Apple event LIVE: Touchscreen MacBook Pro OLED announced, iPad mini OLED and more
Apple's saved the best 'til last
Good morning!
Steve Jobs’ take on touchscreen laptops https://t.co/tkXTaDjA3sOctober 25, 2026
Jason checking in here on what is probably going to be one of the biggest days in the MacBook Pro's 20-year history. It's looking likely that Apple will be releasing an OLED Pro (...Pr-OLED?) with a touchscreen — the biggest paradigm shift in the way you use a MacBook...basically ever!
And the moment this became clear to me, I immediately thought back to what Steve Jobs said on stage about this a while back. Because while in 2026, touchscreen controls on a premium notebook are sort of an assumed feature now, he does have a point.
It'll be interesting to see how Apple changes macOS to adapt to this new control format, and the structural changes to accommodate screen pokes (like a stronger hinge).
Is macOS ready for touch? Here's what I'd change
So ahead of the (reportedly) imminent MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen, I stuck the Intricuit Magic screen to my M5 MacBook Pro to see how it fares.
Now, I know that chances are Apple has already thought about this, and will launch a touch-friendly version of macOS with the Pr-OLED.
But I hope it comes with aggressive icon scaling to improve the hitbox on smaller things, actual multitouch gestures like what you see on the trackpad, and some lessons learned from the iPhone Duo snapping apps together easily in splitscreen sesions.
Previously on 'Pro and Tell'...
A lot has happened already! So let me catch you up:
- Monday: Apple announced the iPad mini 8 with an OLED screen, A20 Pro chip (same as you find in the latest iPhones), and a nifty under-screen speaker that means there are no more speaker grilles — making it IP67 water and dust resistant. Pricing starts at $699!
- Tuesday: The Cupertino crew followed it up with the iMac M6 and base MacBook Pro M6 (with mini LED display). These are simple spec bumps to the faster, more power efficient chip. Prices start at $1,499 and $1,999 respectively.
Pre-orders on all these are starting today at 10:10am PT / 1:10pm ET / 5:10pm GMT.
The OLED MacBook Pro won't come cheap
I spoke to David Naranjo, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, who just ran a Bill of Materials (BOM) analysis to see what the price of the OLED MacBook Pro would actually be. Spoiler alert: it's going to get a price hike.
Price prediction is "between $2,799 and $2,999."
This sort of aligns with Bloomberg's recent reporting too.
Some of this is the tandem OLED screen inside being more pricey than the mini LED panel you see at the moment. But what we're seeing is OLED being used as a "way for PC makers to justify higher prices as memory and component costs go up," in Naranjo's own words.
M5 brute force vs M6 efficiency
So if the reports are true, you're about to see a confusing lineup on paper. The base model MacBook Pro sports M6, while the more expensive OLED touchscreen option will sport either M5 Pro or M5 Max.
Well, it comes down to use cases. While M6 will have the faster single-core speeds, the Pro and Max chips reign supreme in data transfer speeds and multi tasking-heavy workloads!
Chip |
Geekbench single/multi-core |
Blackmagic Disk Speed Text (MBps write/read) |
Handbrake (transcode 4K movie to 1080p mm:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|
M6 (Mac mini) |
4708 / 21405 |
6577 / 6372 |
02:46 |
M5 Pro (MacBook Pro) |
4306 / 28586 |
8989 / 12711 |
01:45 |
M5 Max (MacBook Pro) |
4338 / 29430 |
12857 / 12870 |
01:55 |
Are you hyped for an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro?
Obviously I can sit here and get hype about the idea of an OLED MacBook Pro, but still ponder how much I'll actually use that touchscreen.
But I want to hear from all of you!
How would a Dynamic Island on MacBook Pro work!?
One of the other rumors rolling around for the past few months about this upcoming MacBook Pro (and for the past couple years more broadly) is a Dynamic Island coming to the notebook.
Of course, I'm expecting this to be used in the same way as you see on the iPhones — a place to see real-time status of background apps. But is there anything else that can be done with it?
Maybe as a place to store a file real quick while you find the right window to drag it into? Siri AI? When you move something like that from a phone to a laptop, the options greatly expand!
...isn't he being sued right now!?
If you remember back to 2025, Jon Prosser got sued by Apple after accusations of stealing company secrets were thrown around. The latest on that is the discovery phase of this case has been delayed, as Prosser just had his second child (congratulations!).
That hasn't stopped Jon from posting his own full-blown Apple keynote announcing the new products. Let's see how much he gets right about that OLED model!
Don't expect an OLED MacBook Air anytime soon
All this talk of an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro today has prompted a question amongst the team: will the MacBook Air get the OLED treatment? Short answer: not for a while.
According to reports, Apple are indeed testing one, but it's "some way off," and the annual spring time update will bring a standard LCD display to the Air again.
Why I think the iPhone 18 Pro + iPad mini 8 is the better buy over iPhone Duo
Now, before you come at me, the iPhone Duo is a fundamentally great phone. But now we've got the iPad mini 8 with OLED and its confirmed $699 price tag, the economics of it don't make sense.
For the iPhone Duo, you've got to spend two racks, and with all the Crackgate stuff flying around, it's a sensitive piece of tech.
Meanwhile, if you look at the iPhone 18 Pro with a better camera system and the more durable bigger screen of iPad mini 8...
That's $100 off for the same full setup just in two devices. Of course it's your choice, but I know which way I'd go.
When will Apple announce the OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro?
So over the past couple of days, Apple has been announcing new products at exactly 9am ET / 1pm GMT.
However, today's "Pro and Tell" starts at 10am PT in LA, and pre-orders open at 10:10am PT (1:10pm ET / 5:10pm GMT). That is an oddly specific time to launch pre-orders, which makes me think a promo video will be streamed at that 10am mark.
My spider sense is telling me the announcement will come at 10am PT, but this is all up in the air! What do you think?
How does the M6 iMac compare to the M4 model?
It's a good question! Looking at them both here, you'd be hard-pressed to actually see the difference.
The actual changes are inside with the silicon, and given we've already tested the M6 chip in the new Mac mini, we can run some speed comparisons to show you whether this upgrade is right for you — or whether you can wait it out with what you currently have.
Can I geek out about the Creator Studio upgrades a little bit?
One of the announcements that went largely under the radar yesterday is the updates to Creator Studio. As someone who relies on Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro in the day-to-day, I want to geek out a little about some of these features.
- MotionVFX FINALLY comes to FCP: Thousands of visual effects, templates, plug-ins, a stock library and motion graphics are coming in November. I've looked at VFX subs like Spongebob longingly looking out the window at people having fun — especially after Apple acquired them. Now I finally get this hub all to myself.
- Logic Pro's Stem splitter is getting better: I know people are flocking to the AI assistant beta that can setup tracks and guide production workflows with text prompts. But I'm much more interested in the improvements to the stem splitter that can better isolate and rebalance individual elements.
Being creative has always been a bit of fun for me on the side, and the Creator Studio is one of the better ways to get into it. Now I see these updates, I'm fully locked in to see how these can improve my projects in the future!
Have an M5 MacBook Pro? Here's our guide to whether M6 is worth the upgrade
While the difference between the iMacs is much more dramatic given its M4 to M6, it's more minor in the base MacBook Pro space given it's M5.
Not to say there isn't some notable improvements in CPU speeds and AI performance — especially with that re-engineered core structure and Neural Engine. But chances are most of you already have a very strong laptop in the M5 MacBook Pro.
Tony's done the full breakdown here.
I'm excited for how thin the iPad mini is
The thing that has me most interested in the new iPad mini is how much thinner it is than previous models. Apple dropped it from 6.3mm to 5.4mm thick. With it being the company's smaller tablet, it only makes sense for the tablet to be thin to keep up with the design aesthetic.
In making it thinner, Apple also dropped some weight from the iPad mini, further pushing it towards being a more portable option while still offering a larger screen that makes sense as a tablet.
3 things to look for in the OLED MacBook Pro announcement
As we're all assuming, there will be an OLED MacBook Pro main event announcement today. But to make this work, I'll be paying close attention to some of the finer details of this announcement — not just the big things of a touchscreen or M5 Pro/M5 Max.
- Is the hinge stronger? When I tested the Intricuit Magic Screen on the current M5 MacBook Pro, it's clear that the hinge is not built for taps and pokes as it wobbles. Apple is reportedly working on a reinforced hinge to prevent that bounce.
- The weight distribution of that lighter design: Reports are coming in that the new MacBook Pro will be thinner and lighter than the current model. That's all great, but hopefully the weight distribution is done in a way that the entire laptop doesn't wobble as you tap away.
- How is that Dynamic Island going to work? We already know the key elements from the iPhone (multiple real-time updates of apps in the background). But on a pro laptop, the options of how to use a Dynamic Island are endless. And who knows? Maybe we'll get Face ID!
I wish it was a 2-in-1
A touchscreen MacBook sounds cool, but with no rumors suggesting it'll convert to a tablet form factor, I question how useful it'll be. I've reviewed plenty of touchscreen laptops over the years, and I never found them useful.
There's really nothing I'd reach over the keyboard and touch on the screen for that I can't just as easily move the mouse cursor to.
I'm glad to hear that Apple is working on a more stable hinge for the touchscreen MacBook Pro, but I wish it were working on a convertible hinge instead.
No 16-inch version of the MacBook Pro
Notably, Apple did not announce a 16-inch version of the M6 MacBook Pro. Right now on the site you can get an M5 Pro or M5 Max version but no M6.
Usually, Apple announces both a 14 and 16-inch version.
My speculation is that Apple is saving the 16-inch version for the OLED touchscreen, which is partly why the price is expected to be over $3k.
It's almost time... maybe
It's almost the first time Apple could announce the new touchscreen MacBook Pro.
However, rumors suggest this time slot could slip, and Apple might announce it at 1 p.m. ET. The company is usually prompt, so if the 9 a..m. announcement occurs, we expect to be right on time.
One way or another, we'll keep you posted right here if Apple reveals the rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro.
Looks like we'll be waiting...
The rumored time has come and gone and Apple hasn't made a peep yet regarding the touchscreen MacBook Pro, which means we're probably going to have to wait until 1 p.m. ET, which is the second rumored time.
Of course, we'll keep refreshing Apple's newsroom to see if the company decides to surprise everyone and drop the news at some random time.
A little tease
https://t.co/2XsfEhVRJHOctober 28, 2026
Apple's CEO John Ternus posted a quick tease on X, and it looks like he's hinting at a light-up logo on the back of the new MacBook Pro, which used to be a staple of the company's laptops. Check out the video above and let the hype levels rise.
What do you plan to do today?
Now that we're confident we won't see the touchscreen MacBook Pro for a few hours, I'm wondering what you'll be doing.
Me? I'll be here keeping an eye on Apple's newsroom for the announcement. I'll also be scoping for additional Apple news to keep you plugged in.
Apple is opening pre-orders for the M6 iMac, M6 MacBook Pro and iPad mini, so if you want to spend some money on Apple, you can pre-order new devices.
Are you going to buy one?
With the touchscreen MacBook Pro coming today (reportedly), we want to know: are you getting one?
Want to try out the power of the M6 chip now?
If you're curious just how powerful the M6 chipset actually is, you can test it out already on the M6 Mac mini that was released a couple of months ago. You can even run out to your local Apple Store to see if they have one up and running for you to play with. It'll give you something to do until Apple announces the OLED touchscreen MacBook later today.
We've already put the M6 Mac mini through all kinds of tests and found it much faster than the M5.
Whether that's worth the higher price is up to you, but that's the case for every Apple device these days.
Creator Studio update
This news isn't getting as much attention, since new hardware tends to get the most attention:
Apple announced a Creator Studio update that adds MotionVFX content to Final Cut Pro, video assets to the Content Hub, expanded music creation tools in Logic Pro, and new intelligence features in Logic Pro, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
Read Apple's full news post for a detailed breakdown of what's new.
MacBook Studio
Could Apple release a device called the MacBook Studio? Because the video John Ternus shared showed the Apple logo projected on a wall, some have speculated that Apple will call the device a MacBook Studio, since the wall might be on the side of a movie studio.
Obviously, this is just some fun speculation and could be a bit of a stretch for a realistic name. I think Apple's more likely to keep the MacBook Pro branding, but you never know. Maybe it'll even be the MacBook Ultra.
How to pre-order the M6 MacBook Pro
Apple announced the M6 MacBook Pro today, but it's not up for pre-order just yet. The window opens at 10:10 am PT on October 28, with a ship date of November 6.
Here's how to pre-order the M6 MacBook Pro from Apple and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.
While we wait...
Pro and Tell has been a multiday event. So, while we wait and in case you missed it, here's what else Apple announced this week:
Monday: Apple announced the iPad mini 8 with an OLED screen, A20 Pro chip (same as you find in the latest iPhones), and a nifty under-screen speaker that means there are no more speaker grilles — making it IP67 water and dust resistant. Pricing starts at $699!
Tuesday: The Cupertino crew followed it up with the iMac M6 and base MacBook Pro M6 (with mini LED display). These are simple spec bumps to the faster, more power efficient chip. Prices start at $1,499 and $1,999 respectively.
We're in the building!
The doors have opened and we're filing in. Getting closer, but still about 40 minutes away.
Apple event preview
Here's Mark Spoonauer giving a brief preview of today's event while we wait for things to kick off.
Meanwhile, something else from this week
The last week of October has been surprisingly busy. E-tail giant Amazon just announced a slew of new Alexa and Echo devices.
All of this follows Apple's other announcements from earlier this month, including the new Apple HomeView.
Check out the video above to see how the new Amazon Echo Show 16 compares to the Apple HomeView while we wait for Apple's next announcement.
Apple-ception
Taking a photo of the Apple logo using the new iPhone Duo.
5 minutes to showtime
We're about five minutes away from Apple's expected announcement.
Remember to stick around with us as we'll get hands-on time with whatever Apple announces and share it here with you.
John Ternus takes the stage
There doesn't appear to be a live stream of the announcement, but John Ternus has taken the stage here in Los Angeles.
A recap so far
Apple CEO John Ternus came out in front of an image of the iPad mini 8. So have a minute until the big reveal.
John Ternus' X account reveals the new screen
We’re glowing with excitement over the new MacBook Pro. You’ve gotta touch it to believe it. https://t.co/BLiGkGaefLOctober 28, 2026
Apple officially reveals the PROLED MacBook Pro
Apple has officially announced the new MacBook Pro featuring a "PROLED XDR Display" with touch capabilities.
A new post has details that we're digging into right now.
But to start it it features an M5 Pro or M5 Max chipset, not the M6.
First PROLED advertisement
Here you go, check out Apple's first advertisement for the new MacBook.
Here's everything we know about the MacBook Pro OLED
It's more than just an OLED screen, it's thinner, runs on the M5 high-end chipsets and more.
Here's everything we know about Apple's new OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro.
First hands-on look
Alright, the announcement is over and we're getting our first hands-on look at the new MacBook.
A fully maxed-out MacBook Pro is almost a brand-new car
Out of curiosity we specced out a maxed out MacBook Pro PROLED. Before we get to the price, here's what that looks like specs-wise:
- 128GB RAM
- 16TB storage
- M5 Max chip
- 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU
- 140W power adapter
- 16-inch display
- Nano-texture glass
How much will all that set you back?
$14,549.
I won't be buying one but there you go. Or you could lease it for $332 for 36 months.
Analyst comments on the new MacBook Pro
We checked in with Francisco Jeronimo, an analyst at IDC for his thoughts on the new OLED MacBook Pro.
Here's a condensed version of what he had to say:
"Apple's entry will not dramatically change the PC market, but it will change the status of touch-enabled laptops. When the company that spent 15 years arguing against touch concludes that it belongs on a notebook, the debate about whether touch is a gimmick is over, and the question becomes who builds the best implementation. For vendors, the opportunity is to use that validation to move touch up the price ladder, because Apple has just shown that buyers can be asked to pay for it. For users, the benefit is a feature that can significantly improve their workflows through a more efficient implementation."
Want to save money?
I wanted to note that the you don't have to get the OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro.
If you're looking to save a buck and don't care about the touchscreen or OLED, Apple will still sell the M5 Pro and M5 max in the miniLED version of the MacBook Pro.
The base 16-inch version is still a hefty $3,000. The similar version with the OLED display is $400 more expensive.
What's in the display?
Here's what you're getting with the PROLED XDR tandem OLED display.
It comes in 14- or 16-inch versions. It can get up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, a 10,000,000:1 contrast, and a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate.
It also has P3 and Adobe RGB color support.
Of course, we have touch support, but it also features a Dynamic Island with Spotlight, Live Activities, and Siri AI.
You can get the display in standard or nano-texture glass (an extra $150).
Hands-on with the MacBook Pro OLED
Tom's Guide Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer is in Los Angeles checking out the new MacBook Pro with its OLED touchscreen.
He's already sat down and written up his thoughts.
Check out our hands on with the touchscreen MacBook Pro OLED.
macOS is changing a bit for touch controls
Alongside the new laptop, Apple is also tweaking macOS a bit to accommodate the new touch display.
You can see it in the green, yellow and red buttons at the top of Mac windows. They grow larger when touched, which should make it easier to select.
There's also swiping to scroll, pinching to zoom, and dragging, which should feel familiar from the iPad or iPhone.
Some apps like Finder and Calendar are getting more specific adaptations, like larger icons inside menus and more.
Per Apple, devs can take advantage of the new touch controls, so third-party apps should see updates in the coming weeks and months.
iPhone Duo vs iPad mini 8
While we were checking out the new MacBook, we got a chance to compare the iPad mini 8 alongside the iPhone Duo.
What do you think? Tablet or foldable?
Testing in progress...
We've managed to secure some of the new devices Apple announced this week and are sending them to our testing lab.
For reviews we put laptops, phones and tablets through a testing process that susses out performance, battery life and more.
We'll have full reviews of the devices Apple revealed at Pro and Tell in the coming weeks. So do keep Tom's Guide in your tabs to find out what our tests found and what our reviewers think.
