- A new report says the M5 MacBook Pro is nearing a launch date
- Apple is also planning new MacBook Airs and desktop monitors, it claims
- Next year’s M6 MacBook Pro might be a better bet for your cash
Apple usually releases new MacBook Pro models in October or November, but there’s talk right now that the upcoming M5 MacBook Pro might not arrive until early 2026. If you’ve been eagerly awaiting more news on the subject, there’s just been a fresh update that could help clarify just when we’ll see this much-anticipated laptop.
The latest Power On newsletter from Blomberg reporter Mark Gurman contains an interesting new detail – Apple is apparently “nearing mass production” for the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air, and two Mac monitors. That could mean there’s a bumper crop of Macs and Mac accessories on the horizon.
As for the release date, Gurman says the devices are slated for release “between the end of this year and the first quarter of next year.” With October nearly upon us, a release date next month seems very unlikely given the products have supposedly not even entered mass production yet. Something between December and March therefore could be a more likely prediction.
Reading between the lines, a 2026 launch for all of these devices feels the most likely. The MacBook Air is typically a springtime release (between March and May), and if both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are apparently on similar production schedules, that could mean they’ll both land at similar times. It’s not a certainty, but it makes plenty of sense.
Worth the wait?
So, should you order the M5 MacBook Pro when it finally touches down? While the new M5 chip is expected to bring enhanced performance and efficiency, little else has been rumored so far for this laptop, so chances are it could just be a minor update. Rumors are also thin on the ground for the MacBook Air and Mac monitors, so it’s hard to say what they might contain.
The more wide-ranging MacBook Pro overhaul is expected to fall later in 2026. Then, the M6 MacBook Pro is slated to arrive, and it’ll apparently contain several significant upgrades that should make it a more worthwhile investment.
Those changes are rumored to include an OLED display outfitted with touchscreen capabilities, a thinner design with a slimmed-down chassis, and M6 chips made using a smaller 2nm process, which could offer a sizable uptick in performance.
If you’re not desperate to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro, it’s probably worth waiting until the M6 launches in late 2026, which is what rumors are currently predicting. Given both the M5 and M6 models could be presented in the same year, you wouldn’t have too long to wait, either.
Apple has done this before, for example launching the 13-inch MacBook Pro (10th-gen Intel) in May 2020, followed by the first M1 MacBook Pro in November of the same year. There’s no guarantee it’ll do the same with the next two MacBook Pro models, but it isn’t impossible if Apple does delay the M5 MacBook Pro launch to early 2026.
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