MacBook Pro rumored for 2026 redesign — OLED display could steal the show

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Thinner and brighter

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max, 2023)
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I know. Just as Apple headlines a bumper week of Mac news with the M4 MacBook Pro, here we are looking two years into the future. But trust me, this is a big one, as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is pointing towards a fully redesigned Pro laptop packing an OLED display launching in 2026.

A Cupertino crew redesign comes only once in a blue moon (it took them 14 years to redesign the Mac mini for example). And while I do still adore the utilitarian aluminum frame of the MacBook Pro, it has been with us for a few years now. Well, we’re seeing the strongest rumors yet that the next big redesign will come in a couple of years.

Small spec bump for 2025

Before that, though, we’ve got next year. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and display analyst Ross Young have both predicted that 2025’s MacBook Pros will stick with the current program — mini-LED screens and the same design.

On top of that, Gurman has also reported that the only real headline upgrade coming to next year’s pros is a jump to M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which are “already near completion.” In other words, unless Apple has anything else special up its sleeves (prayer circle for an iMac Pro), I’m anticipating a blog post launch of this update around this time next year.

Looking ahead to 2026

But it’ll be the year after that Gurman claims the MacBook Pro will “probably” get a “true overhaul.” Namely, the display tech will be switched to OLED — a huge upgrade after seeing the beauty of this screen tech in the M4 iPad Pro.

OLED (in particular the tandem OLED you see on the iPad Pro) brings some big benefits to the table. Setting aside the obvious points like gorgeous color, increased brightness and deeper contrast (yes, we love OLED here at TG), you’ll also see longer battery life.

And most importantly, an OLED panel is thinner than your typical LED one, and Apple’s going to take advantage of that by making the MacBook Pro thinner. In fact, Gurman has gone one step further in claiming that Apple wants to make these MacBook Pros the “thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry.”

Outlook

That is a mightily tempting future for the MacBook Pro, and one that falls in line nicely with what I would claim to be a logical upgrade cycle for the laptop. I’ve got mates that are still just as happy with their M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pros today — regardless of how big the improvements are to performance in the likes of M4.

It would be great to have an annual upgrade cycle, but we’re not made of money. Upgrading every five years when it comes to laptops is a more logical timeframe, and Apple seems to know it with what is going to be a juicy overhaul of the hardware.

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Jason England
Jason England
Managing Editor — Computing

Jason brings a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He has previously written for Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza if he isn't already.