Apple has introduced its first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen, dubbed the 'MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display,' at its 'Pro and Tell' event in Cupertino. This new model, available in 14- and 16-inch sizes, incorporates a Tandem OLED touch display and can be configured with up to 128GB of RAM.
While the standard MacBook Pro was recently updated with the M6 chip, this touchscreen variant will feature either the M5 Pro or M5 Max processors, both of which are positioned as more powerful than Apple's latest mainstream system-on-a-chip. The display itself boasts up to 2,000 nits of brightness and covers both the P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts, promising a visually rich experience for creative professionals.
This move into touchscreen laptops marks a departure from Apple's historical stance; Steve Jobs famously stated in 2010 that "Touchscreen laptops don't work." While the MacBook Pro did feature the controversial Touch Bar in the late 2010s, this marks Apple's first integration of a full touchscreen on a MacBook.
Pricing for the new MacBook Pro begins at $2,899 for the 14-inch model, which includes an M5 Pro chip with a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The 16-inch version starts at $3,399 with a similar configuration. For users seeking maximum performance, the 16-inch model can be equipped with an M5 Max chip, an 18-core CPU, a 40-core GPU, 128GB of RAM, and a 16TB SSD for $14,399.
Preorders for the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display are open today, with the device scheduled to be available in stores on November 6.