MacBook Ultra: Everything We Know About Apple's OLED Touchscreen Mac

[hajime]

I'm in the UK and when they increased the prices on their website I immediately went and bought a still discounted M5 Pro 48GB one from John Lewis which had it roughly around previous edu pricing before their increase. I initially tried KRCS (the biggest UK apple authorised reseller) which had it even lower but they refused to honour the old pricing.

I wasn't planning to make the purchase because I was waiting for an M6 Pro refresh on the OLED one, however now seeing that they aren't actually going to upgrade the CPUs, I think I made the right choice.

For context, I upgrade my laptop every 6-7 years and I was on the 2020 intel macbook pro.

In Steve's Era, I upgraded every 1-2 years on average. With the current pricing and trend, I can't tell anymore.

 

[Smartuser]

OLED is great if Apple can eliminate any flicker.

I've never seen OLED flicker on the iPhone, iPad or TVs.

This thing might release in 2027 with processors that were in products in 2025 😕

The M5 Pro and Max were in products in 2025? If you mean the M5, we're talking very late 2025 (iPad Pro in hand in November) and early 2027, so to just give the years and pretend like that's two years is a little disingenuous.

Several years ago when OLED MacBooks were only a year away I tried to wait with my Intel space heater and white noise generator. But ultimately I gave up. SO glad I did.

OLED has always been a year away 🙂.

Where I sit today is OLED is a nice to have but I spend 98% of my time on external monitors. That is a real 98% as it is weeks between me undocking.

Touchscreen seems novel and in that 2% of the time I am undocked I admit to poking the screen, sometimes more than once wondering why it is frozen. So it is also ultimately a nice to have for when your computer is in your lap but probably never on a desk. I believe there is truth to the argument against fingerprints, but if someone uses touch enough to smudge up the screen then touch is probably worth it to them as the cost of having to clean the screen periodically.

Nice to have is about right.

With the new information I absolutely WILL NOT buy this though. I am not going to spend $3-4K for a machine whose CPU will be 2 generations old in as little as 8 months!!!

You figured out the value of the OLED predictions, but now you're 100% certain about that one.

I also believe RAM prices are in a huge bubble and will come down dramatically in the medium term. Both from data center cancellations, which seem the rule rather than the exception, and from more capacity coming online.

These things have happened before and didn't last forever.

Whether Apple lowers prices is yet to be seen. That is not a normal thing for them to do!

It's absolutely a normal thing to do if you look at inflation. Before the current crisis (and even taking it into account for some products), prices for many products have remained constant, which effectively means they've been lowered.

I'm also sure that should the time come when components go back to reasonable, they'll lower prices accordingly.

But my next MacBook will probably be in 2028. An OLED touch screen M7 Max with 128GM of Ram and a 4TB disk.

I'm glad I got the M5 Max MBP in March.

All the worthless predictions all over YouTube and the rumors outlets "OMG why would anyone even buy the M5 Max when the M6 Max with touch/OLED will be out in the fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????"(*). Now it looks like the next worthwhile MBP will come out in late 2027 at the earliest.



(*) = It's of course still possible, very theoretically.

 

[erkanasu]

Any idea if they will solve PWM issues that affect people who can’t use the iPad pros? Just bought the m5 pro 16 and hope my bet to buy this now was correct, PWM eye strain is a big fat deal killer

 

[TFrank2]

having had touch on Windows laptops for ten years I was asking. My MacBook feels really dumb not having touch or pen support, both of which I used extensively before. Try things before writing them off, you might like them.

I'm always shocked by how polarizing this topic is. I have mainly used a Surface Laptop (on version 6 now) at work for the past 5+ years and nearly forgot the function is even there, while others in the office use it regularly. I'd like to have Apple provide the option and let the user dictate how they want to interact with their device.

 

[GeoStructural]

I’ve never owned a laptop with a touchscreen, only tablets. Seems awkward.

I did, it was indeed awkward, not ergonomic, and a fingerprint magnet. I disabled the feature within days.

 

[Romain_H]

I did, it was indeed awkward, not ergonomic, and a fingerprint magnet. I disabled the feature within days.

I'd very much appreciated if they omit that "feature"

 

[Kristie_P]

OLED is the feature I'm genuinely excited about. The touchscreen is something I'd probably use occasionally, but I hope Apple doesn't redesign macOS around it. The trackpad is still one of the biggest reasons I enjoy using a Mac.

 

[ELman]

Any idea if they will solve PWM issues that affect people who can’t use the iPad pros? Just bought the m5 pro 16 and hope my bet to buy this now was correct, PWM eye strain is a big fat deal killer

This is the same issue I'm dealing with. I'm holding on to my M2 iPad Pro for now. Guess I'll wait to see what the options are when then next Pro laptops comes out. I could still pickup the M5 from Amazon or Best Buy when the new models are released. I'm hoping Apple gives you an option of displays, but I'm not confident that will happen.

 

[krakenrelease]

deleted

 

[CWallace]

Any idea if they will solve PWM issues that affect people who can’t use the iPad pros? Just bought the m5 pro 16 and hope my bet to buy this now was correct, PWM eye strain is a big fat deal killer

Unlikely, based on the reports of people who are sensitive to PWM reporting it being as bad or worse on the tandem-OLED iPad Pro.

 

[jimmy_john]

$11,999 starting price

 

[AR117]

What a dud. So if I have this straight: Apple will release a v1 Ultra Macbook sometime between Q4 '26 and Q1 '27 with M5 chips (at that point dated), and release v2 Ultra in late 2027 with M7 chips? Am I understanding that right? So if you're naive enough to buy v1, you'd be slapped in the face with v2 + M7 chipset no more than 1 year later. No thank you.

 

[n-evo]

Only if allowed by the developer. In some cases, that’s due to the dev not wanting to troubleshoot for another OS. For apps like Netflix, Disney+, macOS currently allows broader file access than iOS/iPadOS so it would require more effort to protect their content there than on iPadOS/iOS.

Folks that have been using iPads for years won’t care about it being more secure as they’re not using their systems in that way anyway. For folks that are fans of the current permissions model, well, they’ll be able to buy the less expensive machines. 🙂

The developer has the ability to opt-out yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that iOS and iPadOS apps do in fact already run natively on macOS on Apple Silicon and has been doing so since macOS Big Sur.

 

[delsoul]

me either, and a screen with fingerprints on it all the time would drive me nuts.

I have a Huawei Matebook Pro X that I bought some years ago and it's touch screen. I just keep the laptop as a backup and novelty (it was only sold for a very short time natively in the US at Best Buy and Microsoft stores). I always forget that it's touch screen and it feels weird to actually touch it, but honestly it doesn't get as many fingerprints as you'd imagine it would. Whatever screen material they use is pretty resistant. One upside to Apple using a touchscreen on their laptops is it would be extra durable in comparison to regular screens.

 

[benny83]

At least if the MacBook Ultra will be touchscreen, the screen will be more durable and tough than they are now. I got a paperclip resting on the keyboard, and when I unknowingly closed and opened the lid on my MacBook Pro there was and still is a superficial but noticeable mark on the screen.

 

[psingh01]

I've never seen OLED flicker on the iPhone, iPad or TVs.


The M5 Pro and Max were in products in 2025? If you mean the M5, we're talking very late 2025 (iPad Pro in hand in November) and early 2027, so to just give the years and pretend like that's two years is a little disingenuous.


OLED has always been a year away 🙂.


Nice to have is about right.


You figured out the value of the OLED predictions, but now you're 100% certain about that one.


These things have happened before and didn't last forever.


It's absolutely a normal thing to do if you look at inflation. Before the current crisis (and even taking it into account for some products), prices for many products have remained constant, which effectively means they've been lowered.

I'm also sure that should the time come when components go back to reasonable, they'll lower prices accordingly.


I'm glad I got the M5 Max MBP in March.

All the worthless predictions all over YouTube and the rumors outlets "OMG why would anyone even buy the M5 Max when the M6 Max with touch/OLED will be out in the fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????"(*). Now it looks like the next worthwhile MBP will come out in late 2027 at the earliest.



(*) = It's of course still possible, very theoretically.

Actually I had in my mind that M5 Max came out last fall. I was wrong.

 

[nickpro]

So they're going to release the first major MBP redesign in 5 years with existing chips that were released over a year prior? lolllllllll OK

 

[CWallace]

What a dud. So if I have this straight: Apple will release a v1 Ultra Macbook sometime between Q4 '26 and Q1 '27 with M5 chips (at that point dated), and release v2 Ultra in late 2027 with M7 chips? Am I understanding that right? So if you're naive enough to buy v1, you'd be slapped in the face with v2 + M7 chipset no more than 1 year later. No thank you.

Apple has to play the cards they have been dealt by TSMC. A20 and M6 will both be fabricated on TSMC's N2 "2nm" process and while in the past, Apple was the #1 customer and could secure the largest allotment of a new process, NVIDIA now holds that title and has first-access to those N2 wafers.

So Apple has to prioritize what SoCs they will make on the N2 wafers they have been allocated in 2026 and I believe they are focusing on A20/A20 Pro (because iPhone 18 is the most important product) and the base M6 (because it takes up far less wafer space than an M6 Pro and M6 Max, which reports say have been cancelled).

TSMC has also pre-sold most (if not all, by now) their N2 wafer allotment for 2027. So perhaps Apple did a deal with TSMC to purchase a smaller portion of the 2026 allotment (to allow TSMC to sell more to NVIDIA) to meet demand for the A20 Pro for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max and M6 for the base MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iPad Pro. They then would have been allowed to purchase more of the 2027 allotment which will allow them to build A20, A21 Pro, M7, M7 Pro, M7 Max and M7 Ultra.

 

[lusty]

I'm always shocked by how polarizing this topic is. I have mainly used a Surface Laptop (on version 6 now) at work for the past 5+ years and nearly forgot the function is even there, while others in the office use it regularly. I'd like to have Apple provide the option and let the user dictate how they want to interact with their device.

I am too. There’s literally no downside to having it and not using it yet people act outraged that additional features might be added to their laptop in the future. Apple might even put proper coatings on the screen as well so they don’t muck up so easily. Hard to argue Macs are ahead of the curve while they’re so far behind on so many basic things.

 

[CWallace]

I'm always shocked by how polarizing this topic is. I have mainly used a Surface Laptop (on version 6 now) at work for the past 5+ years and nearly forgot the function is even there, while others in the office use it regularly. I'd like to have Apple provide the option and let the user dictate how they want to interact with their device.

I am too. There’s literally no downside to having it and not using it yet people act outraged that additional features might be added to their laptop in the future. Apple might even put proper coatings on the screen as well so they don’t muck up so easily. Hard to argue Macs are ahead of the curve while they’re so far behind on so many basic things.

If Apple added said features at no additional cost, I expect the "outrage" would be greatly muted. However, history has shown Apple adds to the price when they add features (at least in the initial release).

 

[lowendlinux]

Here I am scrolling through macrumors with my thumb on my touch screen OLED

 

[eifelbube]

Apple has been telling us for years that we don't need a touch screen.

It’ll be revised to state that we do not have to buy a touch screen.

 

[TeamMojo]

I think Apple has conditioned its user base to understand the difference between an iPad and a MacBook. I don’t see this doing too well. I know from my own interactions with yoga style PC devices that they’re really not all that compelling. I’m sure Apple could do a better job with the user experience, But I think of the Touch Bar and the Vision Pro. If they’re going to make such radical leaps in user experience, it needs to be at the right price point and far wider ranging in terms of killer flagship apps at launch.

This doesn’t make me feel like it’s something that I want to buy.

 

[Momento_Mori]

Will definitely be a niche product such as Apple Vision Pro…. mmmm…… I don't know why one would require a touch screen on a macbook pro when the same can be accomplished using the trackpad. It would make more sense if Apple solely focused on screen quality as opposed to a feature that’s unnecessary, especially after raising prices.

 

[ort888]

Starting at just $3,699!

Anyway... I don't want a MacBook I can touch, what I really want is an iPad that runs Mac OS.