Apple launched the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max just this week. But rumors indicate an M6 MacBook Pro is coming this year too, with several innovations that are new to the Mac.
#1: Touch support
After years of explaining why touchscreens on laptops aren’t great, Apple reportedly plans to put a touchscreen in its new MacBook Pro.
The M6 MacBook Pro will be the first Mac to support touch input. It will be added as a secondary input method, with keyboard and trackpad/mouse remaining primary.
macOS 27 will be optimized for the change in several ways. Mark Gurman writes:
For instance, if users touch a button or control, the interface will bring up a new type of menu surrounding their finger that provides more relevant options for touch commands. The goal is to give users the controls that make the most sense based on whether they’re touching or clicking.
The software will also display the most appropriate set of controls based on users’ prior interaction. And if a person taps an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the set of controls will enlarge to be more easily selectable with a finger.
Other optimizations will be familiar to iPhone and iPad users, such as “fast scrolling and the ability to zoom in and out of images and PDFs.”
#2: OLED display
Besides offering touch support, the new MacBook Pro’s display is getting another big upgrade.
The M6 MacBook Pro will be the first Mac to offer an OLED display.
We’re still expecting the same 14-inch and 16-inch size options, but in OLED.
If Apple’s iPad Pro tandem OLED display is anything like what’s going in the MacBook Pro, it should prove a fantastic upgrade.
#3: Dynamic Island
One of my favorite iPhone features of the last few years, the Dynamic Island, is reportedly coming to the Mac.
The M6 MacBook Pro won’t have the standard notch that current models have. Instead, there will be a smaller camera cutout that is used for a Dynamic Island.
The Dynamic Island will be centered at the top of the display, where the notch is now.
System apps will no doubt offer similar Dynamic Island features to what’s available on iPhone, and Apple will hopefully make it easy for third-party developers to add support too.
Wildcard: Cellular with C2 modem
This is the biggest wildcard on the list. All of the three innovations above have been prominently rumored, but the Mac getting cellular support is less certain.
In late 2024, Mark Gurman reported at Bloomberg:
With its own modem in the pipeline, Apple is investigating the idea of bringing cellular connectivity to the Mac for the first time. That means users wouldn’t need Wi-Fi to get online. To date, that capability has been reserved for the iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad. But cellular connections are unlikely to come to the Mac before 2026, when Apple is planning a second-generation modem that includes support for faster speeds.
Rumors indicate Apple has a C2 modem launching this fall in the iPhone 18 Pro, and it sounds like that same modem is a possibility for the M6 MacBook Pro.
With a hardware redesign also coming, the new MacBook Pro could be a great model to debut cellular support. But so far, Apple’s plans remain uncertain.
What new features in the M6 MacBook Pro are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments.
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