Skip to content
Breaking
Gadgets

Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro is here: OLED, Dynamic Island, price and release date

Apple has launched the first Mac with a touchscreen: a new MacBook Pro with a tandem OLED display, Dynamic Island and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, starting at $2,899. Here's everything you need to know.

Apple MacBook Pro laptop on a desk

It’s finally happened. After years of saying no, Apple has launched a Mac with a touchscreen. The new MacBook Pro, announced on October 28, 2026, is also the first Mac with an OLED display, and it swaps the notch for a Dynamic Island, like on the iPhone.

It’s impressive, but it’s also expensive. Here’s everything you need to know.

Price

  • 14-inch, M5 Pro: from $2,899 (15-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB memory, 1TB storage)
  • 16-inch, M5 Pro: from $3,399
  • 14-inch, M5 Max: from $4,499
  • 16-inch, M5 Max: from $4,799
  • Maximum configuration (128GB memory): up to about $7,099, according to reports

The starting price is $400 higher than the previous MacBook Pro with the same chip.

Release date

  • Pre-orders: open now (from October 28)
  • In stores and delivered: Friday, November 6, 2026

What’s new

1. A touchscreen, at last

You can now tap, scroll and pinch directly on the screen, as well as using the keyboard and trackpad. macOS turns taps into clicks, so most existing apps work right away. Apple says dedicated touch updates for apps such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve are coming later this year. To stop the screen wobbling when you touch it, Apple uses a reinforced hinge.

2. Tandem OLED display (“PROLED XDR”)

  • Sizes: 14.2-inch and 16.3-inch
  • Brightness: up to 2,000 nits peak (HDR and SDR), up to 1,000 nits sustained full-screen
  • Refresh rate: adaptive, from 10Hz to 120Hz
  • Colors: supports P3 and Adobe RGB, which is great for photographers and video editors

OLED gives perfect blacks and very high contrast. “Tandem” OLED uses two layers, which helps with brightness and lifespan, an important point for a laptop screen you look at for hours.

3. Dynamic Island replaces the notch

The camera notch is gone. In its place is a small Dynamic Island, which shows live activities and music controls at the top of the screen, just like on the iPhone.

4. Lighter design

Apple says it’s slimmer than before and weighs about 3 pounds (around 1.4 kg) for the 14-inch model. There’s also a glowing Apple logo on the back, a nostalgic touch for long-time Mac fans.

5. Same powerful chips

It uses the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips from the March MacBook Pros, with up to 128GB of memory. So performance is similar to the current Pro models. You’re paying extra for the screen and design, not more speed.

6. Ports and sound

  • Three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe 3 and a headphone jack
  • Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6
  • Six-speaker sound system with deeper bass

Steve Jobs once dismissed touchscreen laptops. In 2026, Apple has decided its pro users want both: a keyboard and a screen they can touch.

Also announced: M6 iMac and M6 MacBook Pro

Apple also refreshed two more Macs this week. Both open for pre-order today and arrive November 6:

  • 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6: from $1,999. Same design and mini-LED screen as before, with the new M6 chip (Apple’s first 2nm Mac chip line), Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. No touchscreen.
  • 24-inch iMac with M6: from $1,499. Same design and seven colors, with the M6 chip, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

Apple has discontinued the higher-end mini-LED MacBook Pro models, so if you want an M5 Pro or M5 Max MacBook Pro, it now comes with the OLED touchscreen.

Which MacBook should you buy?

  • Want the best screen and touch? The new OLED MacBook Pro ($2,899+).
  • Want pro performance for less? The M6 MacBook Pro ($1,999) is $900 cheaper and has a newer chip, but no touch or OLED.
  • Everyday use? A MacBook Air is still the best value for most people.

Also new this week: the new iPad mini with OLED.

Frequently asked questions

Does the new MacBook Pro have a touchscreen?

Yes. The new OLED MacBook Pro is the first Mac with a touchscreen. The cheaper M6 MacBook Pro does not have one.

How much is the touchscreen MacBook Pro?

It starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch.

When is the release date?

Pre-orders are open now, and it ships on November 6, 2026.

Which chip does it use?

M5 Pro or M5 Max, the same chips as the March 2026 MacBook Pros, with up to 128GB of memory.

Does it have a notch?

No. The notch is replaced by a Dynamic Island, which shows live activities and music controls.

Does it support Apple Pencil?

Apple hasn’t announced Apple Pencil support for the MacBook Pro.

Sources

Written by

Chamith Shirantha

Chamith Shirantha is a full-stack developer and the founder of ByteTidings. He writes about AI, apps, gadgets and the latest in tech, explained in simple English.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *