The MacBook Pro has long been one of the best laptops money can buy, but that hasn’t stopped the tech world from salivating over rumours of an upcoming touchscreen OLED Apple MacBook Ultra.
Based on leaks and rumours courtesy of reports from the likes of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Omdia, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and a growing number of supply-chain news, here’s everything we know about the Apple MacBook Ultra so far.
Oh, and a quick disclaimer: all the images in this feature are of the current MacBook Pro, given that the MacBook Ultra doesn’t technically officially exist yet…
MacBook Ultra: price and release date
Everyone agrees the MacBook Ultra is coming. But when? Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple’s redesigned premium MacBook is now more likely to launch in early 2027 than late 2026, partly due to wider memory supply constraints affecting the industry.
Not everybody agrees, though. Research firm Omdia has previously suggested that Apple’s OLED MacBook project could arrive much sooner, but Gurman’s timeline is currently the most widely cited prediction.
As for pricing, nobody credible has put a figure on it yet. If Apple does introduce the Ultra branding, though, it seems highly unlikely that it would replace the MacBook Pro at existing prices. Instead, we’d expect it to sit above today’s 14in and 16in MacBook Pro models as Apple’s most expensive and capable laptop – with a pretty premium to boot.
MacBook Ultra design and build
According to current rumours, the MacBook Ultra will receive Apple’s first major premium laptop redesign since 2021.
The headline change is expected to be a thinner chassis. Reports suggest that Apple’s move to OLED display technology will allow the company to reduce the overall thickness of the case, while potentially freeing up internal space for other upgrades.
Exactly how dramatic the redesign will be remains unclear, but there is currently no indication that Apple plans to repeat some of its more controversial past decisions. None of the reports so far suggest the removal of ports such as HDMI, MagSafe, or the SD card slot. Phew.
Another intriguing rumour also points to a Dynamic Island-style cutout replacing the current MacBook notch. According to reports, Apple could move to a hole-punch camera design and use the surrounding space for notifications, alerts, Siri interactions, and background tasks, similar to how Dynamic Island works on the iPhone.
MacBook Ultra screen
Elsewhere, the MacBook Ultra’s display could end up being the biggest upgrade of all, and is sure to grab most headlines – virtually every source agrees that Apple’s next-generation premium MacBook will be the company’s first laptop to use OLED tech.
Current MacBook Pro models rely on Mini-LED displays, which already offer excellent picture quality. OLED should push things even further, delivering deeper blacks, stronger contrast, richer colours, while potentially improving power efficiency in the process.
Other reports also suggest that Apple will use a hybrid OLED architecture combining tandem OLED layers with oxide TFT technology. While that sounds highly technical, the goal is simple – better image quality without sacrificing brightness, longevity, or battery life.
Recent reports also suggest that Samsung Display has achieved strong production yields on panels reportedly linked to Apple’s first OLED MacBook models, suggesting that things are moving towards mass production.
OLED is just one piece of the puzzle though. The other, is touchscreen support.
Surprised? We don’t blame you. Apple has spent years arguing that touchscreens don’t belong on laptops, after all, and yet reports from both supply-chain sources and established analysts increasingly suggest that the company is preparing to reverse course. Most recently, leaker Instant Digital claimed that touchscreen support is “100 per cent confirmed”.
That claim should be treated with caution, of course, but it joins a growing list of reports pointing in the same direction – macOS 27 Golden Gate also introduced several features that suggest that Apple is preparing macOS for touch input. New additions include direct touch interaction through Sidecar and iPhone-style pull-to-refresh gestures in apps such as Safari and Mail.
MacBook Ultra performance and battery life
Performance upgrades are perhaps the easiest part to predict. The redesigned MacBook Ultra is widely expected to feature Apple’s upcoming M6 Pro and M6 Max processors.
According to current reports, these chips could be manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 2nm process, replacing the 3nm technology used by current M5-series chips. The move should deliver improvements to both performance and power efficiency.
Exactly how large those gains will be remains unknown, but Apple is the king of squeezing out as much efficiency out of its hardware and software pairings as possible, so we expect to see some impressive figures come launch day.
Battery life is harder to predict – no credible leaks have provided runtime estimates yet, but OLED displays generally consume less power than equivalent LCD-based technologies in many scenarios. Combined with the efficiency improvements expected from the M6 family (and given that the current MacBook Pro models already comfortably last through a working day), battery endurance is unlikely to be a weakness.
Lastly, according to reports, Apple has at least explored bringing 5G connectivity to future Mac models using its own modem technology. If that debuts here, the MacBook Ultra could connect directly to mobile networks without relying on tethering or public Wi-Fi.
Apple MacBook Ultra: what we’d like to see
Honestly, if everything above proves to be true, I think most people will be more than happy. I certainly would be.
Naturally, I’d love to see a price tag that doesn’t make my bank account uninstall itself, but given the crazy AI-fuelled hardware prices affecting the entire industry at the moment – and the fact that the rumoured Ultra-branded folding iPhone will likely be the most expensive iPhone yet – I expect to see a similar record-breaking price tag for the MacBook Ultra.
And as long as Apple doesn’t take any step backwards like removing more ports for the sake of minimalism, I think the MacBook Ultra will land with plenty of well-deserved hype.Stay tuned for our future full review, to see if it’s deserved.
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