Apple’s 2026 Mac Plans – The Bitstream

Most of Apple’s Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there’s a possibility we’ll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio.

MacBook Air (Early 2026)

The ‌MacBook Air‌ will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The ‌MacBook Air‌ will get the same M5 chip that Apple introduced with the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple might also add the same SSD upgrades that it included in the M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Low-Cost MacBook (Early 2026)

Apple is going to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026 that’s cheaper than the $999 ‌MacBook Air‌. The low-cost MacBook will have a display that’s around 13 inches in size, so it could be slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch ‌MacBook Air‌.

Apple is planning to use its A18 Pro chip in the MacBook. We first saw the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro models. The chip is built on Apple’s second-generation 3-nanometer process, featuring 8GB RAM and support for Apple Intelligence.

The low-cost MacBook will have a standard LCD display with no mini-LED technology or ProMotion refresh rate. It could come in bright colors like the iMac, with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggesting Apple will offer it in silver, blue, pink, and yellow. The low-cost MacBook won’t replace the ‌MacBook Air‌, and will instead join the Mac lineup as a new affordable option.

Apple is expected to debut the low-cost MacBook in the first half of 2026.

MacBook Pro (Early 2026)

Apple already introduced the 14-inch M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌, but higher-end models with faster M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected around the same timeframe as the ‌MacBook Air‌ and low-cost MacBook.

The M5 Pro and M5 Max will have more CPU cores and better GPUs for improved performance, with the chips available in both 14-inch and 16-inch machines. Apple is also expected to add faster SSDs.

Mac Displays (Early to Mid-2026)

Apple hasn’t released a new display since the Studio Display launched in 2022, but there are apparently two new models that are in development and slated for release in 2026.

The next-generation version of the Studio Display could feature the same 27-inch screen size, but with mini-LED technology instead of LCD. mini-LED means better HDR, brightness, contrast, and colors. The current Studio Display has an A-series chip inside, and the next-generation version could get the A19 Pro that Apple used in the iPhone 17 Pro.

There are actually two displays in development, but it’s unclear if that’s the next Studio Display in two sizes, or a Studio Display and a more expensive Pro Display XDR successor. It’s also possible Apple designed two Studio Displays and will only launch one model.

Mac mini (Mid-2026)

An updated version of the Mac mini could come out sometime around mid-2026, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. The ‌Mac mini‌ will get M5 and M5 Pro chips, but there are no design changes rumored as of now.

Mac Studio (Mid-2026)

The ‌Mac Studio‌ could come out during the same timeframe as the ‌Mac mini‌. Apple didn’t release an M4 Ultra chip so there was never an M4 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌, but there will be an M5 Ultra model.

Sometime around the middle of 2026, the ‌Mac Studio‌ will get M5 Max and M5 Ultra chip technology. The M5 Max will offer much faster CPU and GPU performance than the M5, and the M5 Ultra will double the M5 Max.

We haven’t heard any other rumors about the ‌Mac Studio‌, so it may only get internal updates.

OLED MacBook Pro (Late 2026)

While there’s an M5 Pro and M5 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ refresh planned for early 2026, there’s another update in the works. Apple is developing a revamped OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ that uses next-generation M6 chip technology and also features a touch screen. It’s not yet clear if the machine will come out in late 2026 or early 2027, but 2026 remains a possibility.

If Apple does debut the OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ in 2026, it will be a year with two ‌MacBook Pro‌ refreshes. Apple has done that once before in 2023, but it is rare.

Rumors suggest that the OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ will feature a hole-punch camera without a notch, maximizing the available display area. Touch integration will be added to the Mac’s screen for the first time, and Apple plans to adopt a reinforced hinge that stays stationary when the display is touched.

The design of the MacBook will also be updated, and it will have a thinner, lighter chassis. There will be a keyboard and trackpad as usual, with the touch gestures augmenting existing functionality.

The M6 could be built on TSMC’s 2-nanometer process, introducing speed and efficiency improvements for impressive gains in battery life without compromising power. The OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ could also be the first MacBook to incorporate 5G connectivity, with Apple including a C2 chip in the device. The C2 chip is Apple’s rumored second-generation in-house modem that will support mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G speeds.

Mac Pro (Timing Unknown)

Apple is probably going to release a new Mac Pro at some point, but it’s unclear when. Bloomberg originally said a ‌Mac Pro‌ would come before the end of 2025 with some kind of M4 chip, but that didn’t happen, so now 2026 or later is the only option.

It’s possible the ‌Mac Pro‌ will get a refresh with the M5 Ultra chip when the ‌Mac Studio‌ does, but we haven’t heard confirmation of that.

The next ‌Mac Pro‌ will get Thunderbolt 5, and it will likely support at least 512GB RAM and 16TB storage, because that’s what the M3 Ultra chip supports.

iMac (Timing and Status Unknown)

The ‌iMac‌ is expected to get an M5 update in 2026, but timing isn’t clear. We haven’t heard anything about the ‌iMac‌ in some time, and there are no rumors of design changes or major updates on the horizon.

There have been nebulous rumors of an ‌iMac‌ with a larger display, but there’s no sign that such a Mac is still in active development.