Quick Summary
Apple's newly updated MacBook Pros don't look very different, and neither will the M5 models next year.
However, a redesign is coming for the M6 including OLED displays, according to an industry expert.
The new MacBook Pro M4 has only just launched, but Apple's already thinking about the next generations of its best laptop.
And, while the design of the Pro hasn't really changed much in recent years, a significant redesign is said to be coming. You probably won't see it next year with the M5 models, but the M6 MacBook Pro due in 2026 will reportedly be very different to the M4 and its successor.
That's according to Bloomberg's well-connected Mark Gurman, who says that the MacBook Pro is scheduled for a "true overhaul" in 2026. That means an even thinner design and the long-rumoured OLED display, which ties in with previous reports of a 2026 display upgrade.
What to expect from the M5 MacBook Pro and the M6 MacBook Pro
We know that Apple's OLED plans are big – display analyst Omdia says that the panels for its laptops will create "a significant surge in OLED demand".
We've already seen OLEDs in the iPad Pros, so we know what to expect – better contrast, better efficiency, smoother responses and wider viewing angles. OLED panels are thinner too, which means Apple will be able to shave even more millimetres off the MacBook's body.
What does that mean for the 2025 MacBook Pros? You can expect another performance bump with the arrival of the M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips now that Apple's on an annual upgrade cycle, but the design and key features are likely to remain much the same as the new M4.
And that's no bad thing: the current MacBook Pros are spectacular machines with stellar performance and very long battery life; they may not have OLED panels but their displays are very bright – up to 1600 nits of peak and 1000 nits of standard dynamic range – and very crisp.
As much as Apple seems obsessed with ever-thinner devices, for most of us what really matters is the power – and the MacBook Pros have that with plenty to spare.
