MacBook Ultra Leaks: Apple is reportedly working on a brand new MacBook Ultra, expected to debut this fall as part of a wider push to expand its 'Ultra' product line. The upcoming laptop is said to bring a major design overhaul along with several firsts for the Mac lineup, including touch support and OLED display technology.
Early reports suggest the company is aiming to set this model apart from the existing MacBook Pro in a meaningful way. Here's a look at what the new MacBook Ultra could offer once it arrives.
According to Bloomberg, Apple's upcoming MacBook model involves a "total redesign" that makes it thinner and lighter than the current MacBook Pro. The laptop was initially expected to carry the MacBook Pro name with a new design, but recent reports suggest Apple may launch it under the "Ultra" branding instead.
It isn't clear yet whether the redesign will mean fewer ports compared to the Pro lineup, though that remains a possibility. Apple is unlikely to push the slim and light design too far, since the MacBook Ultra is expected to appeal heavily to professional users who rely on a full set of ports and features.
The MacBook Ultra is rumoured to be the first model to come equipped with Apple's upcoming M6 chip family, expected to launch later this year. The M6 series is expected to bring bigger improvements than usual, as it will reportedly be built on a new 2nm manufacturing process, the same advancement expected in the iPhone's A20 Pro chip.
At the very least, M6 Pro and M6 Max variants are expected to be available with the MacBook Ultra, though a standard M6 option may also be offered.
The MacBook Ultra is also expected to be the first Mac to come with a touchscreen. According to Mark Gurman, Apple is introducing touch support on the Mac as a secondary input method rather than a replacement for the keyboard and trackpad. The macOS Golden Gate update is said to include several touch-friendly optimisations that will also work smoothly for users without a touchscreen.
While every iPhone currently uses OLED, and the iPad Pro adopted tandem OLED in 2024, the Mac has yet to make that switch. That's expected to change with the MacBook Ultra, which is rumoured to be the first Mac to feature an OLED panel.
The shift could bring deeper blacks, sharper contrast and improved viewing angles, while also potentially helping with battery efficiency.
The 2021 MacBook Pro became the first Mac to introduce a notch, but the MacBook Ultra is expected to remove it entirely. Instead, reports suggest the laptop will feature a hole-punch camera cutout paired with a new software addition called the Dynamic Island.
Similar to the iPhone version, this feature is expected to hide the camera cutout digitally while also adding extra functionality within macOS, including serving as a hub for Siri's AI capabilities.
With multiple new features rumoured for the MacBook Ultra, Apple appears to be preparing a major shift in its laptop lineup. More details are likely to emerge as the fall launch approaches.
