In short: what is the MacBook Ultra
An entirely new category in Apple's line-up — top-tier above MacBook Pro. With tandem OLED, touchscreen, M6 Pro/Max on 2nm, Dynamic Island, integrated 5G modem and thinner design. It's the biggest shift in Mac philosophy in 15 years.
- Launch: fall 2026 (Q4)
- Sizes: 14" and 16"
- Chip: M6 Pro / M6 Max on TSMC 2nm
- Display: tandem OLED with capacitive touchscreen
- Estimated price: 17,000 – 32,000 RON depending on configuration
The 6 confirmed new features via credible leaks
All information below comes from reports by Mark Gurman (Bloomberg), Ming-Chi Kuo (TF Securities), DSCC and DigiTimes — sources with over 80% accuracy track record on Apple products.
Touchscreen — the first Mac ever
After 15 years of firmly refusing touch on Mac (Steve Jobs said in 2010: "Touch surfaces want to be horizontal"), Apple is changing course. Per Mark Gurman (Bloomberg), the MacBook Ultra will have a fully capacitive screen — but Apple positions it as a secondary input method, NOT as a replacement for keyboard and trackpad.
Source: Bloomberg / Mark Gurman, March 2026
OLED — also the first Mac with this panel
MacBook Ultra will use tandem OLED (two stacked OLED layers for double the brightness of single-layer OLED) — same technology as the iPad Pro M4. Benefits: perfect black (infinite contrast), true HDR colours, 178° viewing angle, longer durability than single-layer OLED. Mini-LED used on MacBook Pro M3/M4 disappears completely from this line.
Source: DSCC + Mark Gurman, February 2026
M6 Pro and M6 Max on TSMC 2nm
The M6 Pro and M6 Max chips will be the first Apple Silicon on TSMC's 2nm process (N2 node). That means: more transistors in the same area (+15% density vs 3nm), lower power consumption (~25% reduction at the same performance), better thermals. M6 Max will support Apple Intelligence on-device plus 70B-parameter LLMs running locally.
Source: Ming-Chi Kuo, September 2025
Thinner design — under 1.4 cm
Apple wants MacBook Ultra to be the thinnest professional MacBook ever. The current MacBook Pro 14" M4 is 1.55 cm. Target for Ultra: under 1.4 cm. How: thinner OLED panel (~30% thinner than mini-LED), removed thermal components (2nm chip dissipates less heat), simplified internals. Estimated weight: 1.45 kg at 14" and 1.95 kg at 16".
Source: Bloomberg, November 2024 + update March 2026
Dynamic Island — goodbye notch
MacBook Ultra will abandon the notch introduced on MacBook Pro 2021 and adopt Dynamic Island — exactly like iPhone 14 Pro and newer. That means a smaller "pill" at the top, but interactive: contextual notifications, audio indicator, charging status, active connections. For the user: cleaner screen, added functionality.
Source: Mark Gurman, May 2026
Integrated 5G modem — the first cellular MacBook
The most surprising change: MacBook Ultra will have the C2 modem (successor to the C1 in iPhone 17) with 5G satellite support. Practically, the MacBook becomes "always-connected" — internet anywhere, no iPhone hotspot needed. eSIM slot (no physical SIM). This feature will likely be a paid option (similar to iPad with cellular), not standard on all variants.
Source: Bloomberg + DigiTimes, April 2026
Quick comparison: Pro M3 → Pro M4 → Pro M5 → Ultra M6
To understand where Ultra sits versus recent generations:
| Generation | Display | Chip | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro M3 (2023) | Mini-LED 14"/16" | M3 / M3 Pro / M3 Max (3nm) | NO |
| MacBook Pro M4 (2024) | Mini-LED 14"/16" | M4 / M4 Pro / M4 Max (improved 3nm) | NO |
| MacBook Pro M5 (2025) | Mini-LED 14"/16" | M5 / M5 Pro / M5 Max (3nm rev 3) | NO |
| MacBook Ultra M6 (Q4 2026 — THIS FALL) | Tandem OLED 14"/16" | M6 Pro / M6 Max (2nm) | YES — first Mac |
Estimated price in Romania
Apple applied a ~20% premium when moving to OLED on iPhone X (2017) and iPad Pro (2024). Applying the same logic to current MacBook Pro M5 prices, here are the estimates for MacBook Ultra:
| Configuration | Estimated price RON | MacBook Pro M5 reference |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Ultra 14" M6 Pro base | ~17,000 RON (estimated) | MacBook Pro 14" M5 Pro: 13,500 RON |
| MacBook Ultra 14" M6 Max | ~22,000 RON (estimated) | MacBook Pro 14" M5 Max: 18,500 RON |
| MacBook Ultra 16" M6 Pro | ~22,500 RON (estimated) | MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro: 18,000 RON |
| MacBook Ultra 16" M6 Max top-spec | ~32,000 RON (estimated) | MacBook Pro 16" M5 Max top: 26,000 RON |
Note: these prices are estimates based on the OLED + historical Apple premium trend. The official price will be announced by Apple at the launch event (estimated October-November 2026).