Linus was Right - Apple (probably)

Linus Tech Tips

560,192 views • 15 hours ago Save 7 min 4 min read

Video Summary

Apple has unveiled its first touchscreen Mac, the MacBook Pro with ProLED, featuring a stunning tandem OLED display that achieves 1,000 nits sustained and 2,000 nits peak brightness. This new model boasts a ProMotion variable refresh rate, full Adobe RGB and 80% REC 2020 color space coverage, and even a DICOM reference mode for medical imaging. The integration of touch sensors directly into the display panel, rather than layering them, is a key innovation. However, the transition to a touch-enabled macOS raises questions about user adoption, despite Apple's efforts to make the interface more iPhone-like. The new MacBook Pro starts at a hefty $2,900 and includes the M5 Pro and Max chips, with the iPad mini also receiving an OLED screen and an A20 Pro chip, though some models feature a less powerful variant.

Short Highlights

Apple introduces its first touchscreen Mac, the MacBook Pro with ProLED.
The ProLED display features tandem OLED technology with up to 2,000 nits peak brightness and ProMotion.
Touch sensors are integrated directly into the display panel for a seamless experience.
macOS is adapting to touch, with UI elements becoming more iPhone-like.
The new MacBook Pro starts at $2,900 and uses M5 Pro and Max chips.
The iPad mini also gets an OLED screen and A20 Pro chip, with varied CPU core counts by storage size.
Base model MacBook Pros and iMacs now feature the M6 chip.

Key Details

Apple's First Touchscreen Mac: MacBook Pro with ProLED [0:00]

Apple has announced the MacBook Pro with ProLED, marking their first touchscreen Mac.
The new display is a tandem OLED panel named ProLED XDR, offering 1,000 nits sustained and up to 2,000 nits peak brightness.
It features ProMotion with a variable refresh rate from 10 to 120 Hz and covers the DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, and 80% of REC 2020 color spaces.

"Wow, way to go, Apple. You did it. You finally caught up."

Display Technology and Calibration [0:59]

The ProLED XDR screen is a tandem OLED panel with advanced brightness and color capabilities.
Apple published a white paper detailing its suitability for professional content creation, including film mastering.
Similar to the Studio Display XDR, it includes a DICOM reference mode for medical imaging.

"And like the Studio Display XDR, it can even be used for medical imaging with a DICOM reference mode built in."

Touch Integration and User Interface [2:05]

The MacBook Pro now features a touchscreen, with touch sensors integrated directly into the display panel.
macOS is evolving with more iPhone-like elements, such as the Dynamic Island for the webcam and Spotlight Search.
The context menu adapts spacing based on whether it's clicked with a mouse or touched.

"It's these little touches, pun intended, that could give macOS with touch a leg up over Windows."

Internal Upgrades and Design Changes [4:20]

The new MacBook Pro models are powered by the M5 Pro and Max chips, with improved thermal management.
Battery life remains similar, rated for 22 to 24 hours.
The laptops are roughly half a pound lighter and a few millimeters thinner than previous non-OLED models, with deeper bass in the speakers.

"Inside, the new MacBook ProLED is using the M5 Pro and Max chips, which is a little disappointing now that the M6 exists."

iPad Mini and Other Updates [6:48]

A new iPad mini is introduced with an OLED screen and an IP67 rating.
It is powered by the A20 Pro chip, though 128GB and 256GB models use a variant with five CPU cores instead of six.
Base model MacBook Pros and iMacs now feature the M6 chip, retaining previous price increases.

"And inside the 14% thinner chassis is the A20 Pro chip that we absolutely loved in our iPhone 18 Pro review."