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Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pro arrives with an OLED panel and a $400 premium
Apple has put a touchscreen on a MacBook Pro for the first time, and the details cover weight, price, gestures and one stutter.
What Apple announced
The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display costs $400 more than the non-OLED versions, and it is the first MacBook Pro Apple has made with a touchscreen [1]. Apple announced it at a 'Pro and Tell' event in Los Angeles [1].
The cost is higher than usual because of an ongoing storage and RAM crisis [1]. If you shop for a MacBook Pro, the premium over the non-OLED versions is the first number to check [1].
Hardware: same sizes, same ports
Apple kept the standard 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes for the redesigned MacBook Pro [1]. The 14-inch model weighs three pounds and the 16-inch weighs four pounds [1]. Bloomberg reported that Apple redesigned the laptops' internal components to substantially reduce their weight [2].
The new models keep the same set of ports as before [1]. The keyboard and trackpad appear to be the same as those on the MacBook Pro since its 2021 redesign [1]. The glowing logo on the lid has returned [1].
The OLED technology in the new MacBook Pro produces very deep blacks [1]. A report says it offers deeper blacks, improved contrast and more vibrant colors than the mini-LED displays on current premium laptops [2]. Apple released the iPad Pro with a 'tandem OLED' screen in 2024 [1].
How touch works in macOS
Touch input works as expected for swiping through images, two-finger multi-touch gestures such as panning and zooming, drawing in apps, and adjusting editing sliders [1]. The macOS user interface has not significantly changed to accommodate touch [1].
Existing trackpad gestures also work on the touchscreen, such as a three-finger swipe to move between full-screen apps [1]. Users can flick apps to different sides of the screen to set up window layouts, which is also possible on the iPad [1].
The reviewer noticed occasional stutters while switching between Spaces or full-screen apps [1].
How we got here
For years Apple maintained that touchscreens were better suited to tablets than to personal computers [2]. Steve Jobs famously opposed touchscreen laptops, arguing that reaching toward a vertical display was uncomfortable during prolonged use [2].
Before the launch, Apple was reported to be preparing to introduce its first touchscreen MacBook Pro alongside a redesigned iPad mini later in October [2]. Apple has reportedly developed reinforced hinges to keep the screen from moving excessively when touched [2].
Reports before the launch also described other expected changes. The laptops were expected to replace the camera notch with a smaller cutout resembling the Dynamic Island [2]. They were expected to use Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max processors [2]. The next-generation iPad mini was expected to replace its LCD panel with an OLED screen [2].
A comparison with the 2016 Touch Bar models
The 2016 Touch Bar MacBook Pro models were about the same weight as the new models [1]. Those 2016 models ran Intel chips and had notorious difficulty staying cool and performant under heavy workloads [1].
What it means for you
If you use a MacBook Pro, the 14-inch and 16-inch sizes stay the same, and so do the ports [1]. The keyboard and trackpad appear to be the same as on the 2021 redesign, so your trackpad gestures also work on the touchscreen [1].
If you plan to use touch, swiping through images, panning, zooming, drawing and adjusting editing sliders work as expected [1]. Watch for occasional stutters when you switch between Spaces or full-screen apps [1]. The price is the other thing to weigh, since the new laptops carry a $400 premium over the non-OLED versions [1].
Sources
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