Apple Plans New MacBook Ultra with Touchscreen, Higher Price Tag Unveiled

Apple’s upcoming “MacBook Ultra” will be positioned as a distinct, top‑tier laptop rather than a direct successor to the current M5‑based MacBook Pro line, according to Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, who disclosed the details in his “Power On” newsletter and was later cited by MacRumors. Gurman says the new model will feature an OLED panel with full‑touch capability and will sit above the existing Pro offerings, which will remain on sale. By creating a separate “Ultra” tier, Apple can command a markedly higher price point without cannibalizing its current Pro lineup.

The pricing strategy mirrors Apple’s past rollout of OLED screens. When the company introduced OLED to the iPhone X in 2017 and later to the iPad Pro in 2024, it lifted the price of those devices by roughly 20 percent, Gurman notes. He expects a similar premium for the first MacBook with an OLED touchscreen, suggesting that the “MacBook Ultra” could push the MacBook Pro further up‑market while simultaneously expanding Apple’s high‑end portfolio. This aligns with Apple’s broader approach of diversifying price points, from the ultra‑low‑cost “MacBook Neo” at $599 to the forthcoming foldable iPhone and “AirPods Ultra” expected to sit at the top of their respective categories.

Design cues from Apple’s other product lines may also appear on the new laptop. The Verge reports that the touchscreen MacBooks could incorporate the iPhone’s Dynamic Island, a software‑driven UI element that has become a hallmark of Apple’s recent hardware. If implemented, Dynamic Island would give the MacBook Ultra a distinctive interaction model that blends macOS with iOS‑style gestures, potentially redefining the user experience for a laptop class that has traditionally lacked touch input.

Gurman projects a launch window toward the end of 2026, positioning the “MacBook Ultra” as a flagship that caps Apple’s incremental upgrades to the MacBook Pro line earlier in the year. By keeping the Pro models in the market, Apple can continue to target professional users who prioritize the established form factor and performance envelope, while the Ultra targets power users willing to pay a premium for the novelty of an OLED touchscreen and the prestige of a new naming tier. This dual‑track strategy could help Apple sustain its margins as competition from Windows‑based ultrabooks and high‑end Chromebooks intensifies.

Analysts will be watching how the market reacts to Apple’s first foray into touch‑enabled laptops, especially given the company’s historically cautious stance on touch input for Macs. If the “MacBook Ultra” can justify its higher price through tangible productivity gains and a seamless integration of macOS with touch‑first features, it may set a new benchmark for premium laptops. Conversely, a tepid response could reaffirm the entrenched preference for keyboard‑centric workflows among professional users, limiting the Ultra’s appeal to a niche segment of early adopters.