If you’re interested in a new MacBook Pro, the current M4 model is an excellent option. But the M5 MacBook Pro will launch in the coming year too, and decisions about whether to upgrade could be a lot more complicated than usual.
M5 vs M6 MacBook Pro: Two very different options
For anyone expecting to upgrade their MacBook Pro in the coming year or so, Apple may have two very different options for you.
The M5 MacBook Pro, which will launch either later this year or in early 2026, isn’t expected to change much from the current M4 model.
Rumors indicate the M5 MacBook Pro will be a classic spec bump update. Faster chip, probably some other minor niceties, but otherwise it will be a lot like the current M4.
Apple’s follow-up, though, is expected to change significantly.
The M6 MacBook Pro, currently targeted for late 2026, is rumored to bring:
- a ‘total redesign’ that’s thinner and lighter
- OLED display with no notch
- likely a cellular option
- and a big wildcard: possible touch support
This new model could be a huge upgrade, the likes of which don’t come along very often.
And depending on who you are, and what you value, waiting for the M6 model could be an easy choice.
But I suspect it won’t be such an simple call for lots of users.
Why? Because of Apple’s history with MacBook Pro redesigns.
The risk of a brand new MacBook Pro design
If you’re like me, the prospect of a brand new MacBook Pro design is extremely exciting. And easily worth holding off upgrading until then.
But for many, the idea of a “thinner, lighter” MacBook Pro design likely throws up warning flags in their minds.
Before the current MacBook Pro design launched in 2021, users had to live with the infamously problematic design with a butterfly keyboard.
That previous design not only had a faulty keyboard, it also removed ports that many ‘pro’ users relied on.
Apple’s current bulkier, port-heavy MacBook Pro is in many ways an apology model.
It was a way of Apple showing users that it understood their frustrations, and was taking them seriously.
Personally, I want to believe Apple’s new M6 design will take those concerns seriously too.
But if you’re on the fence, waiting for a new design could be risky.
Top comment by Blurft
Thus the dilemma:
Do you buy an M5 MacBook Pro and know exactly what you’re getting?
Or wait for the thinner, lighter M6 model that might change in ways you don’t like?
I realize that this is just another clickbait story to generate views - something this site is doing more of lately - but there is a pretty simple answer to this contrived "dilemma": consumers should wait until they need a new device, then buy the product that best meets their needs at that time.
If that means they wait until the M6 model comes out and they like the changes, great. If they don't like the changes, they can still buy one of the many M5 (or M4, or M3, or M2) models that will still be available at resellers or through Apple's Refurbished store.
Thus the dilemma:
- Do you buy an M5 MacBook Pro and know exactly what you’re getting?
- Or wait for the thinner, lighter M6 model that might change in ways you don’t like?
With most Apple products, and for most users, getting a new design is an exciting thing. But if it could negatively impact your work, or key features you rely on, your priorities change.
Especially when the product is the MacBook Pro.
If you use a MacBook Pro, are you excited for a total redesign or concerned? Let us know in the comments.
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