The mini-LED MacBook Pro family will complete their five-year anniversary in 2026, but next year will be the first time Apple finally puts this display technology to rest and introduces OLED in its place, starting with the M6 MacBook Pro series. Not only are the new machines expected to ship with a display upgrade, but the Cupertino firm is reported to introduce a swath of changes to its design, not to mention potentially announcing the first 2nm SoC for Macs after the A20 and A20 Pro arrive for the iPhone 18 models. Here is everything you need to know about the revamped models.
Design and display
The switch to OLED isn’t the only change that Apple is bringing to its M6 MacBook Pro lineup, because a design change is also expected to be in the cards. An OLED means that the portable Macs no longer need a mini-LED backlight for illumination, shaving off a few millimeters for Apple to make the chassis thinner. Thanks to the company’s in-house chipsets, cooling will be of little concern, even with the thickness reduction. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the hardware will also drop the notch and offer a touchscreen for users to interact with.
However, even with the Mac’s robust hinges, tapping on the display will introduce some degree of wobble that could get mildly frustrating and taint the user experience, but Apple has an answer for that. Apparently, the technology giant is working on a revamped and reinforced hinge to reduce the ‘push back’ effect when tapping a finger on the display. Of course, it is unsurprising to learn that this move will be expensive, and we have expanded on the estimated pricing of the M6 MacBook Pro below.
Hardware specifications
Apple is expected to retain the 14-inch and 16-inch displays of its upcoming OLED MacBook Pro models, but the display upgrade should allow the company to slim down those bezels further, assuming flexible panels are used. As for the M6, it will likely be Apple’s first SoC for Macs that has been mass produced on TSMC’s 2nm ‘N2’ process, the same used for the A20 and A20 Pro that are being developed for next year’s iPhone 18 family and the iPhone Fold.
The technological advancements that Apple is slated to bring to its A-series of SoCs are expected to arrive to the M6, M6 Pro, and M6 Max, resulting in better efficiency, a new packaging, improved GPU Dynamic Caching, and more.
Price
The OLED upgrade, coupled with the redesign, reinforced hinge, touchscreen, and the 2nm M6, M6 Pro, and M6 Max chipsets, won’t exactly be labeled as ‘affordable,' which is why Apple could force customers to pay more for all of these upgrades. Unfortunately, we don’t have the exact figures at this time, but the company has managed to price its hardware competitively, with the base M5 MacBook Pro starting from $1,599 (currently going for $1,499 on Amazon) and offering 16GB of unified RAM paired with a 512GB SSD.
Of course, it is worth noting that the base 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro will not be treated to an OLED, with Apple forcing customers interested in the M6 Pro and M6 Max versions to fork over the premium. At the time of writing, Apple’s base M4 Pro MacBook Pro is currently listed on the firm’s online store for $1,999, and for this price, you get 24GB of unified RAM and a 512GB SSD (this specific variant is often seen discounted down to $1,749 on Amazon).
With all the aforementioned upgrades added to the new configuration, we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple were to bring that price up to $2,199, making it a $200 bump. Those who think it is a steep ask can always opt for the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models, which will likely be heavily discounted on third-party online retailers.
Launch
Apple typically announces its new Macs in the fourth quarter of every year, with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stating that the announcement is expected to be held in the second half of 2026. Seeing as how the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro was unveiled in October, it is likely that the M6 MacBook Pro will be announced during the same period. While Samsung has been reported to begin mass production of OLED panels in January, a new update states that manufacturing isn’t expected to start until May 2026. Regardless, the M6 MacBook Pro launch has been scheduled for Q4 2026.
Which M6 MacBook Pro models will feature a design change, OLED, and touchscreen upgrade?
Based on evidence spotted in the form of a unique identifier code, we have already mentioned above that the base 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro will not feature an OLED, ‘notchless’ touchscreen, or a revamped design. Prior to Apple officially announcing the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, its unique identifier was leaked to be J704.
As for its immediate successor, the 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro is identified by the designation ‘J804,’ whereas the OLED versions will have an entirely different number, K116. You can check out the released and unreleased MacBook Pro models’ unique identifiers below, and if you have your eyes set on the OLED variants, you’ll have to prepare a larger budget for that purchase.
- J604 - 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro
- J704 - 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro
- J804 - 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro with mini-LED
- J716 - Upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max options
- K116 - M6 MacBook Pro with OLED, touchscreen, and redesign (available in the M6 Pro and M6 Max configurations)
The final quarter of 2026 will definitely be loaded with excitement, but since several months are remaining for the M6 MacBook Pro’s inception, we have to divert our attention to the M5 Pro and M5 Max models, which are slated
