop line completing 20 years in 2026, it’s only natural that Apple might want to celebrate with the release of its first redesigned laptop since the 2021 MacBook Pro, which came with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
Even though rumors have pointed to a late 2026 release, the shipping delays of the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models (via MacRumors) made other reports more cautious about claiming Apple might introduce a redesigned MacBook in such a short period. Still, prominent leaker yeux1122 suggests Samsung is already mass-producing the OLED panel for the upcoming MacBook Pro. It shows the company may repeat the approach of the M2 Pro and M3 Pro, when Apple released one model in January 2023 and the other in October 2023.
In this article, we’ve selected some of the most anticipated new features rumored for the 2026 OLED MacBook Pro that will make you want to upgrade.
Even better display with touch screen capabilities
The MacBook Pro display is one of the best in the market, and it likely only loses out to the iPad Pro screen, which uses a custom OLED display that combines higher brightness and color fidelity while preserving the tablet’s battery life. Almost two years after the release of the M4 iPad Pro, which brought this technology to Apple’s tablets, Apple is reportedly planning to add an upgraded version of this technology to the MacBook Pro with the eighth-generation OLED.
Apple would go from miniLED to OLED while also introducing a touch screen display to the MacBook Pro. While this rumor might not have made much sense a few years ago, it feels like a natural step for Apple’s computers now that Apple offers a new Liquid Glass display language and many similar features on the iPad and the Mac.
According to Bloomberg, the second rumored MacBook feature is that Apple will add a sturdier hinge design to help the display remain firm when users touch the screen on the new Mac. While it’s unclear how much the company plans to blur the line between a Mac and an iPad, the new display is expected to play a big part in this redesign.
A redesign from the inside out
For a while, Bloomberg has claimed Apple wants to make thinner products. That’s already true with the iPad Pro and the new iPhone Air, which are incredibly thin at less than 6 mm. A similar thickness is the third rumored MacBook Pro feature on our list.
Currently, users complain about the heaviness of the 16-inch model. If Apple makes the MacBook Pro thinner, it could also make the laptop lighter. While the 14-inch model may feel more comfortable to carry around, the 16-inch version could become an option for more users. After owning the 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2019 and the 14-inch model from 2021, I think both have their strengths and weaknesses. While I miss the bigger display, being able to carry my laptop around with ease is way more important.
Another key part of the redesigned MacBook Pro with OLED display might be a hole-punch cutout. As the Mac might finally get a Dynamic Island instead of the current notch design, and since Apple already offers Live Activities on the corner of the display with macOS Tahoe, the Dynamic Island would likely be added at the center of the screen.
M6 Pro and M6 Max chips
So far, the newest Apple chip we know about is the M5. This processor greatly improves graphics processing compared to the previous generation, with a much better Neural Engine that makes this chip great for AI tasks. While the new M5 Pro, M5 Max, and eventually M5 Ultra should continue to improve on these two tasks more than CPU performance, Apple could achieve another breakthrough advancement with the M6 family, as it’s expected to be the first with a 2nm manufacturing process technology. After a few years with 3 nm technology, Apple is expected to introduce the 2 nm chip with the A20 Pro chips for the iPhone and for the Macs with the M6 family (via MacRumors).
The smaller the chip, the more powerful and energy-efficient it is. This is why a redesign with a thinner laptop makes even more sense with the OLED MacBook Pro, as Apple would be using a new manufacturing process in a new form factor. Once we learn more about the M5 Pro and M5 Max, it will be easier to get a glimpse of how much Apple can improve the M6 generation and whether this fourth feature from the list will be real. But it seems the company will continue to try to make the best-in-class chips for computers.
5G capabilities and improvements over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
We will close out our list with two connectivity improvements Apple’s OLED MacBook Pro could also have, according to the latest leaks and rumors. Macworld suggests Apple is working on a MacBook with cellular connectivity. Since all the other improvements mentioned above can increase the battery life of this device, Apple could be planning to use one of its 5G modems on the Mac. After all, if it might have touch screen capabilities, a cellular option would be intuitive and nice to have.
Apple is reportedly developing new 5G modems, according to analyst Jeff Pu (via Forbes). The latest one was the C1X modem, and the company could add this model or the rumored C2 modem to the MacBook Pro, which would allow users to abandon hotspots in airports and coffee shops in favor of an improved 5G connection.
The new N1 chip is another feature Apple could include with the MacBook Pro for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. Apple says this chip improves some of its best features, like AirDrop and personal hotspot, and it would be only natural if the company also added it to a new iteration of the MacBook Pro. Currently, only the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 lineup come with the N1 chip, with the new iPad Pro also confirmed to be released with it on October 22, 2026. That’s why we can expect Apple to expand the N1 chip to MacBooks soon.
