A decade later, Apple brings back a beloved feature to the MacBook Pro

Just as multiple rumors have predicted, we saw new top-tier MacBook laptops during Apple’s “Pro and Tell” event today. Besides the screen updates and the slight design changes, the new model marks the return of the glowing Apple logo to the company’s laptops.

The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR has the iconic glowing Apple logo on its lid

A decade after it started phasing it out, Apple brought back what has always been probably the most iconic feature of its laptops. The new MacBook Pro models with PROLED XDR display feature the glowing Apple logo on their lids.

The 2015 12-inch MacBook saw Apple ditching the glowing logo from its laptops, changing it to a non-glowing one. The redesign later spread to all other models, including the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Its return could be the most exciting change to the new laptops, especially for longtime fans.

You can now touch the MacBook Pro display

Of course, the highlight feature of the new high-end MacBook Pro models is the so-called PROLED XDR display, which supports touch gestures. Apple claims that’s the “world’s best display in a pro laptop,” as it uses tandem OLED and advanced algorithms in the display engine. 

The new MacBook Pro comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, with up to 2,000 nits peak HDR and SDR brightness and a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. ProMotion is also available, offering a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. 

There’s an antireflective coating and an option to order the laptop with a nano-texture display. Apple also says that the touch sensor is built directly into the panel, so touch interactions are more responsive, with no latency. The notch is gone from this display, and there’s a Dynamic Island that houses Spotlight, Live Activities, and Siri AI.

Steve Jobs famously bashed laptops with touchscreens in 2010, and Apple doesn’t offer anything that fully addresses the downsides he pointed out. However, the new laptops come with a new hinge design that should offer better stability while happily tapping on the touchscreen.

Users across social media have been mostly asking who is this laptop really made for. Comments on Reddit are overwhelmingly negative, with people sharing their worries about dirty displays, wobbly displays, and the lack of a more meaningful design change. 

Same old chips in a refreshed new body

Probably the most striking change is the lighter weight, especially on the 16-inch model, which is just 4 pounds, compared to 4.7 pounds on the previous model. The bezels around the display are also thinner, so the 16-inch model is now 16.3 inches, and the 14-inch MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display is 14.2 inches.

The internals are the same as the ones inside the MacBook Pro models we got in March, but there’s a new thermal architecture. The chips are M5 Pro and M5 Max, with up to 128GB of unified memory, while the storage can go up to 16TB if you’re ready to pay a really hefty price.

Pre-orders start today, while shipments will start reaching consumers on November 6. Prices start at $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch models with the M5 Pro chip. The M5 Max configurations start at $4,499 for the 14-inch, and $4,799 for the 16-inch models. You can choose to upgrade the RAM and storage, and opt for a nano-texture display. However, adding 16TB of storage will cost you $7,000, so you may need to be careful with the customizations.

Nostalgia will always win

The last thing I have ever wanted from any of my laptops was for them to have a touchscreen, which is why I’m not overly excited about the new MacBook Pro. On the other hand, I’m sure I’m not the only one who would consider it just because of the glowing Apple logo, even if this means many people would judge me for it.

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