Steve Jobs famously said about touch on vertical computer screens, “it doesn’t work, it’s ergonomically terrible,” but here we are – 16 years later looking at Apple’s first ever Mac with a touch screen.
Today, Apple unveiled the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display and Touch ranging from A$4,599 to A$22,424.
In some quarters, they are calling it a backflip by Apple, but I reckon after 16 years, it’s more like, “it’s about time”. The original reluctance by Apple under Steve Jobs to implement touch on laptops actually made a lot of sense when iPads were starting to take off. The iPads were for multitouch, the laptops and desktops were for keyboards, mice, and trackpads.
But touch has been a success on Windows machines for a long time now, and it’s enabled 2-in-1 devices that merge the functionality of a computer with a tablet. Most people use touch on a laptop sparingly, but it’s nice to know it’s there, and now it’s on a Mac for the first time. It’s interesting to me that Apple chose its top professional laptop to introduce touch displays. The iPad lineup has been moving closer to a laptop in design for years, and now we have a laptop moving the other way. I think it’s a clever move to introduce touch at the highest level because it will protect iPad sales. Pros will buy both.
| Key Area | Specifications & Feature Highlights |
|---|---|
| ◆ PROLED XDR Display | Breakthrough tandem OLED panels in 14.2-inch and 16.3-inch sizes delivering up to 2000 nits peak brightness (HDR/SDR), a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 10–120Hz ProMotion, dual P3/Adobe RGB gamut, genlock support, and optional etched nano-texture glass. |
| ◆ Multi-Touch & Dynamic Island | Introduces native low-latency on-screen Touch built directly into the display with a reinforced hinge and camera stabilisation. Integrates the Dynamic Island on Mac for Spotlight, Live Activities, and Siri AI. |
| ◆ M5 Pro & M5 Max Silicon | Flagship pro chips featuring Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, 3rd-gen ray tracing, and Dynamic Caching. Supports up to 128GB unified memory, up to 16TB ultra-fast storage, and on-device execution of 100B+ parameter LLMs on M5 Max. |
| ◆ Chassis & Battery | Slimmer and lighter profiles weighing just 3 lbs (14-inch) and 4 lbs (16-inch) with redesigned thermals. Delivers up to 24 hours of battery life and fast-charges to 50% in 30 minutes. |
| ◆ Audio & Camera Systems | Overhauled six-speaker sound system with 50% deeper bass, dedicated closed-lid audio tuning, and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio. Includes a 12MP Center Stage camera and studio-quality three-mic array. |
| ◆ Pro Connectivity | Features 3x Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, SDXC card slot, MagSafe, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6. Drives up to 3 external displays with M5 Pro and up to 4 external displays with M5 Max. |
| ◆ macOS 27 & Creator Studio | Powered by macOS 27 Golden Gate featuring Siri AI, Visual Intelligence, and customizable Liquid Glass. Deeply integrated with Apple Creator Studio for touch-driven workflows across Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro. |
| ◆ Pricing & Availability | Pre-orders open 29 October 2026, shipping 6 November 2026. Australian pricing starts at A$4,599 (14-inch M5 Pro), A$5,499 (16-inch M5 Pro), A$6,999 (14-inch M5 Max), and A$7,699 (16-inch M5 Max). |
So what did Apple deliver today? Aside from touch, it served up impressive tandem OLED technology, available in 14- and 16-inch models. The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display offers up to 2000 nits peak HDR and SDR brightness, an industry-leading 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 120Hz variable refresh rate, and a wider colour gamut covering both P3 and Adobe RGB.
“The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is a monumental step forward for the Mac,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s chief hardware officer.
“PROLED XDR is the world’s best laptop display. It pairs state-of-the-art tandem OLED technology with advanced algorithms in our display engine to deliver the kind of visual fidelity pros have been dreaming of. And with the magic of Touch coming to MacBook Pro, combined with the game-changing performance of M5 Pro and M5 Max, we’ve created a whole new way for pros to interact with their content, taking their workflows to a completely new level. The new MacBook Pro is the result of the deep integration between Apple silicon, hardware, and software, and there’s simply nothing else like it.”
The glowing Apple logo is back and the notch is gone! The Dynamic Island now comes to Mac, where it’s a home for Spotlight, Live Activities, and Siri AI. Apple claims up to 24 hours of battery life in thinner and much lighter bodies. Powering the new MacBook Pros are M5 Pro or M5 Max chips with up to 128GB of unified memory and an astounding 16TB of storage.
An enhanced six-speaker sound system now provides 50 per cent deeper bass and remarkable sound clarity for even more immersive audio. You also get Thunderbolt 5, a 12MP Center Stage camera, “studio-quality” mics, and macOS 27 with Apple Intelligence and Siri AI.
Workflows and Features
- The Apple Pro Display Calibrator gives pros the ability to calibrate their display to specific targets. In addition, pros can take advantage of industry-standard reference modes for cinematic standards, photography, print, design, and more. And with new DICOM medical imaging reference modes, the display can be used today to review medical images with outstanding grayscale accuracy and contrast when used for research and educational purposes.
- Through Apple Colour Matching Function 2026, the PROLED XDR display delivers a seamless, consistent visual experience when paired with iPhone 18 Pro or Studio Display XDR.
- With support for genlock, MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display synchronises a display’s refresh rate with a camera’s capture to minimise ghosting, tearing, and other visual artefacts when filming, making it highly valuable for virtual productions and on-set work.
- Apple Creator Studio opens up new ways to create on MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, optimising for Touch alongside the precision of the keyboard and trackpad. With Pixelmator Pro, creators can interact with their designs directly on the canvas, making use of the fully interactive display to draw, paint, and select with even more fluidity. In Logic Pro, musicians can play software instruments with a fully Multi-Touch polyphonic keyboard, along with tappable chord and drum pads onscreen. And in Final Cut Pro, editors can use Touch to precisely mark ranges, drop clips directly into place, pinch to zoom in on a cut, and more.
Advanced Pro Connectivity
The new MacBook Pro includes three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, MagSafe, and a headphone jack. In addition to the PROLED XDR display, it supports up to three external displays with M5 Pro and up to four with M5 Max. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 provide fast, reliable wireless connectivity, and Touch ID enables a quick, easy, and secure login experience. With its fast-charge capability, MacBook Pro can charge up to 50 per cent in just 30 minutes.
Pricing and Availability
- Pre-orders for the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display start today, 29 October 2026.
- In-store availability from Friday, 6 November 2026.
- The 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display featuring M5 Pro starts at A$4,599.
- The 16-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display featuring M5 Pro starts at A$5,499.
- The 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display featuring M5 Max starts at A$6,999.
- The 16-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display featuring M5 Max starts at RRP A$7,699.
- Additional technical specifications and configure-to-order options are available at apple.com/au/macbook-pro.
- Apple accessories — 70W Power Adapter A$89, 96W Power Adapter A$119, 140W Power Adapter A$149, and the World Travel Adapter Kit A$65 — available at apple.com/au/mac.
