Apple just dropped a second Mac launch in October. That alone is unusual. The bigger surprise: the new 16-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is the first MacBook that accepts touch input, and it swaps the notch for a Dynamic Island — the same interactive cutout that debuted on iPhone 14 Pro and migrated to iPad Pro earlier this year.
AppleInsider's spec comparison confirms the changes. XDA Developers priced the top configuration at $14,549. The display is the story. Apple replaced the mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR panel with a Tandem OLED stack, the same approach used on the current iPad Pro.
The new screen measures 16.3 inches diagonally, up from 16.2, with a resolution of 3,472 by 2,266, a modest bump over the previous 3,456 by 2,234. Pixel density stays at 254 ppi. Contrast jumps to 10,000,000:1 from 1,000,000:1. Full-screen brightness holds at 1,000 nits, but HDR peak brightness climbs to 2,000 nits from 1,600.
Adobe RGB joins P3 wide color. ProMotion 120 Hz and True Tone remain. A Nano-texture glass option is available across the line. Touch is new territory for Mac.
The PROLED model is the first MacBook to support direct touch input without third-party add-ons. Apple also redesigned the hinge to handle the mechanical stress of repeated taps and swipes. Whether macOS makes good use of the capability remains to be seen. The interface was built for a trackpad, not fingers on glass.
The Dynamic Island replaces the notch. It houses the same 12 MP Center Stage camera with 1080p video and Desk View, now supplemented by advanced video stabilization. The Island expands and contracts around system alerts, Live Activities, and background tasks, familiar behavior for iPhone and iPad users, new for the Mac.
Physically, the chassis shrank. Thickness drops to 0.63 inches from 0.66. Footprint narrows to 14.0 by 9.62 inches from 14.01 by 9.77. Weight falls to 4.0 pounds for the M5 Pro version and 4.1 pounds for the M5 Max, down from 4.7 pounds across both.
Apple credits a redesigned thermal architecture and the lighter OLED stack. Inside, nothing changed. The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips carry over unchanged, same CPU and GPU core counts, same memory bandwidth tiers (307 GB/s on Pro, 460 or 614 GB/s on Max), same unified memory options (24/48/64 GB on Pro. 36/48/64/128 GB on Max depending on GPU tier).
Performance is identical to the mini-LED model this replaces. The six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers returns with unspecified tweaks. Maxing out the configurator, 16-inch screen, M5 Max, 128 GB RAM, 16 TB storage, lands at $14,549. That figure comes from XDA's breakdown of the fully loaded SKU.
For context, that money buys a used 2020 Toyota Camry with change left for gas, or roughly 37 Raspberry Pi 5 kits with accessories. Pre-orders and shipping dates have not been announced. The mini-LED 16-inch MacBook Pro remains on sale for now.
MDFiled by The Mobile Desk
Phones from leak to launch to price cut: what was announced, what it costs where, and when it goes on sale. Indian launches and prices included, not appended.
More from this desk →
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.