Next year’s MacBook Pro is expected to be a significant upgrade on the current model, with the headline believed to be a total redesign that’s both thinner and lighter.
The rumors include three specific features, and I got a chance to preview all of them thanks to an early chance to try a Windows laptop going on sale later this month …
After a series of spec bump updates, the 2026 MacBook Pro is expected to be a significant upgrade. In addition to a thinner and lighter form-factor, reports suggest three new features.
Coincidentally, the ASUS ProArt P16 is about to go on sale with all three of these, giving me a chance to preview them. The machine is aimed at a similar market to the MacBook Pro, with AV creatives the primary target. The three features in question are:
- Notchless camera
- OLED screen
- Touchscreen
Notchless camera
Some changes involve trade-offs, and it’s likely that a notchless camera will be one of them. The MacBook Pro is able to have such a slim top bezel because it doesn’t need to mount the camera in the surround itself. Instead, Apple stole a little of the display in order to embed the camera in a notch.
We can see that trade-off in the Asus laptop: The top bezel is just a little thicker than the one on the MacBook Pro. However, the difference is not dramatic, and I would say that this is a trade-off well worth making. The notch was an okay solution for its time, especially when it echoed the one in the iPhone, but I think it’s had its day now.
OLED screen
MacBooks still use IPS-LCD screens, but these have always been of excellent quality, easily surpassing that of most competitor products. There are a number of reasons for that, of which pixel density is just the best known. MacBook displays are also bonded to the glass, eliminating internal reflections and improving clarity; offer P3 wide color gamut; and have impressively bright screens.
That being the case, I wasn’t sure quite how much improvement to expect from an OLED screen. I did wonder whether people were going to get excited over a tech spec rather than a significant visible difference in quality.
But ASUS claims its latest one is one of the most sophisticated on the market.
The latest ASUS Lumina Pro OLED display is one of the industry’s most advanced OLED displays, tailored for professional creators – delivering stunning color accuracy, vibrant colors, deep contrast, and advanced eye care […] ProArt P 16 is purpose-built for pro-grade video editing, supporting the 10-bit 4:2:2 color format.
I have to say that, to my eyes, the default calibration is absurdly over-saturated, and I suspect this is deliberate so that it really pops in store displays.
But that’s adjustable, and in other respects this is indeed a stunningly good display. Admittedly, I’m comparing it with my now slightly dated M1 Max 16-inch MacBook, but I don’t think Apple has made any notable display improvements since then. All my doubts about how much difference a high-quality OLED screen makes have now been completely removed by experiencing this one. It really is excellent, and I absolutely expect people to upgrade for this reason alone.
Touchscreen
Finally, one of the biggest but least certain rumors about the upcoming MacBook Pro is a touchscreen. Apple has for years rejected the idea, but I recently explained why I do believe that it is now finally happening.
I listed Apple rejections starting with Steve Jobs in 2010 and running through to Craig Federighi in 2020, but then pointed out two ways in which the world has changed.
Touchscreen PC laptops are now commonplace, and younger users have grown up with these as a perfectly normal part of the tech landscape […] But the biggest clue by far to changed thinking is the extent to which iPadOS 26 absolutely does converge iPad functionality with that of the MacBook in a way the company has previously suggested would never happen. This, more than anything, tells us that the company’s thinking on this issue has changed very substantially.
I have to say that personally, I’m not really sold on the idea. When I used an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard, I almost exclusively used the trackpad. I’ve tried a number of Windows laptops with touchscreens, and I’ve never really felt that I’m missing out by not having one on my MacBooks.
It was the same with this one. I just couldn’t see the point of reaching all the way to the screen when the trackpad was so much closer.
But I’m old. There’s a whole generation of Mac users these days who have grown up primarily with smartphones and for whom a touchscreen is a basic expectation. I do therefore think Apple will be doing the right thing if it offers one despite my own personal lack of interest.
What are your thoughts?
Are you eagerly awaiting the next generation of MacBooks? And if so, which of the rumored features most appeals to you? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Main image: ASUS photo on background by Visax on Unsplash
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