Why an M5 MacBook Pro launch in March keeps the M6 OLED dream alive this year

Per Mark Gurman in his weekend Power On newsletter, Apple is preparing to launch M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros as early as the week of March 2. For those waiting on the major redesign with OLED displays and touch support, this spec bump revision that we expect first can’t come soon enough.

Does waiting another month for the M5 Pro update to arrive rule out an M6 Pro release in 2026? There’s a good reason to keep the M6 Pro MacBook Pro dream alive this year.

MacBook Pro upgrades can be unpredictable

It hasn’t been long since Apple refreshed its flagship laptop twice in a single calendar year.

• January 17, 2023: Apple unveils the M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pro.
• October 30, 2023: Just nine months later, Apple announces the M3 Pro/Max MacBook Pro.

When flagship MacBook Pro updates can take 12-18 months, two chip upgrades in one year feels impossibly fast. Apple proved that when new technology is ready (in that case, the 3nm manufacturing process), they will ship.

Hopefully we see a repeat of that in 2026.

If the M5 Pro lands in early March 2026, a subsequent update around the end of the year would create a similar gap.

While that is aggressive, the contexts are surprisingly similar. In 2023, the M2 update was a minor spec bump to keep the line moving, while the M3 update was the strategic shift to a new chip architecture.

In 2026, the roles are likely split between reliability and redesign.

The rumored March M5 Pro update will likely be a boring but necessary spec bump. It stabilizes the lineup, gets the M5 chip into the hands of pros who need it now, and clears the deck.

The potential late-2026 M6 Pro overhaul is the main event. Rumors of OLED panels, a thinner design, and long overdue touchscreen support amount to a much more significant change.

Price of admission

There is another reason Apple might launch these two machines in the same year.

The M6 Pro redesign could reasonably come with a more premium price tag due to the more capable components and new design. We could see a scenario where the M5 Pro MacBook Pro stays in the lineup, while the M6 Pro debuts as a new, ultra-premium tier.

This would allow Apple to capture the holiday market with a flashy new design without burning customers who bought the M5 Pro in March or significantly raising for price for an M Pro MacBook Pro.

Either way, the plain M5 MacBook Pro is a fine product, not one to avoid like the plain M2 MacBook Pro from years ago.

As long as the M5 Pro MacBook Pro doesn’t slip back to, say, June, we can keep hope alive for the much more exciting M6 Pro and all its rumored changes.