New OLED MacBook Pro Reviews: Is the Touchscreen Essential?

The first reviews of the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with OLED displays have been published ahead of their on-sale date this Friday. One of the most eye-catching additions is a touchscreen. According to the reviewers, touch input does not meaningfully change the laptop experience, though at least one review still recommends the new models for the OLED panel and other upgrades, regardless of touch.

The OLED display drew the most praise. Dynamic Island arriving on the Mac, thinner bezels and a redesigned, better-balanced hinge also stood out among the display-related changes.

The touchscreen: useful now and then

Reviews describe the touchscreen as an extra that helps from time to time but is not indispensable. One writer said that during heavy work they forgot the screen was touch-enabled altogether. The same writer noted that swiping away a notification with a finger, or scrolling a social media feed with a thumb while sitting on the couch, feels intuitive, but said such moments are rare.

There were positive examples too. Spreading two fingers to zoom while editing photos is far easier than dragging with a cursor, tapping a video to play it while watching a film is handy, and it is convenient when two people can touch the screen while showing something. For iPhone Mirroring users, gestures such as swiping up from the bottom of the screen to minimize an app feel more natural, although one writer noted that touch on the mirrored iPhone is not as fluid as on the real device.

Limitations were also raised. In one writer's testing, tapping a text field does not bring up an on-screen keyboard, and tapping words does not show the copy, paste and select-all menu. The same writer added that Apple Pencil does not work on this screen at all. Another review observed that Apple has clearly been nudging macOS features toward a touch-friendly design for some time.

The OLED display is the star of the reviews

Compared with the previous mini-LED generation, the new models offer more vivid colors and a higher contrast ratio. HDR content can reach up to 2,000 nits of brightness. Because OLED panels have no backlight, the relevant pixels switch off completely when displaying black.

One reviewer called the two-layer tandem OLED panel genuinely impressive and said it can get noticeably brighter than the LCD models. Since each pixel is controlled individually and can turn off entirely in dark content, contrast is meaningfully better than on the already excellent mini-LED models, the reviewer said, adding that concerns about screen uniformity, a possible issue on OLED devices, disappeared during use. The panel is vibrant from corner to corner and shows a wider color range, which was noted as a plus especially for photographers. Another review found the display impressive too, stressing the deep blacks, vivid colors and very strong detail in both shadows and highlights.

Dynamic Island, speakers and other changes

Dynamic Island, which replaces the notch, was received positively. According to one writer, Spotlight and Siri animations appear to emerge from this area, and Now Playing information also lives there, with playback controls opening on a click or tap. Shared Live Activities from a paired iPhone are also expected to appear there instead of in the menu bar. The same writer said the notch was merely dead space, while Dynamic Island offers a functional solution.

The new MacBook Pro models also bring improved speakers, a new 16 TB storage option, a redesigned cooling system and a lighter, slightly thinner body. The glowing Apple logo on the lid is back. Apple says the speakers' bass response is 50 percent deeper, but one reviewer said they came away with mixed feelings about the audio, which they did not expect, and suggested the change could even be detrimental.