M6 MacBook Pro Rumors: OLED, Touch Screen, and No Notch?
- M5’s fast—sure—but the real fireworks might be next year.
- OLED plus touch on a MacBook Pro? That’s the rumor that keeps getting louder.
- Thinner frame, no notch, sturdier hinge—finally, a fresh feel.
Apple just rolled out a fresh M5 MacBook Pro. It’s faster, it lasts longer, and… that’s kind of the story. For many folks, that’s enough. New chip, same trusted shell, proven keyboard, great screen — zero drama. But if you can hold off, the next wave looks genuinely different. Like “finally, that’s new” different.
Photo via 9to5Mac // A concept rendering of Apple's 2026 MacBook Pro with a new and improved design.
What actually changed with M5
The M5 bump brings better performance and efficiency, sticking to the current design language. No wild new tricks, no layout shake-ups, and that’s deliberate: Apple often uses these mid-cycle updates to keep the line fresh without re-teaching muscle memory. Pricing also stayed steady, which softens the FOMO a bit.
The M6 rumors
Here’s where things get interesting. Multiple solid outlets say the next MacBook Pro M6 revamp is slated to go thinner and lighter, switch to OLED, add touch support, and ditch the notch for a punch-hole camera. The codename pair floating around — K114 (14-inch) and K116 (16-inch) — keeps popping up, alongside talk of reinforced hinges so the screen doesn’t shimmy when you tap it. You know what? That sounds like a Mac that finally acknowledges how we use screens in 2025.
Photo via The Mac Observer // A MacBook Pro with M6 chip graphic.
There’s a catch: timing. Reports point to a redesign window of late 2026 to early 2027 — a slip from earlier hints of late 2025 — largely tied to OLED supply. If you’re thinking “wait, next year or the year after?” you’re not alone; rumor timelines move as suppliers do. The key takeaway is the scope of changes, not the exact shipping month.
Why OLED + touch could change the daily feel
OLED would bring deeper blacks, punchier contrast, and finer control at low brightness — great for video work and night sessions. It’s also a sweet match for touch, which, yes, Apple has avoided on Macs for years. The company appears ready to try it on Pro first, gauging demand before it filters to Air. That staggered approach lines up with past Mac feature rollouts.
“Touch on a Mac?” Honestly, for note-marking in Xcode docs, quick timeline nudges in Final Cut, or scrubbing through Logic, touch is one more input, not a replacement. The rumored sturdier hinge is Apple saying: if we’re doing this, we’re doing it without screen wobble.
About that “no notch” rumor
Multiple reports say the notch goes away, replaced by a small punch-hole camera — iPhone-style, but for the Mac. It’s a tidy way to shrink the intrusion without waiting for fully under-panel cameras to look good. Don’t expect Face ID immediately; that’s still described as “years away.”
Silicon: what M6 on 2-nm could bring
M6 is repeatedly tied to a next-gen process (2-nm) and packaging upgrades. Translate that to plain English: more performance per watt and headroom for on-device AI without fans going ballistic. Exact gains are speculation until Apple shows its charts, but a node shift typically delivers meaningfully better perf-per-watt.
Photo via Medium // Apple M6, M6 Pro, and M6 Max, reportedly coming in 2026.
A cellular Mac? The C2 modem rumor
File this under “plausible, not promised.” Apple has been investigating a second-gen C2 modem for future devices with mmWave. Some reporting suggests iPhone first, with the Mac potentially following. If it lands in a MacBook Pro, tether-free uploads from events and travel would finally be normal on macOS. Still, it’s a maybe, not a lock.
First-gen nerves are fair — and Apple knows it
People will worry about OLED burn-in, eye strain, or touch adding complexity. Add a thinner chassis and the usual questions follow: speakers, battery, thermals. Pricing may tick up by a few hundred dollars on touch/OLED models. That’s why the steady, well-refined M5 design exists in parallel — a safe harbor while the bold one ships.
Ok, so should you buy now or wait?
Here’s the clean cut:
- Buy M5 MacBook Pro now if you need a machine today for work, you prefer a known-good design, or you’re price-sensitive and don’t care about touch/OLED. It’s faster, supported for years, and priced as before.
- Wait for M6 MacBook Pro if you can live with your current Mac through the next cycle and you want a redesign that meaningfully changes how the MacBook Pro feels — OLED, touch, slimmer build, and possibly a different camera layout. Expect a learning curve and likely higher price on those touch/OLED configs.
Bottom line
The M5 MacBook Pro is the sensible update. M6, if the reporting holds, is the exciting one — the kind that shifts habits, not just benchmarks. If your timeline’s flexible, waiting makes sense. If work can’t wait, the current MacBook Pro remains a beast, just without the flashy new toys.
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Published to Apple Scoop on 18th October, 2025.
