Apple MacBook Ultra design could also come to other MacBooks
The touchscreen and the OLED panel were the big buzzwords in previous leaks about the upcoming Apple MacBook Ultra. However, this could also lead to some changes in the design, which hasn’t changed in years and, of course, has to live up to the “Ultra” label. And this very design is unlikely to remain a unique selling point of this device for long.
Last week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman outlined Apple’s plan to update all Macs sold within the next two years. In his report, he mentioned that the entry-level model planned for 2027, the 14-inch MacBook Pro codenamed K104, will resemble the design of the high-end K114 and K116 models but will be equipped with a standard M7 chip. The design of the rumored “MacBook Ultra” would thus appear in a significantly cheaper Mac within about a year of its launch—a pattern first reported in early July.
Apple MacBook Ultra is expected to become thinner
Apple last redesigned the MacBook Pro in 2021, coinciding with the introduction of the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. However, that redesign went in the opposite direction. The device became thicker and heavier, and Apple reintroduced the HDMI port, SD card slot, and MagSafe charging, which had been removed in the previous generation. Five years later, the company is apparently trying to reduce the thickness again.
The Apple MacBook Ultra’s casing is expected to be significantly thinner and lighter. Replacing the mini-LED backlighting with hybrid OLED technology eliminates an entire physical layer in the lid, since OLED pixels are self-illuminating. So far, there’s no indication that Apple intends to sacrifice ports to save those remaining millimeters – which, given the failed attempts last time, is a good thing.
Punch-hole instead of notch
The change will likely be most noticeable on the front of the device. The notch is expected to disappear in favor of a significantly smaller punch-hole camera – a change first hinted at in a roadmap by market research firm Omdia and later confirmed by Bloomberg. The cutout is said to be pill-shaped and will pave the way for an interactive “Dynamic Island” that expands contextually, similar to the iPhone.
Whether the displays of the Apple MacBook Ultra itself will get larger is still unclear. Omdia claimed that Samsung Display would supply 14.3-inch and 16.3-inch panels, which would be slightly larger than the 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch displays of the current models. This would mean narrower bezels around a slightly larger screen. However, a Bloomberg report from February suggested that the screen sizes were not expected to change. This rumor, however, may not have taken into account a slight reduction in bezels.
Apple is reportedly installing a reinforced hinge to prevent the display from wobbling when tapped. Whether this will result in any visible changes to the external design is unclear. Gurman described the approach to touch operation on the Apple MacBook Ultra as “touch-friendly, not touch-first.”
High-end MacBook
The future of the high-end MacBook Pro remains uncertain. Gurman’s roadmap lists a high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook without the “Pro” designation, and there is no separate high-end MacBook Pro alongside it. However, this wording should be taken with a grain of salt until the exact brand strategy is finalized. The new Apple MacBook Ultra could either directly replace the current M5 Pro and M5 Max models at a higher price point or be positioned as a separate new product line above them, while the latter remain available.
If the high-end MacBook Pro is equipped with Apple’s next-generation M7 Pro and M7 Max chips in late 2027, and the entry-level model with the M7 chip receives the design of the Apple MacBook Ultra in the first half of the same year, it seems inevitable that the high-end devices will follow, meaning that all five of Apple’s most powerful laptops will share the same design.
