MacBook Pro

This rumored MacBook Pro upgrade has me excited, and it has nothing to do with OLED

Michael Burkhardt | May 16 2026 - 7:43 am PT

M5 MacBook Pro outside touching grass - arin

Later this year, Apple is set to debut its first MacBook Pro redesign since 2021. With that redesign, we’re expecting OLED, touch displays, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, a Dynamic Island cutout, and much more.

There’s another big detail about these new MacBook Pro models, and I’m much more excited for that change.

They should be thinner

With the redesigned MacBook Pro, Apple should be making them thinner and lighter. Not by much probably, but hopefully enough to make them ever so slightly more portable.

I’ve never really taken much issue with the thickness and weight of the 14-inch MacBook Pro, but the 16-inch model is quite heavy. While I would appreciate a bigger screen and the thermal headroom of the MacBook Pro, I’ve forever found it hard to justify such a heavy and bulky laptop.

Luckily, with the upcoming redesign, I may not have to worry about that. From Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman:

Though Apple has continued to enhance the product with new chips and other internal improvements, the MacBook Pro probably won’t get another true overhaul until 2026. The company had once hoped to release this new version in 2025 — with a thinner design and a move to crisper OLED screens — but there were delays related to the display technology.

I can’t imagine Apple will make the new laptops so thin that they’re suddenly compromising on thermals. I don’t foresee a repeat of 2016. That said, there is obviously room to improve without going radically thin.

Wrap up

We’re just 4 months away from the release of the redesigned MacBook Pro models, and they’re sounding quite exciting! OLED and the first ever touch screen on a Mac are clearly the most attention grabbing features, but I think there’ll be loads of quality of life improvements worth appreciating.

It is worth noting that the redesign won’t be coming to the base model quite yet, only the higher end trims with M6 Pro and M6 Max. If you would’ve bought a base model 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6, you’ll need to wait a little while, probably 2027 or maybe even 2028, to get a redesigned version.

Are you looking forward to the redesigned MacBook Pros? Which feature excites you most? Sound off in the comments.

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Author

Michael Burkhardt mbrkhrdt

Michael is a 9to5Mac Reporter, leading all of our Apple news coverage on weekends and reviewing the newest Apple products and accessories. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer, and started the weekly Indie App Spotlight series, which has covered hundreds of blooming new apps since it launched. In his free time, he enjoys shooting street photography around New York City on his Sony A7RV.

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