We've all heard rumors about the MacBook Ultra, which is expected to be the very first touchscreen MacBook (though you can create your own right now rather easily). But the supposed chip upgrade may not be happening, as according to Mark Gurman, the MacBook Ultra will reportedly arrive running the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, not M7.
OK, I promise I didn't make a mistake when I said M7. While we expected the M5 series would be followed by the M6, last week Gurman reported that Apple was skipping over the high-end versions of the M6 chip in favor of the M7.
An M6 chip is in the works, and is expected to arrive on lower-end Macs in the near future, but the next wave of Pro and Max chips won't arrive until after M7 next year. Apparently Apple believes that this will help "meet growing demand for on-device AI capabilities and more graphics-intensive software".
Since the MacBook Ultra is not expected to be a slouch, offering the standard M6 chip wouldn't help it live up to that Ultra title. Rather than delaying the machines yet again, Apple will apparently opt for the existing M5 chips at launch.
Future MacBook Ultra models will utilize M7 series chips, with Gurman claiming that Apple has already started advanced testing of MacBook Ultra models sporting the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips.
In the meantime the M5 Ultra will be making something of an appearance too.
A new M5 Ultra-powered Mac Studio could be coming
The latest issue of Gurman's Power On newsletter also touches on upcoming Mac Studio updates, claiming that an M5 Ultra version of the desktop machine could arrive later this year. The most recent version of the Mac Studio was released last year, and is available with either the M4 Max or M3 Ultra chips.
The M5 Ultra Mac Studio is said to come with some changes, in order to help the machine manage more taxing on-device AI features. While the machine is expected to keep the same basic look as the current model, Gurman's sources claim that the upcoming Studio will feature a brand new heat sink to improve the thermal performance.
On-device AI has been one of Apple's main selling points, since it ensures absolute privacy. The company does offer various security systems, including Private Compute, to protect user data when AI processing in the cloud is unavoidable, but keeping it on your personal machine is the best way to guarantee its safety. The downside is that this requires powerful hardware and a lot of local resources — which can run very hot.
Considering the Mac Studio is Apple's most powerful computer, that improved heat sink is probably going to be needed. But if the M5 Ultra isn't for you, apparently an M7 Ultra model is on the way — but likely won't arrive until 2028.
MacBook Ultra — everything else we expect to see
The main focus of the MacBook Ultra has been that this will be Apple's first ever touchscreen laptop. The company has historically resisted calls to add touch to its Macs, and instead pushed to make iPads a touch-capable laptop alternative.
Rumors claim that we will see 14-inch and 16-inch variants of the MacBook Ultra, just as we do with the MacBook Pro. It's also claimed that this will be an OLED screen complete with a Dynamic Island and Face ID. Gurman notes that the new models will also feature an updated design, which would be the first major visual change since 2021.
Don't expect such a device to be cheap, though. It's been rumored that the MacBook Ultra could cost 20% more than the MacBook Pro, and that was before the recent price hikes across Apple's entire computing lineup. Considering the cheapest MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip is $2,499, we may be looking at a price tag in excess of $3,000. Which is, erm, pretty pricey, to say the least.
We're not likely to find out for a while, though. Rumor is that the MacBook Ultra won't be landing until early 2027. Which means there's plenty of time to see how things might change. Considering RAMageddon is still ongoing, and only getting worse, don't expect any sort of price reduction anytime soon.
