OLED MacBook Pro With Thinner Design on Track for 2026 Launch

[rp2011]

As long as battery life stays where it is, this would be great! Don’t want it if it means we get less battery life.

Absolutely. I seriously doubt Apple would make the MacBook Pro thinnner if they couldn't get the same or more battery life out it. It comes down to better and more effecient componenets. Let's remember how bad the battery life of the chunky MacBooks pre M-series chips were.

 

[anthony13]

What are the anti-notch folks expecting the notch to be replaced with? It’s got to be either a thicker bezel, or a pill/hole-punch, right? Or is there some other solution in the works?

not sure, I'm not actually concerned with the notch. doesnt bother me at all, I kind of think of it as extra real estate around the notch. but thats as far as I'm ever dipping my toes in that debate cause people got FEELINGS on this one!

 

[punchwalk]

you can just put a black bar along the top or your screen and the notch disappears

Why do people assume that folks who dislike the notch don't know this? Also, the mere fact that the design decision is controversial enough to merit the existence of a workaround (one which typically involves using a third-party app, no less) sort of reinforces my point.

 

[punchwalk]

What are the anti-notch folks expecting the notch to be replaced with? It’s got to be either a thicker bezel, or a pill/hole-punch, right? Or is there some other solution in the works?

The notch as a concept is and always has been a branding move, not a technical necessity. There are numerous other laptops on the market with very thin bezels and a 1080p camera. Apple might be able to just drop the notch entirely and still have room in the remaining bezel for the camera. If not, they'd need to add no more than 1-2mm. I know a lot of people are rabidly anti-bezel, but I'd gladly trade 1-2mm of bezel thickness to get rid of the notch.

That said, assuming the same people at Apple are making design/branding decisions, then a hole punch or similar seems most likely, as that would allow them to bring iPhone Pro's Dynamic Island to the MBP.

 

[Reason077]

There are numerous other laptops on the market with very thin bezels and a 1080p camera. Apple might be able to just drop the notch entirely and still have room in the remaining bezel for the camera.

Seems unlikely to me. Apple's new wide-angle 12MP "Center Stage" cameras do a lot more than 1080p, and presumably require a relatively large lens?

 

[punchwalk]

Please show us a trend in Windows OLED laptops that are suffering from burn-in. Do you have a Windows laptop with OLED? I do. I have 2. Both are ASUS and both are spectacular 3K 120Hz OLED's and both were around $500 each with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. One has Snapdragon ARM chip and gets about 12 hours battery life. The screen has a built in OLED care that kicks in after 30 minutes of idle time. Windows and Mac allow you to hide your menu bar. Y'all are missing out on OLED while Apple "perfects it", but at what cost? Imagine the cost of an OLED-based Apple MacBook!!

Agree with your observations. Between MBP 2021-present and Studio Display XDR, Apple sunk a lot of money into miniLED, so it makes sense that they're in no hurry to abandon it.

As it so happens, I think miniLED has enormous potential as a laptop display. The current MBP display is widely considered one of the finest on the market, and from what I've seen with my own eyes, I'm inclined to agree. If they were able to substantially increase the count of dimming zones and fine-tune the dimming algorithm, they'd nearly be able to close the contrast gap between miniLED and OLED (though they'll never technically close that gap entirely). It seems like miniLED has lost the war when it comes to laptop displays, though; laptop manufacturers are now offering OLED options en masse while miniLED is relegated to only a literal handful of offerings (it's doing a bit better in the TV world for now).

 

[ThailandToo]

Ports!! Dont forget apple better keep the ports!!!

No more dongle life!!!!

Personally, I prefer to just have five TB5 ports. TB5 is better than an SD card slot for certain. Not sure that HDMI allows more bandwidth than TB5 but maybe it does? To me one port to rule them all is far more important than ports I literally don’t use.

I have a camera with CF Express, so it requires an adapter not a dongle. All my cables are upgraded on older devices that used standard USB-A. My monitors are Apple. Literally everything is USBC form factor now and has been for years. I cringe when I see a USB-A port on an airplane or in a hotel room. That’s what sticking with the past gets everyone who adopts to tech that’s been out ten years now.

If tandem OLED, zero notch, slim body, and excellent battery life are the result, I will be super happy but need at least three TB5 ports - however the more the merrier!

 

[ThailandToo]

Absolutely. I seriously doubt Apple would make the MacBook Pro thinnner if they couldn't get the same or more battery life out it. It comes down to better and more effecient componenets. Let's remember how bad the battery life of the chunky MacBooks pre M-series chips were.

Remember how bad the battery life was just ten years ago? It has improved immensely - even switching from Intel made it so much better. I have a Lenovo ThinkPad and while I love typing on it, the battery life is garbage - it may last 3.5 hours! That was the Mac before the M-series SoCs.

Now consider what happens when Apple actually improves the battery tech, you’re right that should enable a thin and light MacBook to stay on all day - at least the same as we have now in the current M4 MacBooks.

Do wish that Apple could use the keyboard of the ThinkPad.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I don’t know about the praise for Mini LED

I really disliked the screen on the 14 inch M4 MBP I had

No matter what I did on adjustments, it just was never that enjoyable for my eyes to look at

I also did not care for the blooming

 

[svish]

This should be a real upgrade to the Pro models. Will be great if cellular connectivity is available on these upcoming models. Reduction in weight will also be good.

 

[nathansz]

Why do people assume that folks who dislike the notch don't know this? Also, the mere fact that the design decision is controversial enough to merit the existence of a workaround (one which typically involves using a third-party app, no less) sort of reinforces my point.

That is an incredibly fallacious argument

Just because you can change somethings apperance does not mean that said appearance is flawed or “controversial”

 

[chetzar]

Personally, I prefer to just have five TB5 ports. TB5 is better than an SD card slot for certain. Not sure that HDMI allows more bandwidth than TB5 but maybe it does? To me one port to rule them all is far more important than ports I literally don’t use.

I have a camera with CF Express, so it requires an adapter not a dongle. All my cables are upgraded on older devices that used standard USB-A. My monitors are Apple. Literally everything is USBC form factor now and has been for years. I cringe when I see a USB-A port on an airplane or in a hotel room. That’s what sticking with the past gets everyone who adopts to tech that’s been out ten years now.

If tandem OLED, zero notch, slim body, and excellent battery life are the result, I will be super happy but need at least three TB5 ports - however the more the merrier!

I'm pro-ports (HDMI, SD Card, and would love a single USBA) not because of speed, but because of practicality. It's a lot less cumbersome/inconvenient to have an HDMI port on my laptop than having to carry a dongle with me. Totally understand TB5 likely has more bandwidth than HDMI 2.1.

Also, what if I need HDMI and other things, but only have 4TB ports? I've now occupied an entire port just for an HDMI adapter. If I need to charge (and there was no magsafe) now I'm down two ports. My work laptop already suffers a similar problem where I have 2TB ports and 2 USBA ports. Anytime I leave my desk I have to ensure I have a USB hub with me for the mouse, headset, Security Key, etc..

🤷‍♀️

 

[ThailandToo]

I'm pro-ports (HDMI, SD Card, and would love a single USBA) not because of speed, but because of practicality. It's a lot less cumbersome/inconvenient to have an HDMI port on my laptop than having to carry a dongle with me. Totally understand TB5 likely has more bandwidth than HDMI 2.1.

Also, what if I need HDMI and other things, but only have 4TB ports? I've now occupied an entire port just for an HDMI adapter. If I need to charge (and there was no magsafe) now I'm down two ports. My work laptop already suffers a similar problem where I have 2TB ports and 2 USBA ports. Anytime I leave my desk I have to ensure I have a USB hub with me for the mouse, headset, Security Key, etc..

🤷‍♀️

There are HDNI to TB5/4 cables. Don’t need a dongle.

 

[rp2011]

Remember how bad the battery life was just ten years ago? It has improved immensely - even switching from Intel made it so much better. I have a Lenovo ThinkPad and while I love typing on it, the battery life is garbage - it may last 3.5 hours! That was the Mac before the M-series SoCs.

Now consider what happens when Apple actually improves the battery tech, you’re right that should enable a thin and light MacBook to stay on all day - at least the same as we have now in the current M4 MacBooks.

Do wish that Apple could use the keyboard of the ThinkPad.

Exactly, battery life has never been better and folks are still whining. Whine that about thinness when battery life is amazing. Even whine about powerful M-series chips lol. Insanity.

Some don't realize that more powerful chips enable technologies not available otherwise, especially on a mobile device. Ai for example. Rendering better graphics. Scientific research.

 

[SlightWince]

Uh oh, I'm always for thinner and lighter, but we've seen this before... looking at you 2016-2020 macbook pros with your crappy keyboards, loss of ports, and heat and performance issues.

Now I realize that version was using crappy 14nm intel processors, but still...

I'm also not crazy about trading the current amazing mini-led displays for OLED. The current mini-led screens are ***** amazing. Plus, I leave my work laptop on at all times and I'm afraid with an OLED no matter how far the tech has come there will be some risk of burn-in.

 

[Realityck]

I don’t know about the praise for Mini LED

I really disliked the screen on the 14 inch M4 MBP I had

No matter what I did on adjustments, it just was never that enjoyable for my eyes to look at

I also did not care for the blooming

Still their cost compared to OLED laptop panels are a prime reason for why Apple went this route with a HDR panel.

Mini LED laptops - the complete list (and best gaming/work options)

In this article, we're discussing the laptops available in stores with mini LED displays.

www.ultrabookreview.com

can be implemented on either matte or glossy displays, unlike OLEDs, which are all glossy

 

[Nozuka]

might switch from the Air to this one for the screen.

but only if it isn't much heavier than my M1 Air.

 

[Realityck]

might switch from the Air to this one for the screen.

but only if it isn't much heavier than my M1 Air.

Weight3.4 pounds (1.55 kg) 14” MBP
Weight2.7 pounds (1.24 kg) 13” MBA
Weight3.3 pounds (1.51 kg) 15” MBA

 

[DeepIn2U]

Personally, I prefer to just have five TB5 ports. TB5 is better than an SD card slot for certain. Not sure that HDMI allows more bandwidth than TB5 but maybe it does? To me one port to rule them all is far more important than ports I literally don’t use.

I have a camera with CF Express, so it requires an adapter not a dongle. All my cables are upgraded on older devices that used standard USB-A. My monitors are Apple. Literally everything is USBC form factor now and has been for years. I cringe when I see a USB-A port on an airplane or in a hotel room. That’s what sticking with the past gets everyone who adopts to tech that’s been out ten years now.

If tandem OLED, zero notch, slim body, and excellent battery life are the result, I will be super happy but need at least three TB5 ports - however the more the merrier!

Traditionally that move has not worked well in Apple's favor.

I'll bet you'd cringe to see an external drive, NAS or Mac with FW400 or FW800 right? VERY few devices used either even though those too were more than 4x faster than USB-A ports.

The same problem with FW400/800 occured with TB1/2/3 ... Apple debut too early too fast and the licensing prohibited the uptake in products especially the 'only for mac' badging which stiffles competition and better products at cheaper pricing.

Its been my experience across 4 financial fortune 500 companies, and 3 fortune 500 mining companies that when Mac users HAD to bring a dongle for their MBP/MBA due to ONLY having TB ports ... they've ALWAYS forgotten them! aka business meetins/trips and presentations.

 

[.wojtek]

Sure, but what I really want is an Air with a ProMotion OLED display, a thin sharp design, and maybe a Thunderbolt port on the right hand side... sounds like Apple is more or less making that, but it's going to cost more than the current Air, so they'll call it a MacBook Pro.

And I'm not saying the Pro has to be "super thin", just that the current one is a bit chunkier than it needs to be. Apple are perfectly capable of making a thinner Pro that still has the same great performance and battery life.

experience shows thatif you make it thin the thermals will suffer even despite arm being more energy efficient and cooler than x64... there are just some things you can't (easily) go around and it's a matter if compromises. And dealing with a device that's heating and is noisy is annoying.

I think, that instead of making MBP less pro Apple should make Air Pro which would have note performance and a couple of additional ports...

Or just make 3 tiers with something new between air and MBP

 

[Reason077]

I think, that instead of making MBP less pro Apple should make Air Pro which would have note performance and a couple of additional ports...

Or just make 3 tiers with something new between air and MBP

Yeah. That's what it sounded like to me when rumours of the new "super-thin MacBook Pro with OLED" began to surface. I suspect it's a new model that sits between the Air and the Pro, similar to the positioning of the new 17 Air for iPhones. Not necessarily that all future MBPs will use that form.

 

[smulji]

just make 3 tiers with something new between air and MBP

Apple could just call it;

1. Macbook Air
2. Macbook
3. Macbook Pro

 

[zedsdead]

I would much prefer a thinner 14” MacBook Pro and no HDMI port (replace it with a thunderbolt 5) but keep the SD card slot. The fact that they didn’t include USB 3 in the newer chunky design means I still need a dongle half the time anyway for when I project, so I’d happily trade the extra more versatile thunderbolt 5 port and a thinner design (provided battery life is the same).

What I want most is Cellular, Face ID, and OLED however. Any modern chipset will be a nice improvement over the M1 Max by the time these come out.

 

[Reason077]

I would much prefer a thinner 14” MacBook Pro and no HDMI port (replace it with a thunderbolt 5) but keep the SD card slot.

Same but I don't need the SD slot either. Or MagSafe charging for that matter. Just give me at least three USB-4 / Thunderbolt 5 ports and I'm happy!

 

[MobiusStrip]

Ugh, back to the lame and destructive "thinness" well. This led to five years of Macs ruined by the shìttiest keyboard ever made.

What I want most is Cellular, Face ID, and OLED however. Any modern chipset will be a nice improvement over the M1 Max by the time these come out.

Cellular? Why would you want to waste space on a cellular radio that can't be updated or necessarily support worldwide frequencies, when you can just tether your computer to your phone? Especially since you'd have set up an extra account or line for your computer (and pay extra).

OLED suffers from burn-in, which is especially a concern on a computer because there are lots of static on-screen elements. We'll see how that plays out.