Apple announces touchscreen MacBook Pros from $2,899 in the US

Four configurations and their US prices

Apple opened preorders on October 28 through apple.com/store and the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, including the US. Its hardware education pricing is available to current and newly accepted college students and educators.

9to5Mac says the existing non-touch M5 Pro and M5 Max models introduced in March remain available at unchanged prices. Its comparison puts the touchscreen models' starting-price premium at $400 for either size.

Those figures make the touchscreen models about 0.5 and 0.7 pounds lighter, respectively. Apple lists configurations reaching 128GB of unified memory, shared by the system’s processing components, and 16TB of storage. 9to5Mac identifies both maximum configurations as M5 Max options; the 16TB storage option doubles the previous 8TB maximum.

What Apple says the screen can do

Apple calls the display PROLED XDR and says it uses tandem OLED, a design with multiple light-emitting layers. OLED pixels produce their own light rather than relying on a backlight.

The company lists up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness—a measure of screen brightness—for both standard- and high-dynamic-range content. It also lists a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio, comparing the brightest white with the darkest black, and adaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz, meaning the screen can update between 10 and 120 times a second. Apple says the display supports the P3 and Adobe RGB color ranges and offers optional nano-texture glass to reduce reflections.

Apple has not detailed its approach to burn-in protection, which addresses lasting marks from displayed images.

For medical images, Apple describes new DICOM reference modes—display settings for medical-image viewing—as suitable for nondiagnostic review, research and education. That stated use does not include diagnosis.

In macOS 27, Apple says touches automatically become clicks, allowing many existing apps to work with the screen immediately. Users can swipe to scroll, pinch to zoom, drag items between presentations and double-tap a window to fill the screen. A Dynamic Island interface area brings together Spotlight search and Live Activities, including controls for music and incoming calls.

Apple says building the touch sensor directly into the display, rather than adding a separate layer, reduces the delay between a touch and the screen’s response. It also says a redesigned hinge keeps the screen steadier during touch use, while video stabilization smooths the camera feed during calls.

In a brief hands-on account, Engadget described swiping through images, drawing and adjusting editing sliders. It said the window-management buttons expanded slightly when touched, while the interface otherwise looked largely unchanged.

Apple also says its revised six-speaker system provides 50% deeper bass. Separately, 9to5Mac says the Thunderbolt 5 ports add Genlock support, used to synchronize video timing.

Apple plans creative software updates for November

Apple describes three practical uses for Touch in its Creator Studio apps:

• Pixelmator Pro lets users draw, paint and select directly on the design canvas.
• Logic Pro provides an onscreen keyboard that can play several notes at once, plus tappable chord and drum pads.
• Final Cut Pro lets editors mark ranges, place clips and pinch to zoom in on a cut.

Apple plans to release the Touch-optimized Creator Studio updates through the App Store in November, at no extra charge for existing subscribers. It lists the following US subscription rates:

Apple schedules the laptops' first customer deliveries for November 6, 2026, when availability at Apple Store locations and authorized resellers is also due to begin.