M6 OLED MacBook Pro redesign in 2026 to entice upgraders holding onto older Macs
Apple may be releasing an M5 MacBook Pro by spring 2026, but the M6 models due in late 2026 or early 2027 will be built to spur upgrades.
Apple's upcoming MacBook updates could be enough to drive upgrades
For companies that rely on upgrade cycles for revenue, there can sometimes be such a thing as too good a product. It's not an unfamiliar situation for Apple, considering its iPad lineup has always seen a long consumer upgrade cycle.
But that hasn't always been the case for the Mac. According to Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter from Bloomberg, Apple will need to focus on other aspects beyond performance upgrades to entice its expanding customer base to bother upgrading.
He argues that the M-series processor is just too good and customers just don't bother with upgrading regularly due to the longevity of the chipset. In the Intel days, users would upgrade frequently, sometimes even every generation.
Today, the M1 processor is still powerful enough for such a large segment of the user base that even as the M5 is on the horizon, there's basically no reason to upgrade for some. So, a flashy redesign with several significant spec changes is expected.
The idea of a fully redesigned MacBook Pro has been floated around since late 2024, and rumors of an OLED model in 2026 have been going on since at least 2023. The product will be arriving around the MacBook Pro's 20th anniversary, so Apple could take the opportunity to introduce several upgrades at once.
The MacBook Pro upgrade cycle
The transition to Apple Silicon introduced new size classes and a refreshed design for the MacBook Pro that has stuck in the five years since. M1 was a refreshing change from the slog of nearly useless upgrades offered by Intel in the previous decade.
M2, M3, and M4 were more or less basic spec bumps. Sure, the initial M-series redesign was enticing and a return to form for the MacBook Pro, but not much has changed externally since.
Apple's M-series processors don't need to be upgraded in the usual two to three-year span previous products have seen, so the M6 MacBook Pro could have a full redesign. The case could get thinner, OLED would take over from mini-LED, and M6 could also be a significant leap in processing.
There's also the chance Apple could finally offer cellular modems in MacBooks thanks to advancements in its C-series chipsets.
However, AppleInsider policy on upgrade advice hasn't changed. If you need a new computer today, don't wait for what might come in the future -- get what you need now with as much RAM as you can afford and more than the base storage.
The M5 MacBook Pro could launch in the fall of 2025, but recent reports have pushed that back to early 2026. Apple isn't afraid to short-cycle its MacBook line, so a fall 2026 early 2027 launch of the M6 MacBook Pro is still possible.
Rumor Score: Likely
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
2012, 2016. - Both intels
2021 M1.
All are perfectly functional. The 2012 had a battery replacement at one point and a screen replacement which Apple paid for.
The battery on the M1 is still going strong even though I use it all the time. Still at 93% max capacity. It is truly amazing.
Whilst it would be neat to get a new MBP, how can I justify that when this beauty is still kicking ass. I may not upgrade until Apple no longer support it with their latest OS.
It basically is a bit of anecdata that the mass market usage of web browsing, office automation, education, and web workers is basically met with M1 machines, with 16 GB of RAM. I feel no desire to upgrade to speed up any of my Python scripting stuff. Though I would not say no to an M4 or M5 model. Taking my script run time down by half, basically 2 minutes to 1 minute, would be great as I do it over and over again.
One thing letting PCs last longer is that 16 GB has basically been enough for the past decade. There really hasn't been anything that has driven the need for more memory. The ad loads on web sites, which have driven RAM needs for a long time, seem to have plateaued. Well, at least until LLM agents become part of the downloaded ad or website load.
Thinking about what would be tempting:
1. Folding OLED to increase display size. You can never have enough display size. There have been some laptop models that have the display hinge on the long side, and when unfolded, you have a tall display, like a portrait 16:18 aspect ratio. I think that is the wrong direction. I'd like to have the display fold on the short sides. So two hinges, unfolding on both sides, with an aspect ratio of 30:10, would be interesting!
2. Mechanical style keyboard. The low profile mechanical keyboards would be doable today without sacrificing the thickness of device. The penalty might be 2 or 3 mm from today. For a workstation laptop or a higher end laptop, something on other 18 to 20 mm is ok, especially if it means better keyboard or better displays. A full sized, full travel mechanical keyboard? Would have to be 25+ mm thick, and you'd likely have to sacrifice performance, and it wouldn't have workstation performance, more like M or M Pro, but it would make for an interesting device.
3. Hand and eye tracking a la Vision Pro. Another form of input is always interesting.
4. Just had 3 items that would increase weight, but having a lower weight MBP would be great too!
There was a time when the constant bloatification of mainstream apps pushed the capabilities of 3+ year old machines to their limits. Those days are over, at least for me and obviously some other folks. I'm happy, but I can see where stock market investors, the "What have you done for me lately?" crowd view the less frequent upgrades as a form of investment cancer. Their hope now is for a golden goose in the form of Apple Intelligence to put more stress on existing platforms, even the earlier M-series chips, to fuel upgrades sooner rather than later. Unfortunately for them, Apple Intelligence is not yet to the point where it is driving upgrades, at least for me.
Other upgrades, like OLED screens and in some case performance bumps, are based on tapping into user's desires or wants rather than actual needs. I don't need a folding phone. I can still be productive on my BootCamp'd 2013 MacBook Pro - if I'm willing to accept the risks associated with Apple's (and Microsoft's) decision to stop providing security updates for their respective older operating systems, which is a case of them "compelling" me to upgrade while not explicitly "forcing" me to upgrade.
The other golden goose hope is that Apple will come up with redesigns and enhancements that compel us to upgrade sooner rather than later. That will be a nontrivial task because product lines like the iPhones and MacBooks have reached a level of refinement that makes most everything they can do in terms of upgrades more incremental and narrowly focused than they've ever been. Increasing market share for the Mac has proven very difficult and now agencies like the EU regulators are doing everything they can to erode Apple's ability to differentiate themselves from the competition or sustain exclusivity.
Yes, Apple may be the victim of its own success for investors, but for long term product ownership and lower TCO for buyers, they have been doing a very good job, which I truly appreciate.
a cellular modem would be welcomed. And perhaps, possibly, an SOC even more powerful than the traditional max series.
What is it that you want to do that needs a “real video card”?