Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple will add a touchscreen to the upcoming MacBook Pro with OLED display

High-end laptops from the likes of Samsung and Microsoft often feature touchscreens – however, Apple has so far rejected this design. Until now, anyway, as Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Cupertino has finally warmed up to the idea.

Apparently, the first MacBook Pro with an OLED display, which is rumored to be coming next year, will become the first MacBook Pro to have a touchscreen as well. The panel will be manufactured by Samsung and will use on-cell touch technology.

Mass production of this model will start by late 2026, according to the analyst. Kuo writes that this “shift appears to reflect 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.”

Presumably, this also includes enough observation of iPad usage patterns to quell any concerns that a touchscreen MacBook would eat into the sales of Apple’s tablets.

Unfortunately, there are no further details. Would this MacBook feature a 360° hinge, which would allow the screen to flip all the way over and work as a large tablet? Would it support the Apple Pencil stylus? That’s TBD.

Apple also has an entry-level MacBook on the way, which is said to use an Apple A18 Pro chipset (from the iPhone 16 Pro series) and would target a $700 price tag. That first-generation model won’t have a touchscreen.

However, Apple might not make touch a feature that is exclusive to Pro models, as it did with ProMotion. According to Kuo, the second generation of the affordable MacBook (coming in 2027) might have a touchscreen. Emphasis on “might” as that is something that is still under discussion over at Cupertino, says Kuo.