M5 MacBook Pro now expected in the first half of 2026

AppleInsider · July 10, 2025 7:49PM

Apple's next update to the MacBook Pro won't be in 2025 with a refresh for the notebook now rumored to hit in early 2026.

Open laptop displaying colorful abstract wallpaper, with application icons on the bottom dock. A small potted plant is beside it, and a blurred brick wall is in the background.

MacBook Pro

Apple's current M4 MacBook Pro lineup has been around since October 2024. However, anyone expecting an update in the fall have to wait a bit more, with the next models arriving a few months later.

In a Thursday report, Bloomberg claims that the next update to the MacBook Pro will be arriving in the first half of 2026. Apple had initially expected to release an M5 update later in 2025, but it then shifted the schedule to be a later releasse.

Last before an overhaul

The update is anticipated to be a spec-bump upgrade, in that it will be mostly an internal component change instead of adding new features. However, the next model after that could be more important.

The next one along, most likely the M6 MacBook Pro, will have a new case and make the long-awaited switch over to an OLED display.

Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg, is a very prolific leaker of Apple products and updates. He has a fairly good record when it comes to Apple releases and schedules.

Gurman's claim does go against other forecasts and reports regarding an OLED display, if Apple sticks to its existing display technology for the next refresh.

In December 2024, a leaked display roadmap from analysts at Omdia anticipated a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2026 with a "hybrid OLED" screen.

Omdia then said in July 2025 that an OLED update for the MacBook Pro was still expected for 2026. The move may even bring Samsung Display to the MacBook supply chain, providing the OLED panels to Apple.

Gurman's claim also goes against the findings ofAppleInsider, with product identifiers indicating to us that the M5 MacBook Pro was on the way in 2025. However, the M6 model would arrive in late 2026.

The M6 MacBook Pro may be more of an upgrade than normal. It is believed that Apple's M6 chip could be the first with a built-in cellular modem.

The change could allow MacBook Pro users to connect to the Internet over a mobile phone network directly, without needing to tether to an iPhone beforehand.

Rumor Score: Possible

Read on AppleInsider

9secondkox2 · July 10, 2025 8:13PM

Bummer. Was hoping to get the m6 max or ultra MBP in 2nd half of 2026.

saarek · July 10, 2025 9:24PM

I guess my trust M1 Pro gets to stick around until 2027 then.

fred257 · July 10, 2025 9:32PM

I will stick with my m1 air until 2027 then. To bad for 🍏

d_2 · July 10, 2025 9:43PM

Having a new generation processor update every 12 months for Macs was a stupid guess… Apple could move the processors down a notch as an easy refresh in-between

danox · July 10, 2025 10:20PM

Back to school and Christmas 2025 missed oh well….

xed · July 11, 2025 2:29AM

I can't say that my M1 Max is slow but I would like to upgrade again — it's atypical for me to go this long between upgrades — but I'm waiting for other tech to come out, like a much improved display.

nubus · July 11, 2025 5:48AM

danox said:

Back to school and Christmas 2025 missed oh well….

More of Christmas + end-of-year - but agree. There is no reason for the 3rd iteration of 3nm to slip.

Let us rethink the next MBP.

TSMC is on schedule to deliver 2nm volume production in 2nd half of 2025. Production started in 2024.
Apple can't really use those chips for the duration of a year unless they go to iPad Pro, Mac Studio + Pro, and MBP.
Tandem OLED is ready and the macOS 26 menu is designed for it.

If the next MBP combines 2nm with OLED it wouldn't be late - it would be 10 months early.

edited July 11

michelb76 · July 11, 2025 6:00AM

9secondkox2 said:

Bummer. Was hoping to get the m6 max or ultra MBP in 2nd half of 2026.

How? They have to smear out the chip updates to make the most of them. Can't speed up releases, it would cannibalise their sales.

red oak · July 11, 2025 7:18AM

saarek said:

I guess my trust M1 Pro gets to stick around until 2027 then.

What is amazing is that M1 products will still be good performers in 2027. The M1 was really ground-breaking

discountopinion · July 11, 2025 8:19AM

Silly question - is the current update cadence for MacBooks well mapped to peoples buying patterns? I have a MacBook Pro M1Max and I am still super delighted with it. The M5 keeps catcalling me so I figure I will have to upgrade but I really do not see the need.

Personally I feel if/when Apple really gets their AI game on for on device models that are super powerful then upgrading will be a no brainer.. otherwise this may be yet another 10 year relationship with a Mac. I upgrade my iPhone yearly due to the continuous camera upgrades.

quakerotis · July 11, 2025 1:09PM

I went from M1 to M4.

Only difference is the I/O options.

Speed gain is minimal.

Buy a machine when you need it.

dutchlord · July 11, 2025 1:24PM

The Huawai Matebook Fold Ultra is real innovation. This is more of the same.

rogue01 · July 11, 2025 3:09PM

Reading the comments is always amusing. When Apple switched to their own processor, people loved to complain about delays caused by Intel. Yet Apple updated their products more consistently with Intel than they have done with their own chips. The iMac had an M1 for over two years before finally getting an upgrade. The Mac mini had the M1 for over two years before getting an upgrade, and the mini was the first model switched to Apple Silicon, then Apple ignored it for another two years before updating it again. Apple claimed a MacBook Air with a 15" display was 'new', yet they shipped it with a year and a half old M2 chip. The Mac Studio had the M2 for almost two years before getting an upgrade, and the Mac Pro is just an embarrassment still using an M2 Ultra. M3 Ultra came out 4 months ago, still nothing with the Mac Pro, yet Apple still charges a ridiculous $7,000 for outdated hardware.

"Apple had initially expected to release an M5 update later in 2025, but it then shifted the schedule to be a later release."

So now this. Delays again with Apple using their own chips, but now people seem to be okay with it...because they can't blame anyone else except for Apple. Yet Apple claimed they would have 'better control' of their products making their own chips, but apparently they don't because they keep delaying their own product releases or flat out ignoring other models. And rumors floating around about a MacBook using an A18 processor? Apple will claim it is new, but it is using an iPhone SOC instead of something newer. Just like Apple using left over iPhone 11 SOC and camera parts for the Apple Studio Display. That is the reality of it.

Not to mention Apple charging an arm and a leg for memory and SSD upgrades. You are far better off buying a used Mac because it won't carry over the highly inflated Apple 'Tax' for those upgrades.

appleish · July 11, 2025 3:15PM

My 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 Max (maxed out except for a 4TB drive, instead of an 8TB drive) feels as fast and perfect as it did on day one. I am perfectly happy to wait for a major physical design change. Will a "new case" and an OLED screen M6 make me buy a new one? Dunno. Have you seen my Liquid Retina XDR display? It's pretty sweet. I used to get a new MBP every three-ish years. This fall starts the fifth year. Apple Silicon is one of the best Apple innovations since the Mac itself.

edited July 11

xed · July 11, 2025 5:05PM

Rogue01 said:

Reading the comments is always amusing. When Apple switched to their own processor, people loved to complain about delays caused by Intel. Yet Apple updated their products more consistently with Intel than they have done with their own chips. The iMac had an M1 for over two years before finally getting an upgrade. The Mac mini had the M1 for over two years before getting an upgrade, and the mini was the first model switched to Apple Silicon, then Apple ignored it for another two years before updating it again. Apple claimed a MacBook Air with a 15" display was 'new', yet they shipped it with a year and a half old M2 chip. The Mac Studio had the M2 for almost two years before getting an upgrade, and the Mac Pro is just an embarrassment still using an M2 Ultra. M3 Ultra came out 4 months ago, still nothing with the Mac Pro, yet Apple still charges a ridiculous $7,000 for outdated hardware.

"Apple had initially expected to release an M5 update later in 2025, but it then shifted the schedule to be a later release."

So now this. Delays again with Apple using their own chips, but now people seem to be okay with it...because they can't blame anyone else except for Apple. Yet Apple claimed they would have 'better control' of their products making their own chips, but apparently they don't because they keep delaying their own product releases or flat out ignoring other models. And rumors floating around about a MacBook using an A18 processor? Apple will claim it is new, but it is using an iPhone SOC instead of something newer. Just like Apple using left over iPhone 11 SOC and camera parts for the Apple Studio Display. That is the reality of it.

Not to mention Apple charging an arm and a leg for memory and SSD upgrades. You are far better off buying a used Mac because it won't carry over the highly inflated Apple 'Tax' for those upgrades.

I recall that the general sentiment being thankful that Apple dropped the IBM for Intel. The updates were more frequent and with higher gains over PowerPC. Despite Intel being better than PowerPC chips, the move to Apple Silicon has been great to both getting me more performance with less power, and by reducing my TCO since I don't have to update as frequently. If anything, I'd argue that Apple didn't switch to their own silicon soon enough since the M1 out of the gate was already excellent — it was so good that I haven't had a need to upgrade my MBP based on that metric.

Here's a list of all MBPs notebooks with Apple Silicon. What doesn't look consistent to you? Because they aren't doing a Max and Ultra with every cycle? Because the M-series isn't getting a cardinal upgrade every year in October to follow the same trajectory as the iPhone? I don't look at those product release dates and think Apple isn't doing enough.

Image: https://forums.appleinsider.com/uploads/editor/6c/bjc0tgv6xiam.png

edited July 11

danox · July 11, 2025 7:02PM

nubus said:

danox said:

Back to school and Christmas 2025 missed oh well….

More of Christmas + end-of-year - but agree. There is no reason for the 3rd iteration of 3nm to slip.

Let us rethink the next MBP.

TSMC is on schedule to deliver 2nm volume production in 2nd half of 2025. Production started in 2024.
Apple can't really use those chips for the duration of a year unless they go to iPad Pro, Mac Studio + Pro, and MBP.
Tandem OLED is ready and the macOS 26 menu is designed for it.

If the next MBP combines 2nm with OLED it wouldn't be late - it would be 10 months early.

I was asked by a relative who is ready to buy a Mac PowerBook now and I told them do not buy now. Wait until Apple update’s to an M5 processor, what’s the point of buying an M4 MacBook Pro if the M5 version is right around the corner within the next three-six months?

nubus · July 11, 2025 9:58PM

danox said:

I was asked by a relative who is ready to buy a Mac PowerBook now and I told them do not buy now. Wait until Apple update’s to an M5 processor, what’s the point of buying an M4 MacBook Pro if the M5 version is right around the corner within the next three-six months?

If they don't need a MBP then perhaps go with Air? But the M4 Pro chip is by far better than M3 Pro and those before. Buying it before tariffs is smart. Reasons for buying the next would be OLED and perhaps 2nm, but we all know that the first generation of anything from Apple is priced at 2x premium (M1 wasn't).

My suggestion is to buy that MBP M4 - if it has M4 Pro or better. Otherwise go with MBA M3/M4. The next Mac will always be better.

saarek · July 12, 2025 4:57PM

danox said:

nubus said:

danox said:

Back to school and Christmas 2025 missed oh well….

More of Christmas + end-of-year - but agree. There is no reason for the 3rd iteration of 3nm to slip.

Let us rethink the next MBP.

TSMC is on schedule to deliver 2nm volume production in 2nd half of 2025. Production started in 2024.
Apple can't really use those chips for the duration of a year unless they go to iPad Pro, Mac Studio + Pro, and MBP.
Tandem OLED is ready and the macOS 26 menu is designed for it.

If the next MBP combines 2nm with OLED it wouldn't be late - it would be 10 months early.

I was asked by a relative who is ready to buy a Mac PowerBook now and I told them do not buy now. Wait until Apple update’s to an M5 processor, what’s the point of buying an M4 MacBook Pro if the M5 version is right around the corner within the next three-six months?

I’d strongly recommend against the PowerBook line, at 20 years old they really are only for the enthusiasts.

xed · July 12, 2025 5:04PM

saarek said:

danox said:

nubus said:

danox said:

Back to school and Christmas 2025 missed oh well….

More of Christmas + end-of-year - but agree. There is no reason for the 3rd iteration of 3nm to slip.

Let us rethink the next MBP.

TSMC is on schedule to deliver 2nm volume production in 2nd half of 2025. Production started in 2024.
Apple can't really use those chips for the duration of a year unless they go to iPad Pro, Mac Studio + Pro, and MBP.
Tandem OLED is ready and the macOS 26 menu is designed for it.

If the next MBP combines 2nm with OLED it wouldn't be late - it would be 10 months early.

I was asked by a relative who is ready to buy a Mac PowerBook now and I told them do not buy now. Wait until Apple update’s to an M5 processor, what’s the point of buying an M4 MacBook Pro if the M5 version is right around the corner within the next three-six months?

I’d strongly recommend against the PowerBook line, at 20 years old they really are only for the enthusiasts.

M5 MacBook Pro now expected in the first half of 2026

Last before an overhaul

Comments