Apple may finally fix the worst things about the MacBook Pro

By Fionna Agomuoh Published December 9, 2024

Someone using a MacBook Pro M4. — Chris Hagan / Digital Trends

Future MacBook Pro models may trade in Apple’s now signature notch design for a hole-punch camera motif.

A component road map from research firm Omdia details that Apple has plans to make changes to the display of its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that will be released in 2026.

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MacRumors noted that it is still unknown whether Apple would bring its Dynamic Island feature, which is popular on the iPhone line, to the MacBook Pro series. The feature allows the notification tab to expand and show necessary icons when a user needs them; otherwise, only the camera module is visible. Even without Dynamic Island, the hole-punch design may include some benefits, such as added space for the MacBook Pro menu bar and an uninterrupted aesthetic. The road map also includes the MacBook Air, which will maintain its notch until at least 2028.

Omdia’s road map aligns with prior reports that suggest Apple has plans for a major design overhaul of its MacBook Pro line in 2026, when the brand could introduce an OLED display to its professional laptops. The 2026 major refresh would be the first since 2021, when Apple notably introduced the notch to the MacBook Pro as a housing area for its 1080p webcam. Now, reports indicate the OLED display may support the laptop having a thinner chassis. It is also expected to have a high-performance M6 chip based on the 2nm process.

The current M4 series MacBook Pro features a mini-LED display. Meanwhile, next year’s M5 MacBook Pro is also expected to maintain similar specifications, with slight upgrades that have analysts suggesting consumers wait for Apple’s 2026 laptop model before upgrading.

Many experts are certain that Apple’s OLED MacBook Pro is on the way, but it’s just a matter of timing. OLED displays are known for improved performance, color, and energy efficiency. This display type is also an increasingly popular option across the computing industry. Never one to recklessly follow the crowd, it makes sense that Apple wouldn’t introduce its own OLED display until the component itself was a staple feature in the industry.

Computing Writer

Fionna Agomuoh is a Computing Writer at Digital Trends. She covers a range of topics in the computing space, including…

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iPad is the best secondary screen I’ve used with a MacBook

You can extend your MacBook's screen by using an iPad as a secondary monitor.

I spend an unhealthy amount of time lurking in communities where people share aesthetic desktop setups. One of my friends recently set the group chat on fire with a triple monitor setup that had two vertical screens and an ultrawide curved panel at the center. An impulse swipe later, I achieved a similar makeover for my desk at home.

Here’s the problem, though. My $600 workstation overhaul did bring me visual joy, but not much utility. For reporting assignments, I spend the majority of the year away from home, working from deserted cafes or unnaturally uncomfortable bunk beds. I do miss the convenience of large secondary screens. Interestingly, that yearning is addressed by a rather unconventional device —the humble iPad.

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The long overdue MacBook Pro design refresh might land in 2026

MacBook Pro

Apple likes to stick around with each product design refresh for at least a few generations. Take for example the M4 MacBook Pro, which is still carrying the same design language that was first introduced atop the M1 series models back in 2021.
Things could finally change next year. “In terms of major new Mac designs, I don’t expect the MacBook Pro to get an overhaul until around 2026 — when the M6 model is due to come out,” says a Bloomberg report.
Apple is currently working on refreshed MacBook Air and Pro models with M5-series processors. They might, however, stick with the same aesthetic formula as their respective M4-series counterparts. It’s not bad, but not without its flaws either.

“It’s no joke to lug around. Some will appreciate the extra screen real estate, no doubt, but there’s definitely a trade-off in mobility,” said Digital Trends’ review of the current-gen MacBook Pro.
“The one eyesore in the whole experience to me is still the notch in the display. I find it quite ugly and intrusive, and the way it cuts into the menu bar can be clumsy, especially on the 14-inch model,” the review adds.

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Apple silicon has made the MacBook Pro a consumer favorite

Someone using a MacBook Pro at a desk.

Apple’s computer lineup has greatly benefitted from its update to the M4 chip in 2024. The brand introduced the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac lines in the last year– and research has further indicated that Apple’s decision to shift from Intel processors to proprietary silicon was a solid move. It has made consumers favor Apple laptops more.

According to statistics from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), MacBook form factors, in either MacBook Pro or MacBook Air made up 86% of Apple’s PC market share in 2024. Consumers especially favored the M4 MacBook Pro at a rate of 53%, while 33% of MacBook Air models shipped during the year, and 14% of iMac models. These figures vary only slightly from the year prior; however, CIRP noted that Apple appears to have weathered any fluctuations that may have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.