[DigitalToday reporter Hyunwoo Choo] Apple is expected to apply a new design to an entry-level MacBook Pro to be released in spring 2027. IT outlet 9to5Mac reported on Oct. 11 (local time) that the model will carry an M7 chip and is expected to adopt the next-generation design first used in higher-end models after about six months.

Apple has typically applied MacBook Pro design changes to higher-end models first and reflected them in entry-level models years later. When the 14-inch MacBook Pro came out in 2021, the entry-level model kept the 13-inch design until 2023, when it adopted a 14-inch chassis along with the M3 chip. In the 2016 revamp, the entry-level model did not add the Touch Bar until 2019.

The release timetable is somewhat unusual. The entry-level MacBook Pro with the existing design is expected to come out first in fall 2026 with an M6 chip. Around the same time, the new-design higher-end MacBook Pro is being discussed as possibly carrying the M5 Pro and M5 Max. Then, in spring 2027, the entry-level model is expected to adopt both the M7 chip and the new design, and in fall 2027 the higher-end model is expected to be revamped again with the M7 Pro and M7 Max.

The chip strategy also differs from usual. Apple is reported to have scrapped its plan for a high-end M6 chip and decided to bring forward the shift to M7. That has raised the possibility that the new-design higher-end model could launch first with the M5 Pro and M5 Max rather than an M6 generation.

The new design is expected to include a thinner chassis and a touch-enabled OLED display. The possibility of adopting a Dynamic Island was also raised.