Breaking News / Consumer Electronics
The redesign marks Apple’s first high-end MacBook overhaul in five years. It will use existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with a more powerful M7 successor already planned for late 2027.
Key Facts at a Glance
Expected Launch
Late 2026 / Early 2027
Display Sizes
14-inch and 16-inch
Processors
M5 Pro / M5 Max
Key Firsts
OLED, Touch, Dynamic Island
Apple is preparing its most significant MacBook redesign in five years. The company plans to launch a new high-end laptop, currently referred to as the “MacBook Ultra,” that will introduce multiple firsts to the Mac platform: an OLED display, touchscreen input, and an iPhone-style Dynamic Island. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects the device to arrive between late 2026 and early 2027, with the early 2027 window now looking more likely due to the global memory chip shortage. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects mass production to begin by late 2026.
The redesign would be Apple’s first overhaul of its high-end laptop since the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models launched in 2021. Unlike that release, which kept the same industrial design as the Intel-era 16-inch MacBook Pro, the MacBook Ultra is expected to feature a noticeably thinner chassis, slimmer bezels, and a fundamentally different interaction model built around touch.
Perhaps the most consequential detail is the chip strategy. The MacBook Ultra will ship with the existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips already found in the current MacBook Pro, rather than next-generation M6 variants. Apple has reportedly scrapped the M6 Pro and M6 Max entirely, accelerating instead to M7 Pro and M7 Max chips optimized for intensive AI workloads. A second-generation MacBook Ultra with those chips is already planned for late 2027.
The 12 Rumored Features
Based on reporting from Bloomberg, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, supply chain sources, and research firm Omdia, here is what the MacBook Ultra is expected to deliver.
Display and Interaction
| Feature | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| OLED Display | First Mac with OLED. Hybrid technology: oxide TFT backplane + tandem two-stack OLED structure (same as iPad Pro). Richer colors, true blacks, higher brightness, improved power efficiency. | Gurman / Kuo / Omdia |
| Touch Screen | First Mac with direct touch input. “Touch-friendly, not touch-first.” Conventional clamshell retained; no detachable or convertible design. | Gurman / Kuo / Instant Digital |
| Touch-Optimized macOS | Controls adapt to input method. Larger touch-optimized menus, iPad-style pinch-to-zoom and fast scrolling integrated system-wide. | Gurman |
| Reinforced Hinge | Sturdier hinge to prevent display wobble when tapped. Current MacBook Pro hinge tilts back easily. | Gurman |
| Hole-Punch Camera | Notch replaced by far smaller hole-punch camera. Frees menu bar space, moves toward edge-to-edge display. | Omdia / Bloomberg |
| Dynamic Island | Cutout expands contextually into iPhone-style Dynamic Island. Surfaces Siri, low battery alerts, AirPods connection indicators. | Gurman |
| Slimmer Bezels | 14.3-inch and 16.3-inch panels (up from 14.2 and 16.2), suggesting thinner bezels on same chassis footprint. | Omdia / Samsung Display |
Design, Performance, and Connectivity
| Feature | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thinner Design | Noticeably thinner and lighter than current MacBook Pro. OLED panel itself contributes to slimmer lid. No indication ports will be removed. | Gurman |
| M5 Pro / M5 Max Chips | Uses existing M5 Pro and M5 Max from current MacBook Pro. Apple scrapped planned M6 Pro / M6 Max. M7 successor planned for late 2027. | Gurman / MacRumors |
| Two Display Sizes | 14-inch and 16-inch models, mirroring current MacBook Pro lineup. Internal code names: K114 and K116. | Gurman |
| MacBook Ultra Branding | New “Ultra” tier above MacBook Pro. Apple also plans a foldable iPhone Ultra. Pro name could still be used, but Ultra is highly likely. | Gurman |
| Built-In Cellular | Considered but uncertain. Would use Apple C1X or next-gen C2 modem for 5G/LTE. First cellular Mac if implemented. | Gurman |
Why Apple Is Skipping the M6 Pro and M6 Max
Apple’s chip roadmap for the Mac is taking an unusual turn. According to Gurman, the company has abandoned what would have been the M6 Pro and M6 Max, choosing instead to ship the MacBook Ultra with the M5 Pro and M5 Max that already power the current MacBook Pro lineup. The M5 chips, announced in March 2026, introduced “super cores” for single-threaded performance, Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, and Fusion interconnect technology that pairs CPU and GPU dies.
The reason for the skip appears to be timing and focus. Apple is reportedly accelerating development of the M7 Pro and M7 Max, which are said to be optimized for intensive AI workloads with upgraded neural accelerators, graphics improvements, and increased memory bandwidth. A second-generation MacBook Ultra carrying those chips is planned for late 2027, roughly a year after the first model.
This creates an awkward purchasing calculus. Buyers of the first MacBook Ultra will receive Apple’s most ambitious Mac redesign in years paired with silicon that has already been on sale for months, while a successor with substantially more advanced chips could arrive less than a year later. Apple is still expected to launch a new entry-level MacBook Pro with the base M6 chip later this year, so the M6 generation is not disappearing entirely, just the Pro and Max variants.
Software Evidence Already in macOS 27
Apple has not announced the MacBook Ultra, but its software is already laying the groundwork. The first developer beta of macOS 27 Golden Gate, released in June 2026, contains at least three features that point directly to a touchscreen Mac.
First, Sidecar now supports direct touch input. When an iPad is connected wirelessly to a Mac, users can tap and interact with macOS elements using their finger on the iPad screen. In macOS 26, this required a mouse or trackpad. Second, Apple introduced iPhone-style pull-to-refresh across native apps including Safari, Mail, News, Podcasts, and Calendar. Third, the new “Search or Ask” Siri interface in Spotlight adopts a dark, pill-shaped design that would sit naturally around a Dynamic Island at the top of the display.
Apple’s own developer documentation adds further weight. New APIs in macOS 27 let Mac apps distinguish touch input from mouse input, mapping taps to clicks, drag-touch to trackpad scrolling, and long-presses to right-click context menus. The documentation explicitly notes these tools apply to touchscreens “not just for the Sidecar display.” The visual layer also signals intent: Liquid Glass interface elements in macOS 27 now stretch, glow, and bounce when touched, matching their iOS behavior.
Pricing and Positioning
Apple has not disclosed pricing, but the MacBook Ultra is expected to sit above the current MacBook Pro lineup. Apple raised prices across its Mac lineup in June 2026. The 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts at $1,999, rising to $2,499 with the M5 Pro chip. The 16-inch model starts at $2,999. A new tier above both would likely start somewhere between $2,799 and $3,499, depending on configuration.
The device is expected to be offered alongside the current MacBook Pro models rather than replacing them. Gurman has noted that Apple “could keep the traditional MacBook Pro name,” but a MacBook Ultra moniker would “more clearly signal their position at the top of the lineup.” The branding would mirror Apple’s approach with the iPhone, where the Ultra tier sits above Pro Max.
What This Means for Buyers
The MacBook Ultra represents a significant bet by Apple that professional users want touch input on their laptops, a position the company resisted for over a decade. The approach is deliberately restrained. Apple is not positioning the machine as a touch-first device like the iPad. Instead, it intends for users to move between touch, trackpad, and keyboard interchangeably depending on the task.
For buyers considering the current MacBook Pro, the MacBook Ultra presents a dilemma. The OLED display, thinner chassis, and touch capabilities are substantial upgrades, but the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips inside will be identical to what is already available. Waiting for the late 2027 M7-powered successor would mean skipping the redesign entirely, but buying the first generation means accepting silicon that will be superseded within a year.
For the broader laptop market, a touchscreen Mac from Apple validates a feature Windows manufacturers have offered for years. Whether Apple’s implementation, with its reinforced hinge, touch-optimized macOS, and Dynamic Island integration, proves more compelling than existing Windows touchscreen laptops remains to be seen.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Apple last redesigns high-end MacBook Pro (M1 Pro / M1 Max) |
| March 2026 | Apple launches M5 Pro / M5 Max MacBook Pro |
| June 2026 | macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta released with touchscreen hints |
| June 2026 | Instant Digital (Weibo leaker) claims touchscreen MacBook “100% confirmed” |
| July 2026 | Gurman reports MacBook Ultra will use M5 Pro / M5 Max, not M6 variants |
| Late 2026 / Early 2027 | Expected MacBook Ultra launch window |
| Late 2027 | Second-gen MacBook Ultra with M7 Pro / M7 Max reportedly planned |
Sources
- Bloomberg / Mark Gurman: “Power On” newsletter and MacBook Ultra reporting (April-July 2026)
- MacRumors: “‘MacBook Ultra’ Coming Soon With These 12 New Features” (July 24, 2026)
- MacRumors: “Apple’s OLED ‘MacBook Ultra’ Will Stick With M5 Pro and M5 Max Chips” (June 26, 2026)
- MacRumors: “macOS 27 Hints at ‘MacBook Ultra’ in Three Ways” (June 10, 2026)
- Notebookcheck: “Ahead of Apple MacBook Ultra: macOS 27 gets touchscreen support” (June 9, 2026)
- Yahoo Tech: “Prominent leaker declares touchscreen MacBook ‘100% confirmed'” (June 11, 2026)
- Apple World Today: “The ‘MacBook Ultra’ might be delayed until early 2027” (April 20, 2026)
- Apple Newsroom: “Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max” (March 3, 2026)
This article was published on July 25, 2026. All specifications, pricing, and launch timing are based on leaks and analyst reports. Apple has not officially announced the MacBook Ultra.