Apple MacBook Pro models might adopt "Ultra" styling too – but probably not the touchscreen
Apple could be planning to shake up the MacBook Pro family
Quick Summary
Apple could launch an entry-level MacBook Pro with a new design in early 2027.
The new model is expected to adopt some MacBook Ultra design, but not the OLED touchscreen.
Apple could launch a new entry-level MacBook Pro with a redesign that's related to the rumoured MacBook Pro Ultra. This would likely usher in a new era of design for the MacBook Pro family.
There seems to be a lot happening in the world of MacBook at the moment. Not only have we seen the cheapest member of the family in the MacBook Neo (albeit getting a price bump thanks to component shortages), but we're also looking at a new high-end MacBook Pro, called the MacBook Ultra.
The MacBook Ultra, thought to be launching in Q3 2026, could usher in an OLED display, touchscreen support, a new design, as well as dropping the notch for a Dynamic Island type tool instead.
A report from the often-reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg points to an updated MacBook Pro (codenamed K104) that offers a new design "in line with what Apple is preparing for high-end MacBooks with touch screens".
That suggests that the new entry-level MacBook Pro won't just soldier on with the current design, but will be closer related to the MacBook Ultra. That would see the Ultra launching in late 2026 and the refreshed cheaper models adopting a similar design in early 2027.
What this entry-level, possibly 14-inch MacBook Pro is unlikely to get is touch support, and with OLED being a new addition for Ultra, it's unlikely to get that either.
Instead, it seems that Apple will go all-out on the MacBook Ultra in 2026, loading it with new features through that display and showing off a fancy new design that's slimmer and more compact.
Then it looks like it will follow up some six months later with an updated MacBook Pro, with a slimmer design of its own to keep customers happy. Whether there will be models between the two isn't clear, but it's likely that we'll end up with the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, new MacBook Pro in 2027 and MacBook Ultra in 2026.
It's thought that the MacBook Ultra will run on M5 Pro and M6 Max chips and it's also been suggested that an updated MacBook Pro would appear with M6 in 2026. With the suggestion now that a refreshed MacBook Pro will be launched in 2027 with M7, there's the potential that it's going to get confusing.
This might just mean that there's too much congestion around the MacBook line-up, with disparate chips, so there's every chance that these details may not all be correct.
