16 years later, a touchscreen Mac
It comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, uses a tandem OLED panel and brings the iPhone’s Dynamic Island to the Mac.
The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, unveiled at the company’s “Pro and tell” event on October 28, is the first MacBook you can tap, swipe and pinch directly on the screen. Apple has finally put a touchscreen on a Mac.
In the US, the 14-inch model with M5 Pro costs $2,899, while the 16-inch starts at $3,399. Opting for the M5 Max takes those prices to $4,499 and $4,799. Pre-orders opened across 30 countries on October 28, and US deliveries begin November 6, three days ahead of India. The 14-inch model starts at 1.38kg, around 230g less than before, while the 16-inch drops roughly 320g to about 1.8kg. Slimmer bezels stretch the screens to 14.2 and 16.3 inches. Flip the lid and there’s a familiar touch: the illuminated Apple logo returns to the MacBook Pro for the first time since Apple dropped it in 2016.
“PROLED XDR is the world’s best laptop display,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s chief hardware officer. The touch sensor here is built into the display panel rather than layered on top, which Apple says reduces latency. Colour support now includes Adobe RGB alongside P3, useful for photographers and designers who send work to print. There are also reference modes for film, photography, print and medical imaging. You can scroll, pinch to zoom, double-tap a window to fill the screen or flick it into a tiled spot. A redesigned hinge keeps the lid steady when you tap. The Dynamic Island sits at the top of the display and houses Spotlight, Live Activities and Siri AI. Much like on the iPhone, it lets you control music, pick up a call or accept an AirDrop with a tap. OLED’s thinner display stack has let Apple trim weight.