If a rumor is right, Apple's forthcoming OLED MacBook Pro could also feature a brand-new M5 Ultra chip, ensuring the laptop will live up to its possible MacBook Ultra branding. We're skeptical.
Apple has been working on a MacBook Pro with a new OLED display for years, if the rumor mill is to be believed. Now, that machine is believed to be closer than ever, with a potential launch possible before the end of 2026.
Now, researchers at Omdia believe that OLED won't be the only big upgrade the late-2026 laptop will bring to the table. With MacBook Pros previously limited to Pro and Max chips, the report claims that the OLED model "is highly likely" to feature the M5 Ultra chip.
Apple announced the M5 Ultra in August 2026, with the chip making its debut in the upgraded Mac Studio.
A first for Apple's laptops
To date, Apple has chosen not to bring the Ultra version of its chips to laptops, leaving them to the desktop machines instead. It's always been assumed that power consumption and heat considerations were at play.
But Omdia's new report suggests that Apple may throw caution to the wind with the OLED MacBook Pro. However, it's important to remember that the move would break precedent, and this is the first time we've heard it suggested.
The M5 Ultra found in the new Mac Studio features up to a 36-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU. It also supports up to 512GB of unified memory. Bringing such a chip to a portable machine would truly make the OLED MacBook a machine befitting the MacBook Ultra name.
It's also a hot processor, if previous Ultra chips are any indication. Mac Studios with Ultra chips have had denser heat sinks with better thermal characteristics than the Max versions.
