New Apple MacBook Pro (Image: APPLE)
Just as expected, Apple has unveiled a new MacBook Pro range that offers some of the biggest changes in years. Perhaps the most eye-catching upgrade is the screen, which, for the first time on a Mac, gets touchscreen technology. This will allow owners to tap, swipe and scroll just like they would on an iPhone or iPad. And that’s not all; the new models also get Apple’s very latest PROLED XDR display, which the company claims is the “world’s best” screen in a professional laptop.
New Apple MacBook Pro (Image: APPLE)
To help make this panel more useful, Apple says its own apps have been optimised for touch, while many existing applications will work straight away thanks to macOS automatically translating touches into clicks. Of course, most Windows PCs have had this update for a while, but the screen goes far beyond simply adding touch controls. The new MacBook Pro uses Tandem OLED technology to deliver more consistent brightness and greyscale across the display, while reducing the internal reflections often associated with traditional OLED screens.
Apple promises peak HDR and SDR brightness of up to 2,000 nits, alongside more accurate colours and deeper blacks. The combination of more punchy visuals and reduced reflections should also make the laptops easier to use outdoors.
In addition to touch technology, there’s another familiar feature making its way from the iPhone to the MacBook Pro. Apple’s Dynamic Island is coming to the laptop, providing a compact interactive display for real-time updates and important information. Users will be able to ask questions, answer phone calls and control their music without having to navigate away from what they’re doing.
The MacBook Pro gets a touchscreen (Image: APPLE)
So that’s the new display but the changes don’t end there. When it comes to design, Apple has also managed to make its next-generation MacBook Pro machines lighter. The 14-inch model now weighs just three pounds, half a pound less than before, while the 16-inch version tips the scales at four pounds — a reduction of 0.7 pounds.
Both laptops benefit from slimmer designs made possible by OLED’s more efficient display construction. The 16-inch model is almost a millimetre thinner, while the 14-inch version sheds half a millimetre.
Thinner display borders also help maximise screen space, with the larger model offering a 16.3-inch display and the smaller version retaining a more portable 14.2-inch screen. One final thing users will notice is that the glowing Apple logo, which many have been missing since it was scrapped in 2016, is back and even changes brightness to match the screen.
Of course, Apple hasn’t stopped there. The new MacBook Pro range is powered by its next-generation M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, promising faster performance and smoother workflows for demanding professional tasks.
Other improvements include upgraded speakers delivering 50 per cent deeper bass, alongside Wi-Fi 7 and a range of professional connectivity options.
There is, however, one catch: the latest technology comes at a premium.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR and an M5 Pro chip starts at £2,899, while the 16-inch version starts at £3,399.
Johny Srouji, Apple’s chief hardware officer, said: “The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is a monumental step forward for the Mac.”
He added that the new display combines Tandem OLED technology with advanced processing to deliver improved visual quality, while touchscreen controls and the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips give professionals new ways to interact with their content.
According to Srouji, the latest MacBook Pro is the result of Apple’s close integration of its silicon, hardware and software — creating a laptop experience the company says is unlike anything else on the market.
