Apple’s next high-end laptop is expected to bring the most significant external changes to the MacBook Pro line since 2021. No renders, case leaks or dimensions have emerged, but a series of reports have established much of what’s about to change.
BloombergMark Gurman of , said that there was a good chance that the model would represent a “real overhaul” for the laptop, thanks to the combination of an OLED screen and a thinner design, and Apple would apparently be working on the thinnest and lightest products in their categories in the technology industry. The design is also expected to extend beyond this machine, with the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro due in 2027 looking like it.
Every 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro released since 2021 is 0.61 inch (15.5 mm) thick, a figure that has remained unchanged across four chip generations. The next model is expected to be noticeably thinner and lighter, although no credible figures have been reported. Replacing the mini-LED backlight with a hybrid OLED panel removes a physical layer from the lid, so the reduction may be more pronounced in the top half of the machine.
The notch is expected to be replaced by a punch-hole camera, a change first indicated by a roadmap from research firm Omdia and later corroborated by Bloomberg. The cutout would be pill-shaped to accommodate an interactive dynamic island.
The notch has been the most distinctive feature of the MacBook Pro screen since 2021, and removing it would leave the menu bar as a continuous strip interrupted by a small island rather than split in two. Apple appears to be preparing for the software change, as the “Search or Ask” interface built into Spotlight in macOS 27 adopts a dark pill-shaped design suitable for a cutout of this shape.
The bezels surrounding the screen may also shrink. Omdia says Samsung Display will provide 14.3- and 16.3-inch panels, slightly larger than the 14.2- and 16.2-inch screens currently in use, which in a largely unchanged chassis would result in narrower bezels.
Apple also reportedly installed a reinforced hinge so that the screen doesn’t wobble when you press on it. It remains to be seen whether the lid will also tilt further back than the current model, which stops relatively early for structural reasons.
Several elements should persist. Bloomberg reported in February that the machine would look a lot like the current MacBook Pro, specifying that the keyboard and trackpad would be retained and that the device would remain a conventional shell in 14- and 16-inch sizes, rather than a detachable or convertible model. HDMI, MagSafe and the SD card slot were brought back in the 2021 redesign after an unpopular absence, and no reports have suggested they will be removed again.
Gurman expects the laptop to arrive between late 2026 and early 2027, with the latter window now considered more likely due to the global shortage of memory chips.
