The 2023 MacBook Pro is the first device to offer a Space Black option.
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Apple will refresh the current MacBook Pro again in 2025, but those expecting a major redesign may have to wait a little longer.
The company often changes the hardware in its MacBook Pro lineup from year to year. Major redesigns are more generational, with roughly five years between case refreshes.
Since its last major redesign in 2021, the lineup has seen several notable changes. A report published Sunday says Apple will likely introduce an all-new look for the laptop in 2026.
The recently announced 2024 MacBook Pro retains the design and new color option — Space Black — of the 2023 models. The M4 version will still use Thunderbolt 4 ports, but the M4 Pro and Pro Max will get Thunderbolt 5 ports instead, which double the bandwidth.
The 2025 version is expected to retain the same design, only with an upgrade to the processor expected to be the M5 family of chips. However, the 2026 model is expected to see significant changes from the current design — switching from Mini-LED displays to OLED, and is said to be noticeably thinner and lighter, according to Bloomberg.
MacBook Pro Designs Through the Years
Apple's first laptop to bear the “MacBook Pro” moniker arrived in 2006, so a 2026 redesign would be a fitting way to celebrate the laptop's 20th anniversary. By today's standards, the 2006 model was thick, boxy, and heavy, weighing in at 5.6 pounds.
It was the first Mac laptop to feature the then-new MagSafe power connector and the first to feature a backlit keyboard. It was also the first to feature an Intel-based processor.
The initial release of the 2006 MacBook Pro. Image credit: Apple
Just two years later, in 2008, Apple released a new aluminum enclosure dubbed “unibody,” with rounded corners and tapered sides. Uniquely, all of the ports were located on the left side, with only the Superdrive slot on the right.
In 2012 — four years later — Apple released a much thinner, redesigned MacBook Pro with a higher-than-HD Retina display. However, it did away with the built-in Superdrive optical drive, which never returned.
This MacBook Pro was also the first to include an HDMI port, as well as a solid-state drive, and it came with a new, thinner MagSafe 2 power connector.
In 2015, Apple made one minor but significant hardware change to the 2012 MacBook Pro: It redesigned the trackpad to include Force Touch, which simulated the feel of actually pressing down on the surface, replacing that mechanical motion with haptic feedback.
The company redesigned the MacBook Pro again in 2016, making it thinner and lighter, and introducing an OLED Touch Bar with multitouch support, replacing the previous row of function keys. This new model also features Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports for the first time.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar that can change function depending on the app.
It also had a significantly larger trackpad, but removed the MagSafe 2 charging port in favor of a fourth USB-C/Thunderbolt charging port. It also introduced the now-infamous butterfly keyboard, but also included a Touch ID sensor for easier access.
In 2017, Apple introduced the second-generation butterfly keyboard and added a Touch Bar to the entry-level 13-inch model. Other than the keyboard change, the model wasn’t much different from the 2015 version.
Repair data from Apple-authorized service providers showed that both versions of the butterfly keyboard were only slightly more prone to breakage than previous keyboards. Apple ultimately settled the keyboard lawsuit for $50 million, which offered free repairs and compensation to affected MacBook owners.
At the end of 2019, Apple introduced the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the largest Retina display the company has ever made. More importantly, the company finally ditched the butterfly keyboard design, calling the new version the “Magic” keyboard.
The new model also featured a much better sound system with six speakers and an improved microphone array for better audio both out of and into the device.
The Apple Silicon Era
The following year saw the arrival of Apple's own ARM-based M1 processor, and the 13-inch MacBook Pro and M1 MacBook Air were the first models to ship with it in November of that year.
In 2021, Apple again overhauled the MacBook Pro lines, which now include 14-inch and 16-inch models. These new models brought back the MagSafe charging port, reducing the number of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports to three. The larger model ditched the Touchbar, returning to physical function keys.
The 2021 MacBook Pro returned to physical function keys after a user outcry.
For comparison, Apple has managed to shave a full pound off the 16-inch MacBook Pro so far compared to the 15-inch MacBook Pro from 2006. That's about an ounce per year, on average.
The chassis of both models used a new design that brought back the HDMI port, as well as an SDXC card slot for camera cards. The built-in camera on the 16-inch model was finally upgraded to 1080p, too.
For 2022, Apple has overhauled the design slightly, removing the Touch Bar in favor of bringing back a row of function keys on the 13-inch model, and both models now feature an M2 processor. Otherwise, the hardware design remains unchanged from the 2021 M1 model.
If Apple significantly overhauls the hardware design of the m5 MacBook Pro in 2026, it would be the first major design change since 2021. According to Apple's new specs for the upcoming m4 MacBook Pro line, the only design change in the 2024 model will be a new option for nano-texture glass on the display.
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