Apple has put a touchscreen on a Mac laptop for the first time, and it costs at least $2,899. The Apple new MacBook Pro with a touch OLED display was announced on October 28, 2026. One day earlier, Apple launched a cheaper 14-inch model with its new M6 chip at $1,999. Both go on sale Friday, November 6.
That leaves a $900 gap and a hard choice. The cheaper laptop gets the newer chip. The pricier one gets the screen Apple has avoided for years. Your money buys one or the other, and the details below show which one fits you.
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Quick Answer
Apple announced two new MacBook Pro options this week. The 14–inch model with the M6 chip starts at $1,999. The touchscreen model has a tandem OLED display, a Dynamic Island and a lighter body, and it starts at $2,899. Apple says both last up to 24 hours on a charge. Deliveries start November 6.
New MacBook Pro Models at a Glance
| Specs | 14-inch with M6 | Touch 14-inch | Touch 16-inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | M6 | M5 Pro | M5 Pro |
| Display | Liquid Retina XDR | PROLED XDR, tandem OLED, touch | PROLED XDR, tandem OLED, touch |
| Peak brightness | 1,600 nits (HDR) | 2,000 nits | 2,000 nits |
| Starting US price | $1,999 | $2,899 | $3,399 |
| Battery (Apple’s claim) | Up to 24 hours | Up to 24 hours | Up to 24 hours |
| On sale | November 6 | November 6 | November 6 |
What Apple Announced This Week
Apple split the launch across two days. On October 27, the company announced the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 and a new iMac with the same chip. On October 28, Apple held a launch event in Los Angeles and revealed the touchscreen model.
Apple calls the touch laptop the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display. It comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. CNBC reported that the move reverses Apple’s long-held stance against touchscreen laptops.
Apple CEO John Ternus teased the launch on X. “You have gotta touch it to believe it,” he wrote.
Pre-orders opened October 28. The touch model comes first below, since it carries the biggest change.
Touchscreen MacBook Pro: The First Mac You Can Touch
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How Touch Works on macOS 27
Apple says the touch sensor sits inside the display panel, which cuts delay. You can scroll with a swipe, pinch to zoom, rotate and draw right on the screen, according to Apple’s product page.
macOS turns touch into clicks, so many existing apps work right away, MacRumors reported. Apple says its own apps are ready for touch from day one.
The laptop also gets a redesigned hinge that keeps the screen steady when you tap it, Make Tech Easier reported. Video stabilization smooths the camera feed if you touch the screen during a call.
macOS 27 comes installed and adds new gesture tools for developers. That matters most if you edit photos, mark up files or flip through slides.
Dynamic Island Replaces the Notch
The notch is gone. Apple adds a small Dynamic Island that takes up less space than the old cutout. Apple says it holds Spotlight, Live Activities and Siri AI.
You get more usable screen at the top edge. The bezels around the display also shrink, which brings the screens to 14.2 and 16.3 inches.
PROLED XDR Display
The new panel uses tandem OLED. Apple lists up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness for both HDR and SDR content, plus a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It supports the P3 and Adobe RGB color ranges.
TechRepublic noted that Apple’s product page lists a lower number for sustained full-screen brightness, at up to 1,000 nits. Buyers who compare screens should look at both figures.
ProMotion refresh rates run from 10Hz to 120Hz. Resolution is 3024 by 1986 on the 14-inch and 3472 by 2266 on the 16-inch, both at 254 pixels per inch, per Mac Observer.
The gap with the M6 laptop is clear on paper. Apple’s M6 release lists 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The OLED model offers 10 times the contrast.
Lighter and Thinner Than Before
The 14-inch model weighs 3.0 pounds (1.38 kg). The 16-inch weighs 4.0 pounds (1.82 kg), according to Apple. Make Tech Easier says that is half a pound and 0.7 pounds less than the earlier models.
Apple trimmed thickness too. The 14-inch is half a millimeter thinner, and the 16-inch is almost a millimeter thinner. An illuminated Apple logo also returns on the lid, which MacRumors says last appeared a decade ago.
Battery, Cooling and Sound
Apple rates battery life at up to 24 hours. Fast charging reaches 50 percent in 30 minutes. Apple’s test used pre-production 16-inch units, and the company says real results vary with use and settings.
OLED screens draw more power at high brightness, so your own hours may differ.
A redesigned cooling system pushes warm air away from the display. The speaker system now has six speakers with 50 percent deeper bass, MacRumors reported.
The chips are the same M5 Pro and M5 Max parts Apple announced in March. Memory goes up to 128GB, and storage goes up to 16TB.
Touchscreen MacBook Pro Price: What You Pay
Apple lists these US starting prices for the touch models:
| Setup | 14-inch | 16-inch |
|---|---|---|
| M5 Pro | $2,899 | $3,399 |
| M5 Max | $4,499 | $4,799 |
The base 14-inch has a 15-core CPU, a 16-core GPU, 24GB of memory and a 1TB drive. The base 16-inch has an 18-core CPU, a 20-core GPU, 24GB of memory and 1TB of storage.
MacRumors compared those prices with the earlier models just before launch. The 14-inch M5 Pro was $2,499 and the 16-inch was $2,999. That means touch adds $400 at the entry level. The M5 Max models rose about 10 percent and 9 percent.
Maxed-out setups go much higher. Apple’s online store lets buyers push the 14-inch to $14,249 and the 16-inch to $14,549. The earlier 16-inch topped out at $10,149.
CNBC reports that Apple already raised prices across its Mac lineup by several hundred dollars in June. Check the total in your cart before you pay.
Now the cheaper option, which has a chip Apple has not put in the touch model.
New MacBook Pro With M6: The Cheaper Pick
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 starts at $1,999, MacRumors reported. It uses the same Liquid Retina XDR screen style as earlier models, with no touch.
What M6 Changes
M6 has a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU. Each has two more cores than M5, which had 10 and 10. The Neural Engine is a dual 16-core design.
Apple says the GPU delivers up to 30 percent faster graphics than M5. It also claims up to 25 percent faster AI work and a Neural Engine up to 1.9 times faster.
Shelly Goldberg, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, said the chip is “taking performance to the next level.”
Apple’s own tests compare M6 with M5 and with the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1:
| Task | Faster than M5 | Faster than M1 |
|---|---|---|
| Blender ray tracing | Up to 1.3x | Up to 11.7x |
| Xcode code builds | Up to 1.3x | Up to 2.5x |
| Affinity image work | Up to 1.2x | Up to 3.3x |
| AI prompt processing | Up to 1.3x | Up to 13x |
All figures come from Apple’s own testing in September 2026. Independent tests were not part of the announcement.
Memory, Storage and Wireless
Memory starts at 16GB and goes up to 32GB. Apple lists bandwidth up to 170GB/s. MacRumors says that speed applies only to the 24GB and 32GB models, up from 153GB/s on M5.
Storage starts at 1TB. Apple dropped the 512GB option in March.
The laptop gains Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 through Apple’s N1 wireless chip. It can drive two external 4K displays at up to 165Hz.
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Ports, Camera and Battery
Ports include HDMI, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SD card slot and a headphone jack. The 12MP Center Stage camera and a six-speaker system carry over. Colors are space black and silver.
Apple says battery life reaches 24 hours, the longest it has offered in a Mac. A 96W charger gets you to 50 percent in 30 minutes.
The enclosure uses 100 percent recycled aluminum, and the laptop has 45 percent recycled content overall.
The next question is which of the two is right for you.
Which Apple New MacBook Pro Should You Buy?
Start with the chip. The touch models use M5 Pro, which has a 15-core CPU and a 16-core GPU in the 14-inch. The M6 has 12 cores in each. Apple’s M6 numbers compare against M5 and M1, not the Pro chips, so no direct head-to-head exists from Apple.
Memory also differs. The touch models start at 24GB, while the M6 starts at 16GB.
The M6 model fits students, office workers and coders. It costs $900 less, carries a newer chip and keeps the full port list. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 come with it.
The touch model fits photographers, designers and video editors who want OLED contrast and a lighter body. It also suits anyone who wants to draw or mark up work by hand. The extra $900 buys the screen, the weight savings and the extra memory.
Buyers on a tighter budget have another path. MacRumors reported that Apple plans a MacBook Neo 2 in the first half of 2027. That would be a wait of several months.
macOS 27 and Siri AI Come Built In
Both laptops run macOS 27, called Golden Gate. It includes Siri AI, which Apple describes as a more personal and conversational assistant. Siri AI can pull from your messages, email and photos to answer questions.
It also lives inside Spotlight and right-click menus. A keyboard shortcut lets you ask Siri about what is on your screen.
Safari gets tools that sort tabs into topics and alert you to price drops and restocks. Shortcuts can build an automation from a plain description. A new slider lets you set Liquid Glass anywhere between clear and fully tinted.
Apple’s fine print has details that matter for your wallet and your region:
- Siri AI is in beta on macOS 27.
- Some features that rely on Apple’s servers have daily usage limits.
- Apple says expanded access will be offered for a fee in the future.
- Apple says it is still working with the EU on a path forward.
Buyers in Europe should check what is on offer in their country.
Release Date and How to Pre-Order
Pre-orders began Wednesday, October 28, on Apple’s website and in the Apple Store app. Deliveries and in-store sales start Friday, November 6.
Apple says the M6 model is on pre-order in 35 countries and regions, including the US. TechRepublic puts the touch model at 30 countries and regions.
Apple Trade In and education pricing apply to Macs bought directly from Apple. AppleCare+ covers drops, spills and battery service.
What to Check Before You Buy
Weigh the $400 touch premium against how much you will use the screen. Apple’s battery claims come from its own tests on pre-production units. Apps that use the new gesture tools will handle touch best.
Compare setups, not just starting prices. A 14-inch with 24GB and 1TB is already $2,899 before you add anything.
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FAQs
Does the new MacBook Pro have a touchscreen?
Yes, one model does. The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is the first Mac laptop with touch, and it comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 does not have touch.
How much is the new MacBook Pro in 2026?
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 starts at $1,999. The touchscreen OLED models start at $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch. M5 Max versions cost $4,499 and $4,799.
When is the new MacBook Pro release date?
Pre-orders opened on October 28, 2026. Deliveries and in-store sales start Friday, November 6, 2026. This date applies to both the M6 and touchscreen models.
Is the new MacBook Pro OLED?
The touchscreen model is. Apple uses a tandem OLED panel called PROLED XDR with up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness. The M6 model keeps the Liquid Retina XDR display, which is not OLED.
What is the difference between the M6 and M5 MacBook Pro?
M6 has a 12-core CPU and a 12-core GPU, up from 10 cores each on M5. Apple says graphics are up to 30 percent faster and AI work up to 25 percent faster. The M6 model also adds Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
How long does the new MacBook Pro battery last?
Apple says up to 24 hours on both the M6 and touchscreen models. Fast charging reaches 50 percent in 30 minutes. Real results depend on screen brightness and what you run.
