Apple's first touchscreen MacBook will use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips — M7 version already in testing
Apple is finally making a touchscreen Mac. The first models — a 14-inch and a 16-inch MacBook Pro, codenamed K114 and K116 — will ship with M5 Pro and M5 Max processors, not the next-generation chips some expected. The company has a faster M7-powered revision in advanced testing for a late 2027 release.
The decision to use current-gen silicon is unusual for a product that represents the most significant redesign of Apple’s high-end laptops since the company ditched Intel chips in 2020. According to people familiar with the plans, the new MacBooks are expected to arrive between late 2026 and early 2027. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.
Beyond the touchscreen, these MacBooks will add two other firsts for the Mac lineup: an OLED display and the Dynamic Island interface borrowed from the iPhone. The combination of all three features marks a real departure from the company’s long-held position on touchscreen laptops.
A shift Apple resisted for years
Steve Jobs once called touchscreens on vertical displays ergonomically unsound — arms get tired, he said, and the whole concept violates basic human factors. For over a decade, Apple stuck to that position while the rest of the PC industry adopted touchscreens as standard. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, who broke the story, notes the company now sees touchscreens as a way to boost Mac sales in a market where Windows competitors have offered the feature for years.
The chip roadmap: skipping M6 Pro and M6 Max
Apple’s processor plans for these machines are getting complicated. Here is how the lineup maps out:
| Model | Chip | Timeline | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-gen touchscreen MacBook Pro (14" / 16") | M5 Pro / M5 Max | Late 2026 – Early 2027 | Touchscreen, OLED, Dynamic Island |
| Second-gen touchscreen MacBook Pro | M7 Pro / M7 Max | Late 2027 or later | Upgraded Neural Engine, better GPU, higher memory bandwidth |
| Mac Studio refresh | M7 Max / M7 Ultra | 2028 | Same Andros architecture, higher core counts |
The company is skipping M6 Pro and M6 Max entirely. Instead, engineering resources shifted to the M7 series — code-named Andros — which is designed specifically for AI-heavy workloads. The M7 chips will include a significantly upgraded Neural Engine, improved graphics processing, and higher memory bandwidth, all aimed at accelerating AI models.
What the M7 brings
The M7 Pro, M7 Max, and M7 Ultra are all part of the same Andros family, currently under development. The focus on AI processing is a deliberate strategic shift: Apple is betting that on-device AI inference will become a key differentiator for professional laptops over the next two years. The M7 generation is expected to deliver a meaningful jump in AI performance over the M5 series, not just a generational clock-speed bump.
Apple also plans to update the Mac Studio in 2028 with M7 Max and M7 Ultra chips, extending the Andros architecture to its most powerful desktop form factor.
The bigger picture
Apple’s touchscreen MacBook is arriving at a moment when the lines between iPad and Mac have been blurring for years. The iPad Pro already runs the same M-class chips as MacBooks and supports keyboard-and-trackpad workflows. Adding a touchscreen to the MacBook closes the gap further — but the company is still keeping the two product lines separate, with macOS retaining its desktop interface rather than adopting touch-optimized elements like those found in iPadOS.
Whether that balance works depends on how well macOS handles touch input. Apple has not said whether it plans to adjust the operating system’s interface for finger-based navigation, or if it expects users to interact primarily through the trackpad and keyboard as before.