A major revamp to the MacBook Pro lineup should land later this year, featuring an OLED touchscreen display and faster M6 chips. The upcoming model could sit above the current MacBook Pro as an “Ultra” variant, carrying a higher price point.
If accurate, the move would mark a significant change to Apple’s professional laptop lineup in over a decade.
OLED MacBook refresh may sit above existing MacBook Pros
In the last few years, Apple has expanded its market reach by introducing more affordable products. This includes the iPhone 16e and the recently unveiled MacBook Neo. But it also plans to serve its most demanding customers with new Ultra-tier products. And that may come with a higher price tag.
Multiple reports indicate Apple is planning a big M6-powered MacBook Pro design refresh for later this year. As part of the upgrade, the machine will switch to a touchscreen OLED display.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, says this move will come with a price increase. Apple’s own product history reveals this. When the iPhone X debuted with an OLED panel in 2017, its price increased to $899. Similarly, the iPad Pro’s switch to an OLED panel led to it getting 20% more expensive.
An Ultra MacBook with ultra price
Due to this, Gurman believes the upcoming machines may sit above the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models instead of replacing them outright. Apple could keep the traditional MacBook Pro branding and use a new “MacBook Ultra” moniker for the new high-end MacBook.
Moving into a higher price tier would also lift Apple’s average selling price (ASP) and further boost its profit margins. The move will also coincide with the first folding iPhone’s debut, which will also carry a higher price tag.
A higher price tag is a good enough reason not to wait for the M6 MacBook Pro and upgrade to the M5 Pro/Max models instead.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
