Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro, set to enter mass production next year, will feature a touch screen display, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In his latest post on X (Twitter), Kuo writes that Apple's much-rumored OLED MacBook Pro will incorporate a touch panel using on-cell touch technology. On-cell touch technology integrates the touch sensors directly into the display panel's top layer (the "cell") rather than requiring a separate, dedicated touch layer.
Kuo says that the shift "appears to reflect Apple's long-term observation of iPad user behavior, indicating that in certain scenarios, touch controls can enhance both productivity and the overall user experience."
Unsurprisingly, the analyst believes that the recently rumored low-cost MacBook, slated for mass production in the fourth quarter of this year, will not feature a touch panel, though specifications for a second-generation model could include touch support. Kuo anticipates the second-gen affordable MacBook model to arrive in 2027.
According to a recent report by Korea's The Elec, Samsung will supply the displays for Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro. What's less certain right now is the chip architecture that Apple will adopt for its OLED models.
It was previously rumored that MacBook Pro models with M5 chips would launch in late 2025. In July, however, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was "considering" pushing back the release of the next MacBook Pro models with the M5 series of chips until early 2026.
Gurman has since said he expects the MacBook Pro to gain an OLED display "between the end of 2026 and early 2027."
That would mean Apple updating the MacBook Pro line twice in the same year. However, there is precedent for such a scenario. Apple released models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in January 2023, followed by models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips in October 2023. So we could get the M5 generation in January 2026, followed by the OLED panel-equipped M6 generation in October 2026.
Either way, the OLED MacBook Pro models are expected to feature more significant changes, including a thinner design and a smaller notch. Apparently we can now add touch screen support to that list, too.
