Apple introduces MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen
The new version of the MacBook Pro features an extremely bright tandem OLED display with touch functionality. The laptop is also significantly lighter than the previous model, but it also costs more.
Apple has unveiled a new MacBook Pro. It is the first laptop from Cupertino to feature a touchscreen. Additionally, Apple has incorporated a tandem OLED display, which is intended to provide higher contrast and better colors. The device is thinner, lighter, and more expensive than the previous MacBook Pro. The predecessor model remains in the lineup.
The chips used are the familiar M5 Pro and M5 Max. They are already present in the previous MacBook Pro. Apple appears to be skipping the Pro and Max variants of the M6 generation, which can be found as the base version in the Mac Mini.
Thinner, lighter, more expensive
The new design of the MacBook Pro is not a revolution, but a gentle evolution: the screen size has grown to 14.2 and 16.3 inches thanks to narrower bezels. The smaller model weighs 1.38 kilograms (230 grams less than the previous MacBook Pro) and is 0.5 millimeters thinner. The larger one weighs 1.82 kilograms (320 grams less) and sheds a full millimeter in thickness. Another feature that many will likely appreciate: the illuminated Apple logo is back.
To ensure the screen doesn't wobble every time you use touch controls, the new MacBook has a particularly stiff hinge. A new cooling concept is designed to improve airflow. Furthermore, the speakers have been revised – Apple claims 50 percent more bass and better tweeters.
Source: Apple
As before, the available colors are Silver and Space Black. In the 14-inch version, the touch-enabled MacBook costs at least 2799 Swiss francs or 3299 euros (500 francs or 400 euros more than the standard MacBook Pro with the same chip). For the model with the 16-inch display, the price starts at 3299 Swiss francs or 3899 euros (500 francs or euros more). In the absolute top configuration with M5 Max, 128 GB of RAM, and a 16 TB SSD, the price can be driven up to 14,449 Swiss francs or 16,264 euros.
Tandem OLED with 2000 nits peak brightness
Perhaps the most important technical advancement: the MacBook Pro gets the same tandem OLED technology already found in the iPad Pro. The «PROLED XDR Display» offers perfect black levels, accurate colors, and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. Even in full-screen mode, it can reach 1000 nits – an extremely high value for an OLED display. The refresh rate is 120 Hertz, and the pixel density is 254 pixels per inch.
By the way, tandem OLED is not the same as tandem WOLED. With tandem OLED (without the W), two layers of diodes are stacked on top of each other, emitting red, green, and blue light directly. An additional color filter is not required. This architecture works for small displays. For large screens (monitors and TVs), however, tandem WOLED is used. Here, three layers of light-emitting diodes work together to produce white light, which is then colored by filters. Tandem OLED achieves higher brightness levels than tandem WOLED. Both display technologies come from LG.
The PROLED XDR display is controlled by a dedicated display engine designed to monitor and adjust the usage of every single pixel over time. The screen is intended to cover both the P3 color gamut and AdobeRGB, making it perfect for color-critical work. A special coating also minimizes internal reflections better than other OLED displays. For an additional charge, the well-known nanotexture is also available, which reduces external reflections.
Touch gestures and Dynamic Island
Apple is entering completely new territory for laptops with the touch functionality. It is intended to complement, not replace, operation via trackpad and keyboard. As examples, Apple cites familiar multi-touch gestures such as scrolling, zooming, or moving objects via drag-and-drop. The touch sensor is not an additional layer on the display, but is integrated directly into it. This is intended to reduce latency to a minimum.
Source: Apple
Instead of the notch on previous MacBooks, the new one has a Dynamic Island, as known from the iPhone. Just like there, it also displays live activities on the MacBook, which can be enlarged via touch.
Source: Apple
How much added value all this offers in everyday life remains to be seen. Apple founder Steve Jobs once described touch operation on a vertical display as «ergonomically terrible». Former CEO Tim Cook compared the idea of a touch laptop at the launch of Windows 8 to combining a toaster and a refrigerator. How times change.
The new MacBook with an OLED display can be pre-ordered here immediately. Deliveries begin on November 6.
My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.
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