Apple appears poised to make 2026 a landmark year for its MacBook and desktop display lineup, with a flurry of new releases and major upgrades on the horizon. If the persistent leaks and mounting industry chatter are to be believed, consumers and professionals alike will soon have a wealth of new Apple hardware to consider—ranging from high-powered MacBook Pros and a long-awaited budget MacBook, to a significantly refreshed Studio Display that aims to catch up with the competition.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, internal Apple communications reveal that "a remarkably busy 2026 with a slew of product releases over the next several weeks" is imminent. While Apple has yet to officially confirm specifics, the volume and consistency of recent reporting leave little doubt that the company is gearing up for one of its most ambitious product cycles in recent years.
Let’s start with the MacBook Pro. The 14-inch model already received Apple’s latest M5 processor in October 2025, but both the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros are expected to get even more powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max chips as early as February or March 2026. According to CNET’s Lori Grunin, the M5 chip “delivers big performance improvements over the M4 in the narrow areas where it applies, namely on-GPU processing for AI and ray-traced graphics.” However, she noted that the M5 MacBook Pro “struggles to keep up with the world of AAA gaming.” The forthcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max variants are anticipated to feature additional CPU and GPU cores, as well as increased memory, making them especially attractive to users with demanding workloads like video rendering, 3D modeling, and AI development.
Pricing for these new models is expected to align with previous releases, barring any surprises from the ongoing global RAM shortage. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro should start at $1,999, while the 16-inch version will likely begin at $2,499. As with the last update, these will primarily be internal upgrades, with no major design overhauls anticipated. Gurman’s Power On newsletter reports that these launches will coincide with the release of MacOS 26.3, reinforcing the sense that Apple is orchestrating a coordinated product push in early 2026.
For those who have been waiting for a more affordable entry into the MacBook ecosystem, 2026 could finally deliver. Apple is rumored to be preparing a budget MacBook priced around $599—potentially even less with educational discounts. This new machine is expected to use an A-series chip, likely the A18 Pro, rather than the M-series chips found in other MacBooks. While Apple touts the A19 Pro chip as providing “MacBook Pro levels of compute,” industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests the budget model will probably use the slightly older A18 Pro, which would run about 40% slower than the current MacBook M4 chips. Thunderbolt support is also likely to be absent, with the budget MacBook relying on less-capable USB-C ports instead.
Gurman and Kuo both report that this model will feature an “approximately 13-inch display,” possibly as small as 12.9 inches, making it even lighter than the current 2.7-pound MacBook Air. The device is intended for “people who primarily browse the web, work on documents or conduct light media editing,” according to Gurman. This move would pit Apple directly against Chromebooks and entry-level Windows laptops—territory the company has largely ceded until now. While the exact release date remains unclear, many expect the budget MacBook to arrive before the next academic year, making it an attractive option for students and budget-conscious buyers.
The MacBook Air isn’t being left out of the action either. A refresh with the new M5 chip is expected in the first quarter of 2026, continuing Apple’s pattern of springtime updates for its thinnest and most portable laptop. No major design changes are forecast, and the standard configuration is likely to remain at 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with pricing holding steady at $999. That said, there’s hope among some users that Apple might finally bump the minimum storage up to 512GB—a move that would no doubt be welcomed by power users and casual owners alike.
Perhaps the most intriguing development is the rumored introduction of the first MacBook Pros with OLED touchscreens in the second half of 2026. These next-generation machines are said to feature thinner, lighter frames and could be powered by the upcoming M6 chip. The OLED MacBook Pros are expected to come in both 14- and 16-inch sizes, with a hole-punch camera cutout inspired by the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. While Windows laptops have offered touchscreen displays for years, this would mark Apple’s first foray into touch-enabled MacBooks—a move that, according to Kuo, “reflects Apple’s long-term observation of iPad user behavior, indicating that in certain scenarios, touch controls can enhance both productivity and the overall user experience.”
Despite the addition of touch, the new MacBook Pros will retain traditional keyboard and trackpad controls, ensuring that the classic MacBook experience remains intact. The OLED panels and upgraded hardware are expected to drive prices higher, likely making these models several hundred dollars more expensive than their Liquid Retina display counterparts. Production is rumored to begin later this year, with a potential release by year’s end.
On the desktop side, Apple’s Studio Display is finally getting a much-needed upgrade after nearly four years without a significant update. As reported by RedShark News, the Studio Display 2 is expected to launch in the first half of 2026, keeping pace with broader updates to Apple’s desktop lineup. The most significant change is the switch to a Mini-LED panel, which promises improved contrast, higher peak brightness, and better HDR performance compared to the current LED model. The resolution is set to remain at 5K, with rumors of both 27-inch and 32-inch versions circulating—although the latter seems less certain as of late.
Another long-awaited improvement is the refresh rate, which may jump from the current 60 Hz to a smoother 90 Hz, possibly with ProMotion-style adaptive refresh. This would make the Studio Display 2 feel noticeably more fluid in everyday use, even if it doesn’t reach the full 120 Hz some users crave. Internally, the display is likely to receive a major processor upgrade, moving from the aging A13 Bionic chip to a more modern Apple silicon chip such as the A19 or A19 Pro. This would allow for advanced image processing, improved camera performance, and potentially new AI-powered features tied to Apple’s Creator Studio suite.
The Studio Display’s hallmark features—a centrally-mounted Ultra Wide camera, multi-microphone array, and six-speaker Spatial Audio system—are expected to remain, with the camera possibly getting an upgrade from its current 12 MP sensor. The design itself is likely to stay largely unchanged, and, in classic Apple fashion, a height-adjustable stand will probably remain a $400 premium add-on. Pricing and exact availability are still up in the air, but a launch in the first half of 2026 would align perfectly with Apple’s wave of new desktop products.
With Apple’s aggressive 2026 hardware roadmap, the company is signaling not just an intent to keep pace with competitors, but to set the tone for the next era of personal computing. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, it’s shaping up to be a year worth watching closely.