A year from today, people across the world will be using a redesigned entry-level MacBook Pro powered by an unannounced M7 processor, according to an unconfirmed report on Wednesday.
This new model will supposedly launch in the first half of 2027, and it’ll apparently be out surprisingly soon after the current basic MacBook Pro gets the M6 chip.
Expect a new Design for the entry-level M7 MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro remains one of Apple’s most important products, serving everyone from students and business users to creative professionals and software developers. Because the laptop plays such a central role in the company’s Mac lineup, Apple regularly introduces updates that improve performance, battery life, displays and other features to keep the device competitive.
Wednesday brought word from Bloomberg that Cupertino is prepping an overhaul of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro redesigned to match the touchscreen-enabled “MacBook Ultra” that’s expected to debut this fall or in early 2027. Exactly what that means was not revealed, but previous reports suggest the computers might become even slimmer.
Beyond the redesign, the basic macOS notebook will supposedly pack an Apple M7 chip — possibly the first computer to do so. A recent leak indicated that Apple revamped its chip roadmap by moving up the introduction of the M7.
Which means that the entry-level M7 MacBook Pro is scheduled for release as early as the first half of 2027, according to Bloomberg. There’ll apparently be no need to wait for more powerful MacBook Pro variants with the M6 Pro and M6 Max processors, as those chips have been nixed… allegedly, anyway.
Don’t forget the M6 model
An M7 version coming in less than a year apparently won’t stop Apple from popping a new M6 chip into the current basic MacBook Pro this fall, according to Wednesday’s report. This will supposedly be a simple “chip and ship” update, with no other significant hardware changes.
Current MacBooks use the M5 family, and the M6 is months away from being released, so comparing the M6’s performance to the M7’s is challenging, to say the least. But based on current rumors, the M6 looks like an evolutionary upgrade, while the M7 is shaping up to be Apple’s first Apple Silicon generation designed primarily around AI workloads and much larger memory requirements.
That leaves the fall 2026 entry-level MacBook Pro as primarily a placeholder, while savvy shoppers should look ahead to the 2027 version with the M7 chip and a redesigned chassis.
There’s no word on pricing, though the cost is likely to be somewhere near the base-model M5 MacBook Pro, which goes for $1,999.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 26 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
