Apple Unveils Its First Touchscreen Macbook Pro With Oled

The 14- and 16-inch laptops add touch controls and OLED displays, with prices starting at $2,899 and preorders opening October 30.

Apple has introduced its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, pairing touch input with an OLED display in 14-inch and 16-inch models. According to TechCrunch, preorders open October 30, with availability beginning November 6. The laptops start at $2,899 and $3,399, respectively, putting the new screen technology in Apple’s higher-priced Pro lineup.

Table of Contents
  1. Touch comes to the MacBook Pro
  2. OLED specifications and configurations
  3. Who might use the new screen
  4. Sources

Touch comes to the MacBook Pro

The display, which Apple calls PROLED XDR, has a touch sensor integrated into the screen rather than added as a separate layer, Engadget reports. Users can scroll, pinch to zoom and draw with a finger. Menus provide more space between items when used by touch, while familiar trackpad gestures also work on the display.

In a brief hands-on session, Engadget found that the MacBook Pro still felt familiar: its keyboard, trackpad and selection of ports remain, and macOS has not undergone a broad visual redesign for touch. The outlet observed occasional stutters when moving between Spaces or full-screen apps, but said more testing would be needed. TechCrunch reports that Apple also designed a hinge to steady the screen when it is touched.

OLED specifications and configurations

Engadget reports that the new screen uses tandem OLED technology, with multiple organic layers in one panel. Apple says it reaches up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness and has a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. According to Engadget, Apple also says the display covers the P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts and 80 percent of Rec.2020, a standard used in HDR video work. An optional nano-texture finish is intended to reduce glare.

TechCrunch reports that buyers can choose M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, up to 128GB of unified memory and up to 16TB of storage. The 14-inch model weighs 3.0 pounds and the 16-inch model weighs 4.0 pounds. Both include three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, MagSafe and a headphone jack.

The highest prices depend heavily on upgrades. The Verge calculates that selecting every premium option brings the 14-inch model to $14,249 and the 16-inch to $14,549. It says the 16TB storage option alone adds $7,000 to the latter configuration; choosing 8TB instead brings that configuration to $10,549.

Who might use the new screen

Engadget identifies photographers, artists and video editors as likely users of the brighter, color-focused display. Its hands-on report describes drawing in Pixelmator and adjusting editing controls in Photos by touch. TechCrunch also says Apple sees touch as useful for professionals working with 3D objects or checking how their iOS apps respond. Whether those uses justify the starting price will depend on the work: the reports describe practical new interactions, but do not establish that touch will improve every Mac workflow.

Sources

This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.