MacBook Pro 16-inch could be pushed to 2022: What we know

MacBook Pro
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

The 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro may not arrive this year as expected, according to Digitimes.

We don't have much information about the delay yet as the source of the news is a paywalled preview article set to be released in full tomorrow. Thanks to our friends at Tom's Guide, we know it claims the MacBook Pro models "may get postponed until 2022, according to industry sources."

Before we go any further, Digitimes, a Taiwan-based business analysis outlet, has a bumpy track record. If it is true, it would mean the new MacBook Pro models won't be arriving in the second half of 2021 as previously rumored. 

The report mentioned MacBooks with mini-LED displays which we know have been linked to the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch models. The new display technology, first seen in the iPad Pro 2021, will be one of the defining features of these notebooks. The screen on the iPad Pro is rated to reach a blinding 1,000 nits and has a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio — we expect to see a similar panel on the MacBook Pro. 

Along with display improvements, the MacBook Pro models will feature updated Apple Silicon chips, said to be the M1X or M2 with 12 computing cores and 16 GPU cores. We're also anticipating the return of MagSafe, although we don't know what form it will take on. 

Changes we're eager to see are the death of the Touch Bar and the return of a standard shortcut row. This, along with additional ports like USB Type-A and HDMI, could make the new MacBook Pro the most complete Apple laptop ever.

If the MacBook Pros are delayed, we at least have the upcoming MacBook Air 2021 to look forward to as well as a new iPad mini model said to arrive later this year. 

Phillip Tracy

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Phillip became a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.